The election of Metropolitan Onufriy as head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church indicates that the majority of the bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate adhere to "Russian world" ideas and puts an end to the idea of creating a local Church of Ukraine, reads Kyiv Patriarchate press release.
“Despite the hopes for the furthering, especially in the new
conditions, of the cause of late Metropolitan Volodymyr (Ukrainian
Orthodox Church) to have dialogue with the Kyiv Patriarchate to overcome
church division, we have to say that by electing a consistent supporter
of the ideology of the ‘Russian world’ and unity with Moscow, the
majority of the bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine have
rejected that path,” the Kyiv Patriarchate press center said in a press
release.
The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate)
earlier said Metropolitan Onufriy had practically blocked official
dialogue with the Kyiv Patriarchate on overcoming the church division
and the formation of a unified local Church.
“Metropolitan Onufriy has more than once said, in unison with Moscow,
that Ukrainians and Russians are essentially one people and that
Ukraine does not need European integration and it would harm it, and he
called Kremlin mercenaries and terrorists in Donbas ‘militia,’ etc. At
the celebrations of Patriarch Kirill’s birthday, he thanked him for his
‘care’ for Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate)
said.
In the meantime, Metropolitan Onufriy said on Wednesday the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is open to dialogue with the Kyiv
Patriarchate.
“This issue is being discussed and we have always been and remain
open to dialogue between various branches of the Orthodox Church. We
want unification, but we have our own principles: the canons of the holy
Orthodox Church, and unification is only possible according to these
canons,” Metropolitan Onufriy, the newly elected head of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church, told reporters in Kyiv.
