"WE WERE DRIVEN INTO CATACOMBS"—METROPOLITAN ONUFRY
GAVE AN OUTRAGEOUS INTERVIEW
TO SERBIAN CHURCH RADIO
The
head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate
(UPTsMP)
complained in an interview with Orthodox radio of the Serbian
Church in
Montenegro that his church was "driven into catacombs" and he
boasted
that people are going into his persecuted church in masses. That
was reported
by Glavkom.
"The
church buildings have been occupied, and in many regions
services are being
conducted in gardens or other alternative sites. In fact, these
are modern
catacombs," he declared, describing the current state of the
UPTsMP.
He
called the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PTsU) a
crime: "New
structures under the name of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were
created on our
canonical territory, and this is not only a mistake but a crime
according to
church canons."
Now,
he says, believers in Ukraine are going into the UPTsMP (the
Russian Orthodox
Church in Ukraine) in masses.
"Because
of the schism that occurred in Ukraine, we have not lost
believers, but have
acquired yet more of them. When they began persecuting the
church, they forced
people and pressured them to get support for the idea of a
tomos, which they
proclaimed and advertized. People began coming to the church in
greater
numbers, even some whom I had never seen. They are coming and
saying: 'We see
that they are oppressing you very much and we understand that
God is with you,'"
Onufry noted.
We
recall that from 27 to 29 February, Metropolitan Onufry was on
an official
visit in Montenegro. In this country for two months now there
has continued a
confrontation between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the
government, which
supports a new law on freedom of religion. The Montenegran
opposition, with the
support of Belgrade and Moscow, maintains that this law is
directed against the
Serbian Church.
During
his stay in Podgorica, Metropolitan Onufry participated along
with adherents of
the Serbian Orthodox Church in anti-government protests. (tr. by
PDS, posted 2
March 2020)
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