On July 19, during the plenary session of the Hierarchical Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the participants sentenced clergy from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to a death penalty with deferred execution.
This information was shared on Facebook by the Metropolitan of Bila Tserkva of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Yevstratiy (Zorya).
According to his post, during the council, Patriarch Kirill made it clear that those who do not commemorate him with special honors and reverence are considered schismatics. However, as long as "a decision has not been made about them," they can still be prayed for and receive sacraments from them, although it is not recommended, according to Patriarch Kirill's perspective.
Metropolitan Yevstratiy pointed out that Patriarch Onufriy of the UOC-MP has allowed not to commemorate Kirill during church services. As a result, the wish of the head of the ROC could become a sort of death sentence for the clergy of the UOC-MP, with the possibility of "canonically" activating the guillotine whenever Patriarch Kirill desires.
The hierarch of the OCU emphasized that this behavior of Moscow is a centuries-old tradition of disregarding those who serve it faithfully and casting them aside the moment they become unwanted.
Metropolitan Yevstratiy cited Patriarch Kirill's words about Patriarch Onufriy and others who stopped commemorating him publicly or hid it:
"I'll put it this way: if there is an opportunity to attend services at a church where the clergy faithfully observe the canonical order of commemorating the Church Primate, then one should go to such a church. If there is no such opportunity at all, then, until the Church issues a conciliar judgment of the apostasy of certain bishops and clergy into schism, sacraments performed by those who have become victims of blackmail or who have LOST THE COURAGE OR CONSCIENCE to maintain this canonical order remain valid," said the head of the ROC.
As it is known, Metropolitan Onufriy does not commemorate the Patriarch of the ROC. Thus, according to Kirill's words, it is evident that it was Metropolitan Onufriy who "lost the courage or conscience," and his jurisdiction is already considered a schism, which the ROC (temporarily?) does not officially declare for pastoral reasons.
In other words, schismatic actions (cessation of commemorating the patriarch of "all Russia") have already been committed, but the ROC (i.e., Patriarch Kirill himself) has not yet issued a conciliar judgment of apostasy," emphasized Metropolitan Yevstratiy.