In an interview with Saken Aimurzaev on the DetectorUA YouTube channel spokesman of the OCU, Archbishop Yevstratiy Zorya commented on the activities of the public organization "Miryane" (Laymen) created in the UOC-MP, which recently demanded to cancel the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Ukraine under the Verkhovna Rada.
"Religiyna Pravda" cited the words of the archbishop.
"I think that the MP is ashamed to act on its own behalf in this direction. And I think that they learned a lesson from the result of such a line of behavior 20 years ago (when Pope John came to Ukraine – Ed.). It did no harm to the Pope, the Catholic Church, the Greek Catholic Church, or Ukraine. The only one who has suffered socially in the eyes of ordinary people, in the eyes of the state, is the MP. Because they proved to be medieval narrow-headed savages. When Metropolitan Pavel tells the camera that the word "Catholic" comes from the word "executioner" and prays that the plane with the pope will not land in Kyiv," Archbishop Yevstratiy recalled.
He stressed that this time this will not happen.
"Hiding behind the public union, the MP is already showing that they are too shy to oppose the visit of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. They are already shifting the responsibility claiming that someone else did it," Archbishop Yevstratiy said.
He added that the protests of supporters of the MP if they take place within the framework of the law, will not harm the case in any way. Otherwise, the state will respond to their actions.