"We have no problems with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," — a representative of the ROC

The Deputy Head of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) for Interaction with Society and Media, Vahktang Kipshidze, spoke about the situation with the ROC’s contacts with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). According to him, there are no problems with the UOC, as both churches are part of the same canonical field of the Russian Orthodox Church, although the UOC is an autocephalous church. However, due to the political situation in Ukraine, where the UOC is under pressure from the Ukrainian government, all open contacts with Ukrainian bishops and priests are currently on hold. He discussed this in an interview with the program «What Was That?» on RTVI.

«We can’t just pick up the phone and call any Kyiv bishop or priest, because the next day, the SBU will show up and accuse them of being involved in some conspiracy. Everything that might put our brothers at risk is on pause, because we don’t want to endanger them,» Kipshidze explained.

He also noted that in light of these repressions, the situation is increasingly reminiscent of the communist persecutions of the 1920s and 1930s, when all religious communities were subjected to targeted persecution. Kipshidze emphasized that despite these difficulties, the UOC is not an anti-popular or pro-Russian force but simply seeks to preserve its independence and canonical traditions.

Earlier, it was reported that the cessation of the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is one of the key conditions for resolving the Ukrainian crisis. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper O Globo.