Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate says that Poroshenko and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine were the reason for Russia's invasion

DENYS KARLOVSKYI - THURSDAY, 12 MAY 2022, 21:50

The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) has stated that one of the reasons for Russia's invasion in 2022 was the activity of former President Petro Poroshenko to obtain the Tomos [a decree issued by the Patriarch of Constantinople granting autocephaly] and establish a single local church for Ukrainians.

Source: Official statement of the Synod of the UOC-MP

Quote: "Instead of uniting the people in the pursuit of victory and the restoration of peaceful life, an internal religious front is being inflamed in this country. A group of people's deputies of Ukraine, on the basis of made-up and knowingly false accusations, have put forward draft laws banning the activities of our church to the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine.

We note with sadness that all these facts are the result of the misguided religious policy pursued during the presidency of Petro Poroshenko and the destructive ideology of the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We are convinced that these actions of the previous government and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine were one of the reasons for the military invasion of Ukraine."

Details: The church leadership stressed that all parishes are praying for the preservation of Ukrainian statehood and for peace, but as a result of negotiations, not armed confrontation. Separately, they emphasised that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is "sinful".

In its statement, the synod noted that a ban on the activities of the UOC-MP would be "national suicide", because, they said, millions of Ukrainians who are defending Ukraine belong to this church.

The head of the UOC-MP plans to convene a meeting in the near future with priests, monks, nuns and lay people to decide the future of the church in this environment. However, the synod wants to avoid schisms and violations of church canons.

It is not clear at this time how church leaders plan to organise mass meetings when there is a war going on.

Read more: UOC-MP priest Andriy Pinchuk: The "Russian World" theory is a heresy that should be condemned by an international tribunal

Background:

•     On 4 May, the mayor of Konotop banned UOC-MP parishes from operating in the city due to the threat to national security. On 6 May, a similar decision was made by the mayor of Brovary.

•     In March, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine called on all Orthodox Ukrainians, including priests, to unite in the single national church established by the Tomos signed by the Ecumenical Patriarch [Bartholomew I of Constantinople].

•     On 9 May, Metropolitan Onufriy, Head of the UOC-MP, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to let Ukrainian defenders leave [Mariupol] by safe routes. Moscow's Patriarch Kirill, who holds a higher position than Onufriy, insists that Russia "has never attacked anyone at any time in history".
• In early April, nearly 200 priests from UOC-MP parishes demanded that Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who blesses the mass murder and torture of Ukrainians, be brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal.
•     In 2019, Ukraine received the Tomos from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew that established a new single national local church - the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Fifth President Petro Poroshenko and his team, who regularly visited Istanbul to coordinate matters, played an important role in this process. Poroshenko made use of the Tomos as a theme in his tours and speeches during the presidential race in the spring of 2019.