Vladimir Legoyda: Kiev Patriarchate is a wound on the body of Ukrainian Orthodoxy

Kiev Patriarchate which is not recognized by any of the Orthodox Churches in the world is a wound on the body of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy inflicted at the beginning of the 90-s as a result of human and political ambitions, said Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations of the ROC with Society and Mass Media Vladimir Legoyda, writes TASS.

In his speech at 17th International School on the problems of global security for young specialists, he explained that a way out of this conflict situation could be only accession of adherents of the Kiev Patriarchate to the UOC.

“This is a single option for them. If they want to come back to the Orthodox family, they have to do it in a canonical way. When temples are taken over by force, it will lead to nothing good.” underscored the religious expert.

According to the Chairman of the Synodal Department, the Church has been doing its best to establish peace in Ukraine. “Whatever splits there could be, they involve parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on both sides of the conflict, yet they should live in peace,” said Legoyda.

He added that peacekeeping is a primary task of the ROC at the international level. “Peacekeeping is a key function of the Church in the issues related to a foreign political and international agenda. Not challenging the principle of separation of the Church from the state, we defend the right of affirming Christian values in the process of adopting crucial decisions both at the national and international level,” declared Legoyda.