“If we want to make accusations against a particular parish or church, we have to address each parish separately and produce tangible, real evidence that they are cooperating with Russia
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“Obviously, there should simply be a ban. We have a ban on all religious organizations that cooperate with Russia. But how are you going to prove it when they just sit there and pray for Kirill? There is simply no tangible evidence whatsoever
“government officials accuse the UOC of ties to Russia despite what he described as the actual facts
“All these events remind us to some extent of our own time, in which the zealous followers of the Russian Patriarchate act in the same way as the opponents of the Apostle Paul,” he said. “They accuse us, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, because we did not receive recognition from them or according to rules they invented. They interpret our humility and patience towards the continued existence in Ukraine of a jurisdiction subordinate to Moscow, as well as our calls for dialogue and ecclesiastical peace, as supposed evidence of our weakness and their own correctness.
“They accuse us, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, of not being from them and not having received recognition according to the rules invented by them
““Even if, somewhere far away, some do not regard us as a Local Church—just as some did not regard Paul as an apostle—for Ukraine we are the Local Church,” he said. “We recognise the unique and particular responsibility for Ukraine that follows from this. Therefore, like the Apostle Paul, we shall strive to do what is most beneficial for the Orthodox community of Ukraine. We shall continue firmly to expose the false teaching of the ‘Russian World,’ and we believe that, through our common efforts and with God’s help, we shall succeed.”
““The fact that, instead of imposing strict demands upon the followers of Russian Pharisaism in Ukraine, we demonstrate humility and call them to fraternal dialogue, mutual understanding and unity—rather than judging them according to the canons, as the Patriarchate of Alexandria has done with similar Russian ecclesiastical usurpers in Africa—does not mean that we lack the right to act in this way,” he said. “Our conciliatory approach must not be interpreted by anyone as supposed evidence that we do not possess this right or that we ourselves harbour doubts about it.
“zealous followers of the Russian Patriarchate act in the same way as the opponents of the Apostle Paul did