UOC hierarch: Whoever shakes the Church creates an internal front

In an interview published on Facebook, Metropolitan Nikodym of Zhytomyr and Novohrad-Volynsky spoke about the diocese's assistance to the defenders of Ukraine, and why those who wish to shake up the situation around the church issue in wartime are actually creating another, internal, front.

"From the first day of the war, His Beatitude Onuphry expressed his clear position and the position of our Church: the Church with its Ukrainian people, with the Ukrainian army," said the UOC hierarch.

In the resolution of the Council of the UOC, the bishop emphasized, there is a clause to the effect that the Council appeals to the authorities of Ukraine and the authorities of the Russian Federation to continue the negotiation process and search for a strong and reasonable word that could stop the bloodshed.

"We disagree with the position of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus regarding the war in Ukraine," said Metropolitan Nikodym. “There is no way someone can appeal to us as the Moscow Patriarchate or ‘Moscow cassocks’.”

As early as on the second day of the war, the Zhytomyr Eparchy purchased medicines and other aid for the territorial defense worth UAH 25,000.

"If we are talking about the assistance of our diocese to the front, we've handed over 3 cars, more than 30 tons of humanitarian aid in 4 months, our monasteries receive refugees every day," the hierarch emphasized.

"One shouldn't engage in pretended ‘patriotism’ and exaggerate church issues,” says Metropolitan Nikodym. “Today it is no use. President Vladimir Zelensky has already said that whoever stirs up religious confrontation creates an internal front."

As the UOJ reported, clerics of the Zhytomyr Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church handed over foodstuffs to the immigrants.

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