“To whom Moscow is a friend”: MP Poturayev held a lecture on which Local Churches depend on the ROC

MP Nikita Poturaev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy and co-author of the law banning the UOC, outlined his vision of which local churches in the countries bordering Ukraine are dependent on Moscow. According to the MP, the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church is most influenced by the Russian Orthodox Church, while the Romanian Patriarchate is “pro-Ukrainian.” He said this in a commentary to Glavkom.

“There is a factor that makes this option unlikely for me — the Romanian Church is generally positive towards Ukraine,” Poturaiev said, «unlike, for example, the Polish Orthodox Church, which, although small, is under the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. But, of course, nothing can be ruled out. Currently, both the government and parliament in Romania are pro-Ukrainian. But if the right-wing radicals come to power, they may start talking about historical justice — “our church,” “our churches,” etc.», — the MP said.

Earlier, Georgy Kovalenko, a former priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who fell into schism and joined the OCU, said that the OCU is forced to open “chaplaincy missions” in the territories of other Local Churches. As an example, Kovalenko cited the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, whose churches he called “Russian agitation points,” accusing the OCU of not recognizing the OCU in Poland.