RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS



Orthodox leaders dispute situation in Ukrainian churches

R.P.Ts. STILL BELIEVES THAT PARISHES OF MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE ARE NOT TRANSFERRING INTO P.Ts.U.

RISU, 21 December 2021

 

The RPTs (Russian Orthodox Church) is spreading information to the effect that allegedly practically all believers and parishes have remained in the UPTsMP (Ukraiian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate).

 

In particular, this was declared in an interview with Izvestia by the head of the synod's Department for Relations of Church with Society and News Media, Vladimir Legoida, Religiina Pravda reports.

 

"Practically everyone has remained in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. But the situation is still alarming, primarily from the point of view of the activities of nationalists and periodic concessions to them on the part of authorities at various levels," Legoida said.

 

The representative of the RPTs also declared that "the predictions that political forces in Ukraine and Constantinople made that as soon as a new church is created, bishops and laity will quickly transfer into it from the UPTsMP have not been justified."

 

"Almost all 12,500 churches have remained in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, whose primate is His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry. Fewer than one percent of the churches since then have departed from the church, while the majority of such situations have been connected with pressure on people and with violation of the law with the connivance of local authorities," he said.

 

Legoida declared that "the canonical church is still experiencing pressure."

 

We recall that the primate of the PTsU, Epifany, reported that in two years, around 700 parishes have joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

 

In just six months of the existence of the PTsU, 500 parishes of the Moscow patriarchate joined it.

 

In 2019, users most often turned to the article in the Ukrainian Wikipedia "Transfer of church parishes into the PTsU," which amassed more than a million views. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 December 2021)

Russia Religion News Current News Items

Editorial disclaimer: RRN does not intend to certify the accuracy of information presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the articles as they appeared in news media of countries of the former USSR.

If material is quoted, please give credit to the publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please include reference to the URL, https://www2.stetson.edu/religious-news/