Conflict Arose Between Authorities and Bishop of Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate in Lviv
The conflict between the head of the Lviv Regional Council, Myroslav Senyk, and Archbishop Augustine of Lviv and Halych of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) began at the celebration of the 19th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine. In his address during the celebratory academy, Senyk called to support the national church. He specified: “We should support our national churches, and I consider the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate to be such churches.”
This statement of the official offended Archbishop Augustine (Markevych) of Lviv and Halych who expressed in an official statement that the state official showed an outrageous lack of tactfulness and disrespect for all other religious confessions of Ukraine (except the mentioned ones), which were denied the “national” status by Senyk.
He also noted that he left the celebratory academy marking the Independence Day of Ukraine as an act of protest.
According to the official statement of the Lviv Regional Council, the statement is groundless and contains untrue information which undermines the authority and reputation of Archbishop Augustine and the whole Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate. The statement of the press service refutes the fact that the archbishop left the event in protest. “Archbishop Augustine did not leave the hall but attentively listened also to the address of the mayor of Lviv and was present in the hall during the presentation of awards by the head of the regional state administration,” reads the statement.
