Poroshenko asks Ukrainians to "ignore Moscow’s instructions" and not to seek absence of autocephaly in Tomos
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko calls on Ukrainians to "ignore Moscow’s instructions" and not to seek for the absence of autocephaly in Tomos.
As reported by Censor.NET citing Interfax-Ukraine, this was declared by the president in Lutsk on Tuesday.
"In Volyn alone, eight parishes expressed the willingness to join our church," Poroshenko said
He reminded that, as a president, he guarantees protecting those who turn to the new church and those who stay with the Moscow Patriarchy.
"As a president, I guarantee that the choice of those who decide to stay with the church which maintains unity with the Russian church will be protected. But I also ensure protection to every parish that decides to join the new church," the president said.
Poroshenko encouraged Ukrainians to "ignore Moscow’s instructions" and not to seek for the absence of autocephaly in Tomos.
"Some people out there are not happy with our receiving Tomos, some people do not like our eucharistic prayers… Someone seeks for the absence of autocephaly in Tomos. They will not find it. And don’t listen to any instructions from Moscow. They will definitely lead you into trouble," he said.
Petro Poroshenko Bloc MP and President’s Representative in the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Lutsenko said earlier that nearly 70 parishes of UOC (MP) came under the jurisdiction of Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
December 15, the Congregative Convocation where Orthodox Church in Ukraine was created took place in Kyiv. Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Rus Epiphanius (Dumenko) was appointed as a leader of the newly created church. January 5, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed Tomos of autocephaly for OCU, and January 6, he passed the document to Metropolitan Epiphanius.
