Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky and Vyshneve has garnered support of the laity to publicly stand for autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church.
Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky and Vyshneve has garnered support of the laity to publicly stand for autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church.
Fr Andriy Dudchenko wrote about it on his Facebook page.
"After the worship service, Bishop Oleksandr Drabinko appealed to all the faithful people of God who gathered in our cathedral to celebrate Pentecost – the birth of the Church of Christ – with the question of maintaining his position on the healing of the wound of split and the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy into a single Local Church , recognized in the Orthodox world,” said Fr. Andriy.
“Metropolitan Oleksandr asked parishioners whether they authorize him to be the voice of his flock and publicly talk about the unification and autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The parishioners supported their shepherd with one heart and mouth,” the priest noted.
As RISU has reported, on May 25, the Holy Synod of the UOC (MP) released a warning to Metropolitan Oleksandr of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishneve that he might be imposed a disciplinary canonical penalty if he does not refrain from public speeches.
The Synod members called on Metropolitan Oleksandr “not to compromise the high bishop's dignity by his abusive behavior and life, and in the future refrain from any public speeches and statements provoking indignation among the bishops, clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and bringing in temptation into the hearts of believers.”
Earlier, Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabinko) in his article, published by “Livyy Bereh”, claimed support for autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church.