"It is not so easy to influence the decision of the Synod of the ROC": Metropolitan Khmelnytsky comments on the statement of the UOC bishops

Metropolitan Victor (Kotsaba) of Khmelnytsky and Starokonstantinovka commented on the “Statement of the Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church regarding the actions of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in the direction of the dioceses of the UOC.” The hierarch emphasized that the UOC still considers all the dioceses in the territories not controlled by Ukraine to be its own, and the Russian Church, by dismissing Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol, violated the decision of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church of 1990. Metropolitan Victor said this on the air of the National Telethon on 1+1 TV channel.

“We recognize them as such, we pray for them, and we are confident that the time will come when normal communication and normal worship will be restored. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has always been, is and will be together with the Ukrainian people. […] This decision of the Russian Orthodox Church contradicts the decision of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was adopted in 1990,” — the hierarch noted.

In addition, Metropolitan Victor added that the Donetsk Diocese of the UOC, unlike others, did not ask to become part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, it is unclear on what grounds the decision to dismiss Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol was made. However, the hierarch acknowledged that the bishops of the UOC are unlikely to be able to influence the decision of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church through statements.

“Orthodox Donbas and Metropolitan Hilarion are synonymous. He served in the Donetsk diocese for 28 years. When he began his ministry in Donetsk, there were about 10 Orthodox churches, and today there are more than a hundred. Therefore, this decision was unexpected, it caused an exchange of views, communication between the bishops of the UOC, and this resulted in a statement that appeared on October 31, and 33 bishops have already signed it. The statement of the UOC is the publication of the position for our faithful, for the clergy, for everyone who wants to hear this position. But, of course, it is not as easy as it seems to influence the decision of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in any way,” — the bishop added.

We recall that on October 31, 2024, a statement of the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church appeared on the network, in which the hierarchs express their disagreement with the decisions of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with the dismissal of Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol from the post of the head of the Donetsk Diocese. The text of the statement was signed by more than 35 hierarchs of the UOC. In it, the hierarchs call on the Russian Church to respect the canonical territory of the UOC and to stop dismissing UOC hierarchs in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.