The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will organize mass protests if urged to change its name.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will organize mass protests if urged to change its name.
This was stated by the Chancellor of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, according to LB ua.
“The parishioners of our Church are Ukrainians, citizens of Ukraine, and their Church should be called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It is not necessary to artificially make millions of their own citizens strangers in their own country, that will not lead to good,” Antony said.
According to him, if the UOC-MP is made to change its name, it intends to take to to all legal methods.
“We also have a document called Fundamentals of the UOC Social Concept, according to which, in very difficult situations, it says as follows: “The Church can appeal to its children with a call for peaceful civil disobedience.” This is an extraordinary event, but it is enshrined in our social concept, approved by the council of bishops,” added Antony.
As reported, in Ukraine there are now three Orthodox Churches, each of which has the word “Ukrainian” in its title.
The Moscow Patriarchate calls its Church simply “Ukrainian Orthodox Church.” But two other Churches may soon receive autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate and will also be able to claim this title.
The head of the UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate, Patriarch Filaret, said that after receiving the Tomos in Ukraine there would be the one Local Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and the current UOC-MP would have to be re-registered as the Ukrainian exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.