OCU cleric claims pope is playing into Moscow's hands

OCU cleric Roman Hryshchuk. Photo: Hryshchuk's Facebook

OCU cleric Roman Hryshchuk accused Pope Leo of acting in Russia's interests and called on Ukrainian Greek Catholics to stop criticizing the structure of Epifaniy Dumenko. Hryshchuk published a post on his Facebook page following a dispute surrounding the OCU head's visit to Lviv.

The occasion for the public conflict was a statement by UGCC cleric Justyn Boyko, who suggested that the OCU leave western Ukraine and focus its ministry on the eastern and southern regions of the country.

Hryshchuk reacted sharply to the proposal to divide spheres of territorial influence: “Guys, how about you stop telling us where we can and can’t go, and we won’t tell you where to go!”

He accused the Vatican of loyalty to the Kremlin and rebuked the UGCC for selective silence.

"The Pope is playing into Moscow's hands, placing Russia and Ukraine on the same level and calling on Ukrainians to reconcile with the occupier," Hryshchuk stated. "And the UGCC stays silent and draws no conclusions – for them, the main enemy is the OCU and Epifaniy."

Hryshchuk questioned whether Catholics had truly privatized the western regions of the country. He compared the UGCC's position to the Polish occupation of the Lviv, Frankivsk, and Volyn regions during the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, when Polish authorities carried out the forced Catholicization of Ukrainians.

As the UOJ reported, the UGCC cleric criticized the OCU head for awarding Greek Catholic officials.

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