Head of Polish Orthodox Church accuses Kiev of being unable to protect the faithful

[Son_of_Niall]

Metropolitan Savva of Warsaw and All Poland has criticized the Ukrainian authorities.

“The fact that Orthodox dioceses are being seized by force in Ukraine and Orthodox Ukrainians are facing discrimination has come as an unpleasant surprise to us. Where are the state authorities? Why aren’t they protecting people and advocating their religious rights? Ukraine wants to be a democratic state, but there should be order in democracy,” the head of the Polish Orthodox Church said at a meeting with deputy director of the External Church Relations Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Archpriest Nikolay Danilevich in Warsaw.

During the meeting, the Ukrainian priest, who attended an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe session in the Polish capital, told the metropolitan about violations of Orthodox worshippers’ rights in Ukraine, seizures of churches and certain resolutions issued by local authorities discriminating against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

orthodoxpost.com/head-of-polish-orthodox-church-accuses-kiev-of-being-unable-to-protect-the-faithful/

 

[JurisPrudens]

orthodoxpost.com/head-of-polish-orthodox-church-accuses-kiev-of-being-unable-to-protect-the-faithful/

What “Ukrainian Orthodox Church” is he talking about? There are three of them in Ukraine!

Actually, what is happening is that some parishes (not a lot of them) in Ukraine have been changing allegiance in recent two years. By law in Ukraine the church buildings belong to the communities. In some of them the majorities took decision to change allegiance from Moscow Patriarchate to Kiev Patriarchate. Of course, that’s largely due to Moscow Patriarchate’s pro-Russian position.
In some of the occasions, the remaining Moscow Patriarchate loyalists in such parishes try to resist by force to the procedure, so that scuffles take place. But there is no “taking churches by force” or any other BS he claimed.
In many parishes, remaining formally loyal to Moscow Patriarchate, the priests no longer mention Patriarch Cyril during liturgy. That often goes with tacit tolerance of respective bishops.