UOC KP spokesman: We need to build relations with ROC

Spokesman of the Kyiv Patriarchate Yevstraty (Zoria) is sure about the inevitability of reconciliation with the Russian Orthodox Church and the ending of “hot or cold war”. It follows from his interview with a Catholic resource risu.org.ua.

"If in life one can choose neighbors, even in the most radical way – simply by moving somewhere, then in the existence of countries and nations this is impossible. And that's why, one way or the other, whether we like it or not , but we must take into account the fact that the Russian state, the Russian people and, accordingly, the Russian Orthodox Church are next to us. We do not have the Albanian Church or the Jerusalem Patriarchate by our side, whereas the Russian Orthodox Church is next to us," explained the spokesman of the UOC-KP. And therefore we need to build relations with this Church. We need to think that sooner or later a hot or cold war, the confrontation will end."

He also unequivocally confirmed his readiness for a dialogue, "understanding how difficult it is to trust," but "the model that has been propagated by them for 25 years -" repent and join "- is completely unrealistic."

It will be reminded that on November 30, 2017, at the Bishops’ Council of the ROC there was read a letter by Filaret in which he asked for forgiveness from the Russian Patriarch and Archbishops of the Church, and asked to lift all “reprisals and anathema” and restore a Eucharistic communication. The Council adopted the decision to set up a dialogue commission.

On the next day, December 1, Filaret at the press-conference actually disavowed all the above theses laid in the letter, which was commented by the UOC spokesman as “paradise cannot be forced.”