UAOC: Establishment of One National Orthodox Church Is Impossible Without UOC-MP

The clergy of the Kyivan Eparchy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) is ready for unification and the establishment of one national Orthodox Church. However, the Eucharist communion, in their opinion, should include not only the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, with which the hierarchy of the UAOC conducted dialogue until recently, but also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). These statements were made during a meeting of the clergy of the Kyivan Eparchy of the UAOC on December 16.

According to the website of the Church of the Holy Intercession of Podol of Kyiv of the UAOC, the meeting was led by the Administrator of the Kyiv Eparchy, Bishop Volodymyr (Cherpak) of Vyshhorod and Podil.  

Bishop Volodymyr, particularly, denied the statement that the head of the UAOC, Mefodii (Kudriakov) and Metropolitan Andrii (Abramchuk) are to blame for the failure of the unification process between the Autocephalous Church and the Kyivan Patriarchate. According to him, the “Committee” developed a joint document  and submitted it to the consideration of the primates.

Bishop Volodymyr stressed that the Address of UOC-KP on wrecking of the negotiations by Metropolitan Mefodii and Metropolitan Andrii could be called a fabrication or provocation if it did not appear at the website of UOC-KP.  

“But if it is stated officially for the whole world to hear, this can be viewed only as a call to war, hostility, instability in the hurt and torn society and unwillingness to unite,” stated Bishop Volodymyr.