The Russian Orthodox Church seeks to hold the first place in Orthodoxy, but this place has already been taken, - OCU speaker

This opinion was expressed by the speaker of the OCU, Archbishop Yevstratiy Zorya in an interview with Orthodox Times, Religiyna Pravda reports.

According to him, the Russian Orthodox Church fears that in the minds of many parishioners and priests who still belong to the Moscow Patriarchate, the idea that the church to which they belong is illegal according to church canons will grow, and the belief that their future situation is questionable will only grow. Because of this, they fear that the trend towards transitions from the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine will increase.

Archbishop Yevstratiy also spoke about the reason for the pressure on the Ecumenical Patriarch exerted by Moscow.

"Based on the fact that this is a large Church, which is backed by a large state with political, economic and other potential, it essentially seeks to take the first place in Orthodoxy. However, since this position, according to the Holy Canons and based on history, is already occupied, they are trying to overthrow the Ecumenical Patriarch. This is a concept that has existed in the Moscow Patriarchate since the end of World War II," the OCU speaker said.

According to him, there are state and church documents of the USSR that indicate that already in 1947-48 (since they considered the circumstances favorable for them), there was an intention to hold the 8th Ecumenical Council in Moscow and grant the title of Ecumenical Patriarch to the Moscow Patriarch. "The plan was not reached, but the concept remained," Zorya said.