Epiphanius is ready for dialogue with Onufriy: We call on all Orthodox in Ukraine to reject "Russian yoke"
Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epiphanius has declared his readiness for dialogue with Metropolitan Onufriy of the UOC-MP.
He said this during a telethon, Censor.NET reports.
He called the draft law "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Activities of Religious Organisations in Ukraine" a historic decision.
"The law allows all religious structures that have not yet done so to be completely freed from Moscow's control. And we, for our part, again and again call on all Orthodox Christians in Ukraine who have not yet done so to finally reject this Russian yoke. We are open to dialogue without preconditions," Epiphanius stressed.
According to the Primate, the OCU appealed to Onufriy to start a dialogue without preconditions
"We appeal to the faithful. After all, our common Ukrainian future depends on them. After all, each community, according to Ukrainian law, and according to the newly adopted law, has the opportunity to change its jurisdiction. ... We are ready to unite in this difficult time of war, when the aggressor is trying to destroy us," he said.
Epiphanius also added that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to the UOC-MP to unite, but they were only responded to with an ultimatum.
"We are open, we are ready for dialogue, but we have not received any response. We are waiting, but unfortunately, they do not even want to communicate with us," he concluded.
As a reminder, on 20 August 2024, the Verkhovna Rada passed a bill banning the activities of the Russian Church in Ukraine.
