DECR: Other denominations take advantage of war to divide UOC temples

Head of the OCU Epifaniy Dumenko and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: pomisna.info

Some Christian confessions, taking advantage of the situation in the country, began to divide churches and shrines of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church among themselves, the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC states.

"It is also bitter and offensive to observe how today some Christian denominations, taking advantage of the situation, have already begun to divide among themselves our churches and shrines both in the capital and in the regions. It does not look good, it is not Christian. Now is not the time to divide temples. Now is the time to pray in them intensively. Christians of different denominations in Ukraine today, in these times of troubles of our people, should not do anything that would hurt and harm each other," the DECR stressed.

The UOC also noted that back in May 2022 at the Local Council, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church testified to its full independence:

"These decisions were a reaction to the position of the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate on the war in Ukraine, which we categorically do not share," the DECR said. “<...> Therefore, we would like to expect understanding and support from the state and society, rather than seeking in our documents some statements that allegedly provide grounds for a biased attitude towards the UOC.”

As reported, the UOC said that attempts to ban the Church are destroying the unity of Ukraine.

The UOJ also wrote that since 24 February 2022, the SBU has opened almost 60 criminal cases against representatives of the UOC.

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