“the Kyiv authorities are persecuting the UOC even though the Church openly opposed the military invasion and declared its independence from Moscow

Robert Amsterdam ›

International human rights lawyer

Reported

“the suspicious chronology of the Kyiv authorities’ actions

“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

“the recruitment center representatives’ actions unlawful and noted that the UOC is preparing formal complaints

“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

“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.

Metropolitan Epifaniy ›

Metropolitan

Direct quote

“he declared his organization's right to judge the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

“the neutrality declared by the Vatican in Russia’s war against Ukraine is in fact deceptive