Metropolitan Longin accuses UOC priests who joined Romanian Patriarchate of schism - media

The hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Longin (Zhar) of Bancheny, criticized the clergy of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the UOC, who recently decided to join the Romanian Orthodox Church. The bishop accused the priests of schism, stating that by deciding to join the Romanian Patriarchate, they betrayed His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy and the entire Orthodox Bukovyna. This is reported by the Glavkom publication.

«Being a patriot does not mean betraying your Church and the Lord! You spat in the soul of our Primate, His Beatitude Onuphry, and wounded his heart with a knife of betrayal… Even the blood of martyrs will not wash away the grave sin of those who split the Church of Christ. And our beautiful believing Bukovyna will never forgive you for the grave sin of schism,» said Metropolitan Longin.

In addition, according to media reports, the hierarch also noted that he knows the names of people who “instructed others to start a fire with other people’s hands” and threatened to reveal the instigators if necessary.

Earlier, we reported that 20 clergymen of the Chernivtsi Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced their transfer to the Romanian Patriarchate. It is reported that the clergy of the UOC were forced to take such a step due to the fact that in Bukovyna there is virtually no protection from the raider actions of the OCU, which, in the last few months, has been especially active in seizing the temples of the canonical Church.