Shevchuk: Agreements between RCC and Phanar should be implemented in Ukraine

Will Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew test unification in Ukraine? Photo: EPA-EFE/LUCA ZENNARO

The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Sviatoslav Shevchuk, spoke to RBC-Ukraine about the prospects of creating a unified structure combining the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the UGCC.

"Our program for seeking unity among Christians in Ukraine aims to implement locally the agreements already reached between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches at the universal level," Shevchuk said, discussing the work of the joint commission between the Phanar and the Vatican.

He stated that the commission is headed by Archbishop Job (Getcha) on the Phanar’s side and Cardinal Kurt Koch on Rome’s side. The UGCC is represented by Ivan Datsko.

Shevchuk noted that the OCU is not a part of this dialogue because it has not yet been recognized by other Local Orthodox Churches.

According to him, once the OCU gains recognition, "the agreements reached there (between Rome and the Phanar – Ed.) can be successfully implemented here, at the level of Ukraine."

Shevchuk emphasized that the unification of confessions should not merely be structural. The OCU and UGCC must achieve unity in "deeper processes."

"If we aim to establish purely institutional mechanisms without deeper unifying movements, they either lack a foundation or lead to the creation of some other church," Shevchuk explained.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Uniates acted as intermediaries in organizing a meeting between Pope Francis and Serhiy Dumenko.

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