Historian: Drabinko saying His Beatitude Onuphry is not Ukrainian is a myth

Alexander Drabinko and Ostap Drozdov. Photo: youtube screenshot

Mykhailo Chuchko, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Chernivtsi National University, in his comments to the UOJ correspondent refuted the words of the "hierarch" of the OCU Alexander Drabinko about the residents of Bukovyna and His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry as people without "Ukrainian roots”.

The historian called Drabinko’s assertion a myth that does not correspond to the truth and misleads people.

"The former bishop, who left the canonical Church, does not know ethnic statistics, basic history and, accordingly, misleads people," Chuchko said.

According to him, historically the whole Bukovyna was part of the Principality of Moldova, but it was a multi-ethnic state, where in the 18th century the Ukrainians, called Ruthenians, were second in number, and by the late 19th and early 20th century the northern part of Bukovyna, which is now Chernivtsi region, was mostly populated by Ukrainians.

"There is a census of 1910, according to the population, the majority in the northern part of Bukovyna were Ukrainians, and in the southern part – Romanians," said the historian. Therefore, claims that Bukovynians are a kind of "non-Ukrainians", if we talk about Chernivtsi region, about those people who lived in the territory at that time (the birth of His Beatitude – Ed.) – this is a distortion of the facts and mere ignorance.

As reported by the UOJ, earlier the "metropolitan" of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Alexander Drabinko said that His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry was guided in life exclusively by the Holy Scriptures and has no national consciousness, and that "these people (natives of Bukovyna – Ed.) have no special Ukrainian roots."

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