Archpriest Oleksandr Fedchuk of the Volyn Theological Seminary of the UOC-MP urges the clergy who consciously advocate unity with the Russian Orthodox Church to formalize their relations with the Moscow Patriarchate in a proper manner.
This is stated in an article published on the website of the Sophia Brotherhood entitled “Time for Everyone to Be Responsible for Their Choices and Position.”
“It's time to finally take off the masks and frankly declare our position without hiding behind those fighting for the complete independence of the Ukrainian Church in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Fr Oleksandr emphasizes.
“I find it hard to imagine that in 2024, having the experience of all the disasters that Russia, with the blessing of its church, has brought to Ukraine, we are still not ready to insist on the theses substantiated by Ukrainian bishops in 1991 or by Volyn priests and laity in 1992. Yet, I concur that there are people for whom spiritual and administrative unity with the Russian Orthodox Church is above all else. Well, this is their conscious choice. However, the tears of a grieving wife, mother, or child of a Ukrainian soldier killed by Russians are much more important to me than the spiritual comfort of these people. So is the despair of those who have been unfairly branded as traitors by these champions of the “triune Russia.”
If there are those in Ukraine who wish to remain in unity with the Russian Orthodox Church and are ready to defend it, let them finally formalize their relations with Moscow and not hide behind those who care about Ukraine.
Therefore, I believe that it is time for everyone to be responsible for their own choices and their position. If there are those in Ukraine who wish to remain in unity with the Russian Orthodox Church and are ready to defend it, let them finally formalize their relations with Moscow and not hide behind those who care about Ukraine and want to feel like a free citizen who has every right to go to their church without unfair insults and accusations against them. All such members of the Church have long been ready for the full independence of the UOC-MP, whose historical prerequisites are multiplied a hundredfold by the actions of Russia and the behavior of the Russian Orthodox Church,” says Fr Oleksandr.
He warns that silence will lead to a further decline in the authority of the UOC-MP, and demands that supporters of Moscow's course have the courage to openly defend their beliefs.