Head of the ROC's Department for External Church Relations: The existence of the UGCC complicates relations between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican

The head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, explained why the Vatican cannot be considered a neutral venue for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to the bishop, the main problem in this case and in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church is the existence of a structure of Ukrainian Greek Catholics who are causing great harm to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The bishop’s words were reported by RIA Novosti.

«The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is not controlled by the Vatican, it has a ‘special opinion’ on many issues, and this complicates relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, the Vatican does not refute the statements of the UGCC against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and this prevents the Vatican from becoming a neutral platform for negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict,» — said Metropolitan Anthony.

Earlier, we reported that during his visit to the Vatican, the head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, called on Pope Leo XIV to visit Ukraine in the near future. Shevchuk stated that the UGCC is being persecuted and that communication with the head of the Vatican has been “paid for with martyr’s blood.”