“Transfers from UOC to OCU are rapprochement,” OCU lobbyist says

Religious scholar and OCU lobbyist Alexander Brodetsky claims that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is getting closer to the OCU whenever UOC churches are seized. Brodetsky believes that the creation of a single structure is “logical and correct,” and the UOC should “come to their senses” and recognize that there is an OCU in Ukraine, which is recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. He said this in an interview with Espresso.Zakhid.

“After all, transitions take place all the time. Even if not on the scale that would be desirable. This is already a certain rapprochement, because part of the body of the UOC wants to be part of the OCU. And it is part of it. The creation of a single structure would be very logical and correct, because almost every country where Orthodoxy prevails among believers has its own single autocephalous Orthodox Church that unites all Orthodox. This is the norm. It is a regularity. I would very much like the parishes and dioceses of the so-called UOC to finally come to their senses and realize that there is an autocephalous Orthodox Church recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch, the OCU. True, it is not recognized by all Orthodox churches in the world, but this is precisely because of Moscow’s intrigues, the intrigues of oligarchs like Novinsky, who heavily fund those churches. The Ecumenical Patriarch himself recognizes the OCU. And it seems to me that the sooner the unification of all Ukrainian Orthodox takes place, the sooner those world Orthodox churches that do not yet have Eucharistic communion with it would recognize this one autocephalous church,” – Brodetsky said.

Earlier, Brodetsky called on Romanian-speaking parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to join the OCU. He noted that the OCU has established a Romanian vicariate, which guarantees the preservation of all the traditions inherent in Bukovinian culture, and the transition to this structure will be an opportunity for Romanian-speaking parishes to “wash away the shame” of belonging to the UOC.