HEAD OF UPTsKP DESCRIBES HOW NEW UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES TREAT CHURCHES
Patriarch Filaret described in an exclusive interview with Ukrainiskie Novini whether there have been changes in relation to church affairs after the change in government in Ukraine.
"In the beginning of Yanukovich's presidency, there was an attempt to seize our churches and to transfer them into the Moscow patriarchate. Such incidents were few. There also was agitation among our clergy to transfer into the Moscow patriarchate, but when the public was aroused this tug-of-war into the Moscow patriarchate ceased. In the last years of Yanukovich's presidency, relations normalized: we did not feel support but we were satisfied that we weren't being pestered.
Now, when Petro Poroshenko has been elected president, our church feels normal relations with both the president and the government and the Supreme Soviet; that is, we do not feel any kind of oppression. We are supported, but the authorities try to relate equally to all religions. And therefore the president's position is peace and harmony, especially between the Kiev and Moscow patriarchates so that there will be not religious strife. Why? Because Moscow specifically wants to divide our two churches so that then they can use this and protect Orthodoxy by means of military interference. Our government knows this and tries to avoid this strife and not provide an occasion for Russian interference. We support this, but transferring into the Kiev patriarchate is still occurring since some priests and bishops openly speak out in sermons in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin and against the Ukrainian government. And when people see that a priest of the Ukrainian church defends the aggressor they become upset and either drive out such a priest or transfer themselves into the Kiev patriarchate. Some want to treat this transfer as a forcible seizure, but our position is that the Kiev patriarchate does not draw anybody by force," the head of UPTsKP said. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 December 2014)
PATRIARCH FILARET DOES NOT SEE GOOD PROSPECTS FOR DIALOGUE WITH UPTsMP UNDER RULE OF METROPOLITAN ONUFREY
In an exclusive interview with Ukrainskie Novosti, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate responded to the question: have relations between UPTsKP and UPTsMP changed after the appointment of Onufrey as metropolitan of the UPTsMP?
Patriarch Filaret answered this: "The late
Metropolitan
Vladimir was more inclined toward the creation of a united local
Ukrainian
church, independent from Moscow. The new primate, Metropolitan
Onufrey, opposes
Ukraine's entry into the European Union, he faithfully serves
Moscow, and therefore
it is difficult to speak about the uniting of our churches with
Onufrey. There
are commissions of the Kiev and Moscow patriarchates, which are
supposed to
conduct a dialogue, but now a year has already passed and the
commissions have
not assembled once. And therefore we still do not have hopes that
Metropolitan
Onufrey will facilitate dialogue. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 December
2014)
40 UPTsKP PRIESTS MINISTER IN ATO ZONE BUT DO NOT FIGHT
In the zone of the conduct of the Anti-Terrorist Operation [ATO], there are about 40 chaplains of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate [UPTsKP].
UPTsKP Patriarch Filaret reported this in an interview with Ukrainskie Novosti.
"Those who have officially gone through appointment by the General Staff of the Armed Forces are approximately 15 chaplains. In all, somewhere around 40 persons, and perhaps even more," he said. He said the priests go into the ATO zone voluntarily.
"There is a law about chaplaincy and we take advantage of this law and send priests, those who voluntarily wish to go. They go there and perform prayers and lift the spirits of troops," Filaret reported.
At the same time, Filaret assured that priests do not participate in armed actions. "They go into the trenches voluntarily, but they do not bear arms because a priest does not have the right to bear arms and to shoot," the patriarch reported.
He added that if a priest were to shoot, then he would be deprived of the right of clerical ministry
Filaret said that priests in the ATO zone are only alongside the troops, and they pray and converse with and support them.
The patriarch also noted that in the UPTsKP there operates a department for social aid which conducts seminars in the rehabilitation of soldiers who spent time in battles in the east.
As is known, previously the cabinet of ministers introduced chaplaincy service into the armed forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Service. This was reported by Ukrainskaia Pravda. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 December 2014)
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