We have no right to push into schism the people entrusted to us by God, - Metropolitan Anthony

The manager of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony opposed the idea of holding an emergency council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The bishop stated that “someone, hiding behind a deceptive concern for the church’s welfare, once again put forward demands to the leadership of the UOC that do not meet canonical traditions.” He noted that yielding to such demands does not alleviate the position of the Church, and each time the pressure on the Church intensifies, so that “it becomes clear that the goal of those who put forward such demands is by no means aimed at saving the Church, but at its complete destruction.”

Bishop Anthony commented on the next appeal to the leadership of the UOC with a call to return prayerful unity with the Patriarch of Constantinople and all the churches that recognized the OCU as follows: “It must be recalled that our disagreement with the OCU is, first of all, in the canonical plane. the question of the legality of the ordinations of the “clergy” of this organization, which does not give us absolutely no opportunity to maintain prayerful or Eucharistic communion with both the “OCU” and the churches, which, despite the canonical rules, decided to recognize the so-called sacraments as legitimate (“Dumenkovites “). No dialogues with them will change the essence (of the issue). Apostolic succession cannot be filled with anything. Apart from repentance and canonical ordination.”

“This is the line (resumption of communication) through which we cannot cross. After all, behind it is spiritual death. No matter how they put pressure on us, no matter how they threaten us with prison, other persecutions, in particular, a ban on activities (UOC), we do not no right to push the people entrusted to us by God into schism,” the metropolitan added.

The bishop believes that any political demands on the UOC are of secondary importance, since there are always new “foundations” and their goal is to completely dissolve in the “OCU”.

“All the more surprising are the demands for the immediate convening of a council of the UOC. Under the conditions of unprecedented pressure on the Church, when our bishops are being persecuted and imprisoned, the convening of a new council would not just be a dubious event. Its possible decisions would not be approved by the fullness of universal Orthodoxy, since they will look like decisions made under duress, and such conditions do not lead to the good of the Church,” Metropolitan Anthony concluded.