Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich: OCU is a latent separatist in Ukraine

A meeting of the OCU head Epiphany Dumenko with U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. Photo: regnum.ru

The new church structure is a kind of hidden, latent separatist, noted Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, deputy head of the UOC Department for External Church Relations, on air of the “1Kozak” channel.

With the active support of the newly created religious organization, the U.S. Department of State is actually cementing the schism in Ukraine, the clergyman noted.

“The OCU is actually a kind of hidden, latent separatist in Ukraine because until 1989 there was one Church. Then these schisms arose and so on,” said the spokesperson for the UOC. “That is, the Church is divided within one country. Instead of having one Church, a schism occurs, and this schism is cemented. It is legitimized.”

Archpriest Nikolai considers it not accidental that the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo first met with the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko and only then with the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. The deputy head of the UOC DECR noted that the sequence of these meetings is important from the point of view of the diplomatic protocol.

It is no accident that the creation of a special “Metropolitan” fund, where the United States will put money on various projects of the newly created religious organization, added the UOC spokesperson. Pompeo's words of approval for the Local Churches that supported the OCU actually emphasize the importance of this church structure in advancing America’s geopolitical interests.

“That is, we see a policy of double standards, I would even say cynicism <...>. This will only worsen the situation,” said the clergyman.

He also drew the attention of viewers that the United States very selectively defends religious freedom and the rights of believing Ukrainians and has never condemned the violation of the rights of UOC parishioners or the seizure of hundreds of churches.

Earlier, the UOC DECR deputy head noted that relations between the Church and the authorities in Ukraine are in a transition period.

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