Moscow Patriarchate is illegal and non-canonical in Ukraine, - Metropolitan Epifaniy

This opinion was expressed by the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, in the program "Rendezvous with Yanina Sokolova" on Channel 5, Religiyna Pravda reports.

"For some reason, in Putin's recent statement, We heard that the Russian Orthodox Church, not the UOC, seems to be being persecuted in Ukraine. Putin clearly emphasizes and recognizes that this is the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. If he recognizes it as his part, then he also influences it. Because the Church, whose center is located in the aggressor country's heart, in Moscow, cannot serve the interests of the Ukrainian people," the Primate said.

According to him, the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine is outside the law, outside the canons.

"Why aren't they renamed the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine? They occupied our name – the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It surprises me: you want to be part of the Russian Orthodox Church, but in Ukraine, you are afraid to be called by this name," Epifaniy stressed.