Patriarch Filaret: UOC-MP Clergymen Now Understand That Unification With Kyivan Patriarchate Is Their Future

Patriarch Filaret said in an interview to Glavkom that the clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate have changed their attitude toward the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate for the better and realized that the future of their church is to unite with the Kyivan Patriarchate.

“The attitude of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Kyivan Patriarchate became better. Why so? Firstly, we are asking not to show hostility to the believers, clergymen, bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate but to show love to them. Secondly, they can see now that Moscow wants to deprive them of independence and make them another metropolitanate within the Russian Church. Patriarch Kirill wants it,” he said.

According to Patriarch Filaret, the Kyivan Patriarchate is the guarantor of the preservation of the status of independence of UOC-MP and they are grateful for that.

“This internal understanding and goal for the future are bringing us closer. There are still conflicts, but on the whole, the relations between the Kyiv and Moscow Patriarchates have become much better and I think they will continue to improve,” noted the Primate.

At the same time the patriarch said that there are still no official contacts between the churches. “Officially, the negotiations stopped for the moment. But unofficial contacts increased.”