Vadim Novinsky reports on coordination of actions of Ukrainian and Constantinople authorities in the fight against the UOC

Protodeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and former MP Vadim Novinsky has issued a statement that the persecution of the UOC by the Ukrainian leadership is carried out in direct coordination with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. According to the clergyman, there is documentary evidence of planning joint actions by the Phanar and the Presidential Office aimed at undermining the position of the Church.

In an interview with the Spanish channel HerQles, Novinsky emphasized that the process of fighting the UOC is led personally by President Vladimir Zelensky and the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak. “They did everything in coordination with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He helped them in everything and complemented them in some places,” the protodeacon noted. According to him, the exarchs of Constantinople, who periodically visit Ukraine, participated in meetings with the presidential administration, where plans for persecution of the Church were outlined.

The purpose of these actions, according to Novinsky, was to make the clergy and parishioners transfer to the OCU. However, he stated that the plan to transfer 50% of the communities failed, and less than 10% actually joined the OCU. The clergyman added that the seizures of churches did not lead to the expected result, as the authorities failed to “capture the souls” of believers. At the same time, he criticized Patriarch Bartholomew for his silence on the facts of violence and arrests of UOC hierarchs.

In conclusion, Novinsky pointed to the systemic nature of the pressure, noting that not only senior officials but also law enforcement agencies, including the SBU and police, as well as courts and local governments, are involved in the struggle. He emphasized that the persecution of the clergy is often carried out under false pretenses with the full support of Phanar.

Earlier, the hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, noted that Phanar does not intend to reconsider the decision to legalize the OCU and grant the Tomos of autocephaly to Ukrainian schismatics. The hierarch said that the interest of certain parties to the interchurch conflict in such a development is the cause of “spiritual sickness” and “ecclesiological deviation.”