The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada, Metropolitan Yuri (Kalischuk), in an interview with Kontakt Ukrainian TV, stressed that Ukrainian shrines should return under full control of Ukrainians. He was referring to the Kyiv-Pechersk, Pochayiv and Svyatogorsk Lavras, which are now used by the UOC-MP.
"This Church cannot be called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church even with the annex (Moscow Patriarchate), because according to the words of the Ecumenical Patriarch, this is the Moscow Church in Ukraine. Both the first and the second Lavras and the Svyatogorsk Lavra belong to the state of Ukraine and are only transferred by the government of the Moscow Church for use. And we hope that with the further development of the Ukrainian society, everything will eventually return under the control of the Ukrainian people," Metropolitan Yuri said.
He pointed to another problem - the export to Russia of rare relics from these lavras.
"What disturbs us is that various treasures of monasteries and laurels are exported across the border to other states. The Ukrainians must be concerned about this, because their spiritual and artistic treasures, which gathered for thousands of years, are taken out of Ukraine. This has been going on since Soviet times. And we know that the museums of Moscow and St. Petersburg are filled with treasures belonging to the Ukrainian people," the first hierarch stressed.
Metropolitan Yuri also touched the topic of interference of the Russian Church in the processes of world Orthodoxy. But, according to the metropolitan, this intervention "every day, with each statement of Patriarch Bartholomew is weakened, and after the Unification Council of the OCU, the rights of this Church (ROC - Ed.) in Ukraine has come to an end."
"The granting of the Tomos put an end to this. The territory of Ukraine is the canonical territory of the Ecumenical Church. The Moscow Church, due to the recognition of the OCU, failed to set at variance the Ecumenical Church with other Orthodox Churches. The process of recognizing the OCU as world Orthodoxy will continue to be successful because in two years the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has gained such recognition, which has passed decades," the head of the UOC in Canada summed up.
Metropolitan Yuri announced in January that he intended to retire.