Met. Anthony: One needs to distinguish between ecumenism and cooperation

Chancellor of the UOC at a press conference in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: Facebook page of Metropolitan Anthony

It is necessary to distinguish the ecumenical movement from cooperation between different confessions, said the Chancellorof the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, at a press conference at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on Thursday, April 8, 2021.

“We live in a world where we simply have to cooperate,” the Metropolitan noted. “For example, there is such an organization in Ukraine as the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO – Ed.), which unites 19 leading denominations registered in Ukraine. We take an active part there, because it is an element of cooperation with the state."

He explicated that the state policy and laws, which are adopted specifically against the UOC, "in one way or another concern the entire religious space, and then they can be used against other confessions."

“That is why,” added the UOC Chancellor, “it is very important to find these points of convergence, develop a common position, and there are positive developments in this regard”.

In relation to the ecumenical movement, the Church has a principled position, he added.

“We can take part in this movement with only one goal – to testify to the Truth and try to do everything to have those who have broken away from the Body of Christ return,” Metropolitan Anthony said, stressing that the UOC does not compromise its dogmatic positions and principles of faith, which were hard-earned by many generations of believers and accepted at the Ecumenical Councils.

As the UOJ reported, on April 8, a press breakfast with Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) was held at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on the topic: the UOC in the context of a pandemic and an acute political situation in Ukraine and in the international arena.

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