In a commentary to Gazeta.ua, Metropolitan Sofronii (Dmytruk) of Cherkasy and Kaniv expressed an opinion that Metropolitan Ahafangel (Savin) has no chances to head the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate and that a Ukrainian will head the Church.
“The Church uses a rule stipulating replacement of the primate by the person with the longest term of bishop’s ministry. That is the person who was the first to be consecrated as a bishop. Metropolotan Ahafangel is such person in our case,” said the hierarch.
At the same time, according to him, one should not talk about any change of the course or come to hasty conclusions.
“If I am not mistaken, Patriarch Yuvenalii was appointed acting patriarch in Moscow, but later, they appointed Kirill. I think that Ahafangel has no chance. The Ukrainian Church will be headed by a Ukrainian,” stressed Sofronii.