Shifts in Russia-affiliated church in Ukraine toward severing Moscow ties – priest

This was reported by Heorhii Kovalenko, a priest with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and rector of the Shia-Wisdom en Orthodox University, who spoke at a briefing hosted by Media Center Ukraine, Ukrinform heard.

“We see a powerful movement within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) to finally break ties with Moscow. New legislation should help to this end," he said, referring to the law that would effectively ban religious organizations in Ukraine whose decision-making centers are located in the aggressor state.

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According to the cleric, he prevails among some of the clergy with the Moscow Patriarchate, that their leadership will eventually hear the voice of their faithful and take apprriate action to get rid of any connection with Moscow. "Therefore, this process goes on in several directions, and it is relentless, although sometimes many would like it to be quicker. But still, the church is a quite conservative and slow community, and we must treat these processes with respect and patience," the priest noted.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, there is not a single registered parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) left in Lviv region while the transition of communities from the UOC (MP) to the OCU is in progress across Ukraine with a varying pace.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine became one of the 15 local Orthodox churches in the world after receiving a tomos of autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinle (the Mother Church in global Orthodoxy).

Still, the issue of Orthodox unity in Ukraine is yet to be resved as another religious organization with a formidable flowing, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) keeps functioning in Ukraine. According to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the UOC (MP) is its structural part and its primate, Metritan Onufr, is member of its Synod (governing body).

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The recently adted law in Ukraine bans the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church, religious organizations that are included in the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church directly or as components of another religious organization, as well as religious centers that are part of or recognize subordination to the Russian Orthodox Church in canonical, organizational, and other issues, in the territory of Ukraine.

ROS Primate, Patriarch Kirill, has been supportive of Russia's aggression, claiming that Russian sdiers are fulfilling their "call" and "duty" to their homeland and society in the war against Ukraine, so their actions can allegedly be seen as "self-sacrifice". As per Kirill’s preaching, all sins of fallen Russian sdiers shall be forgiven.

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Adding to controversy of UOC (MP)’s ties with Moscow are criminal inquiries against individual clerics of this church charged with justifying Russian aggression or directly aiding and abetting the enemy amid war.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP) has claimed autonomy in decision-making although no formal changes to their Charter confirming that the ties with the ROC have been severed have been made public.