Reps of UOC-KP Regret That Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada and USA Prefers Russians and Greeks and Turns Away from UOC-KP

On 19 April, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (Constantinople Patriarchate), Metropolitan Yurii sent out an address prohibiting the members of his Church to participate in any events connected with the visit of Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate to Canada. According to Facebook page of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP), in view of the above, the schedule of the visit of Patriarch Filaret to Canada was altered. The reception and liturgy in the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr were cancelled despite the fact that 300 tickets were sold.

“It is a pity that the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada and USA prefer joint celebrations with Russians and Greeks but turn away from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate. Obviously since 1995, these hierarchs and clergymen have obediently fulfilled anti-Ukrainian and pro-Moscow directions of Constantinople and have not supported the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” commented a representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral of St. Andrew the-First-Called-Apostle of the Kyivan Patriarchate in America, Matvii Martsyniuk to VIDIA media portal.

“We sympathize with Metropolitan Yurii. As he is subordinated to the Ecumenical Patriarch, he must obey him. What would I do?... When the time came  and Ukraine became an independent state, I would then say that it is the time when God gives His blessing for us to separate from Moscow,” said Patriarch Filaret during his visit to Canada to a correspondent of the local channel.