There is “no and never will be” a schism in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is subordinate to Constantinople and created in December last year by uniting the non-canonical jurisdictions of the UOC-KP and the UAOC, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
This was stated by the Primate of the OCU, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Epifaniy in Mariupol, where he is on his first visit, reports the press service of the Kyiv Metropolis of the OCU.
“There is no and will not be a schism in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Each hierarch has certain thoughts, but we must jointly build the future in a single Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the press service of the metropolis quotes the primate of the OCU.
Answering additional questions regarding Filaret’s latest public statements, Epifaniy noted that the OCU highly reveres its “honorary patriarch,” but it is difficult to agree with his individual statements. “We respect His Holiness Patriarch Philaret, but we do not support the thoughts that he expressed in recent days,” added the head of the OCU.
He also added that “everyone must clearly understand that by the beginning of the unification council, such structures as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church were dissolved.”
“Now, in fact and legally, in Ukraine there are no such structures as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, because we united and these former structures entered into a single Church, having fulfilled their historical mission. Everyone sought recognition of the Ukrainian Church and we were able to receive the Synodal Tomos, which forever affirms the fact that we are the only Local Orthodox Church,” states Epiphanius.
In turn, the Ukrainian BBC service reports that on Tuesday only 4 bishops of the OCU came to the prayer celebration in honor of the Hieromartyr Macarius at the invitation of Honorary Patriarch Philaret, although invitations on UOC-KP letterheads were sent to more than 60 bishops. Earlier, Filaret, in an interview with TSN, announced that the Kiev Patriarchate he created still exists, the OCU was created “through lies,” and Metropolitan Epifaniy, in violation of agreements, ignores it.