Kyrylo Hovorun: SSEFC Demands the UOC Formalize What It Has Already Partially Done

Defrocked former cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church Kyrylo Hovorun commented on the situation surrounding the directive issued by the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (SSEFC), which demands that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church «eliminate ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.» A video with his comment was published on Hovorun’s YouTube channel.

According to the former archimandrite, the UOC has already taken several steps to distance itself from the Russian Orthodox Church, but these changes have not been formally codified either legally or administratively.
«The UOC has taken many steps to distance itself from the ROC, but most of them have not been formalized. Essentially, SSEFC is demanding such formalization to make it harder to return to the status quo,» he stated.

Hovorun also drew a historical parallel, recalling the intentions of Metropolitan Volodymyr:
«What SSEFC wants from the UOC was once something the late Metropolitan Volodymyr wanted to implement — and he did so on his own, without external pressure.»

In his opinion, Metropolitan Onufriy simply needs to «return to the vision of his predecessor.»

It was also previously reported that Kyrylo Hovorun shared his impressions from attending a meeting of the World Council of Churches held in Johannesburg. Hovorun expressed his indignation that the WCC has still not accepted the OCU as a member, blaming “Russian propaganda” for this outcome.