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The main threat to peace between religious confessions in Ukraine is politicians trying to interfere into internal church affairs, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk is sure. He has explained that Kiev wants to force the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to merge with separatists and legalize this union by legal means, TASS informs. The county’s authorities are going to issue several bills discriminating the canonical Orthodox Church.
The Head of the Russian Orthodox Church Department for External Church Relations has reminded that Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is the largest county’s confession. It is not involved into the conflict on Donbass and remains out of politics. The Metropolitan has emphasized that it keeps its peacemaking potential to become the joining power of Ukraine.
He is sure that the situation will go far beyond creation of the so-called unified local church in Ukraine. “Adherents of this project and representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church are starting to claim explicitly that the aim of the forced merge of the Orthodox believers in Ukraine is their subsequent joining the Greek-Catholic Church,” Metropolitan Hilarion said.
Russian Orthodox Church representative has reminded that Ukraine still undergoes attempts of splitting the church communities, seizures of the canonical Orthodox Church, violence against religious figures and the congregation. Radicals go on illegal riots, spread leaflets and offend believers, whereas official authorities blame the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for stirring up interreligious hatred.
Russkiy Mir
