DECR MP head responds whether UOC is moving towards schism

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk. Photo: TV channel "Smotrim"

Head of the DECR MP Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk  in an interview with the program "Church and World" discussed whether it is permissible for ROC members to criticize the decisions of the Council in Feofania and whether the UOC is moving towards schism.

The hierarch emphasized that there are no decisions from the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate on this matter. "The Holy Patriarch and the Holy Synod have not made any judgments on this issue," he said.

The Metropolitan stressed that the UOC is under immense pressure from the authorities, who demand that the hierarchy and clergy join the OCU, but nevertheless, this pressure does not yield results.

"You mentioned the possibility of avoiding persecution by joining the schism - this program was offered and is still being offered to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by its persecutors," he emphasized, addressing the journalist. "As is known, of all the hierarchs of the UOC, despite the pressure they were under before the so-called unification council, when two schismatic jurisdictions were merged into what is now called the OCU, only two turned out to be Judas, who went into schism. The rest of the hierarchs, despite everything the SBU did to them, did not go for it, they remained faithful to their Church."

The head of the DECR MP also touched upon the topic of granting autocephaly. He emphasized that Moscow has not received such a request from Kyiv. The Metropolitan noted the impossibility of contacts between the ROC and the UOC at the present time and stated that the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be discussed when "the Church gains freedom".

Earlier, the UOJ analyzed whether those in Ukraine who do not commemorate the Patriarch of the ROC can suffer for Christ.

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