Patriarch Emeritus Filaret of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine said that he was forced to be part of the OCU, although he does not want to. UNIAN has reported him as saying this at a press conference in Kyiv.
"We are concerned that the Synod of the OCU held on July 27, 2019, set up the Liquidation Commission for the liquidation and transfer of all property of the Kyiv Patriarchate to the Kyiv Metropolia of the OCU. On what basis should another Church transfer its property, its finances, its rights to another Church? It is the same as to adopt a resolution on the liquidation of the UOC-MP and demand from it the liquidation and transfer of all property to the Kyiv Metropolia of the OCU," he said.
At the same time, Patriarch Emeritus Filaret called the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate an "independent Church". In his opinion, the liquidation of the UOC-KP and the transfer of property to the OCU is allegedly "interference in the affairs of another Church."
"This resolution on the establishment of the Liquidation Commission has nothing to do with our Church. We do not accept this Commission because it is a violation of the canons, and violation of the laws of Ukraine because it violated freedom and human rights," he says.
"Every citizen has the right to profess any faith and belong to any Church to which he wants. We are forced to be part of the OCU, to be subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and we do not want so. We want to have an independent autonomous Church in Ukraine, which will serve the interests of both the people and the state," said the honorary Patriarch Filaret.