Metropolitan Dymytriy of the UOC-KP: we need approval of our Mother Church, the “stepmother” is to simply put up with that

Metropolitan Dymytriy (Rudyuk) of the UOC-KP evaluates positively the prospect of the process of church unification in Ukraine and stresses that it will bring fruit. He said this in an interview with Gal Info.

“For thousands of years we have been waiting for this ... the process of unification is inevitable, even if the hierarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate would not support it. The unification into the One Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church will start from grassroots. We have to believe it in this,” said Metropolitan Dymytriy (Rudyuk) of Lviv.

According to him, the Moscow Patriarchate did not take any actual steps for the past 26 years to heal the wound of separation inside Ukrainian Orthodoxy, in addition to statements and intentions, nothing was done. Metropolitan recalled that there were only certain glimpses from the UOC-MP in this matter, but they came from some particular people, particular persons such as the head of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan), but he departed to the Lord.

“So, the beginning of the process of attaining autocephaly by the Ukrainian Church is the process of healing the wounds of separation. What should the true Church do? Rejoice! Rejoice at the fact that these people, who, in their opinion, have seceded from the Church, return to the canonical status recognized by the Ecumenical Orthodoxy. But I do not see this joy. I do not see the simple evangelical love of Christ for us on the part of the so-called canonical believers. Christ was happy with a lonely lamb, and they were ready to leave it astray in the brushwood between branches and weeds. At least recently, their position is very clear about this. Therefore, their consent to recognition or not recognition ... Do you think we need it? We need the consent of our Mother Church, the stepmother simply has to accept this. I am inviting the leaders of the UOC-MP and its speakers to go out to the media and say: “We are glad that the brothers from the UOC-KP and the UAOC will eventually attain their eternal aspirations - obtain autocephaly,” summed up the Metropolitan.