The Kremlin is ready to intimidate and bribe the UOC-MP members to prevent them from joining the Local Church

Among the heads of parishes and dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine there are those who agree to enter the one local church, however, they will now be subjected to incredible pressure exerted by Russia.

Andriy Yurash, Director of the Department of Religious Affairs and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture, was saying this at the broadcast "Studia Zakhid" with Antin Borkovskyy on Espresso TV channel.

“There (in the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate, ed.) is a group of hierarchs that are clearly oriented toward Moscow and who do not see their spiritual progress without the Moscow center. On the other hand, there is another group with realistic attitudes. But it must be understood that their situation is highly vulnerable, so they will be cautious,” he explained.

In addition, Yurash emphasized, this “pro-Ukrainian group" within the UOC-MP will now experience a “tremendous pressure”.

“They will be threatened with canonical sanctions and any other kinds of punishment, but from 1991 and on the situation has changed when they could easily be subdued and would change their position,” he added.

In particular, on November 1-3, 1991, after the proclamation of the Independence of Ukraine, the then head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Filaret of Kyiv and Galicia gathered all 16 Ukrainian Orthodox bishops and all of them signed the “petition to Patriarch Alexis II (Ridiger) with a request to grant them autocephaly,” continued Yurash.

However, for some time, the official noted, out of these 16 signatures 14 were withdrawn.

“If the hierarchs at that time respected their appeal, if they were consistent in the support of the Ukrainian first hierarch, I think we would not have these problems today (with the recognition of the canonicity of the UOC-KP - ed.),” Yurash concludes.

On April 19, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko called on to the MPs to support the draft resolution of the appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant a Tomos (the decree) of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

268 MPs voted for this appeal. 36 MPs voted against (33 from the Opposition Bloc, 2 from Revival party, 1 extra-factional).

On April 22, the Ecumenical Patriarchate was reported to begin considering Ukraine's petition.