Patriarch Kirill of Moscow Offers Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Independent Canonical Status Within Russian Church

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow proposed to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) to join the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the head of the UAOC, Metropolitan Mefodii (Kudriakov), said during a program on Channel 5.

“He said you have conducted negotiations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate for more than 10 years without a result, but I offer you the status enjoyed by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad: you retain autocephaly and the existing system, all your churches and funds will remain at your disposal, but you will have to attend the councils of Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) (UOC-MP),” said Metropolitan Mefodii.   

The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad joined the ROC in 2007 on condition of retaining its autonomous status. Recently, a scandal broke out in the United States with regard to attempts of the Moscow Patriarchate to subordinate the Orthodox Church in the USA. However, an influential priest of the Orthodox Church in the USA argued against any such change.   

Apparently, the main strategy of Patriarch Kirill is to draw and admit in the ROC any “problematic” Orthodox communities in order to strengthen the international influence of the Moscow Patriarchate, reports “Religion in Ukraine.”