OCU urges international partners to prevent the UOC renaming repeal

Epiphany Dumenko, Patriarch Bartholomew and Petro Poroshenko. Photo: vesti.ua

The "Synod" of the OCU published a statement on the website of its structure regarding the situation around Law No. 2662-VIII of December 20, 2018, which illegally obliges the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church to change its name.

The statement expressed "serious concern" about the possible abolition of the anti-church Law on renaming the UOC. The OCU is convinced that "we are talking about direct bribery or other corrupt influence" on the court of "pro-Russian politicians, supporters of the Moscow Patriarchate." Moreover, the information for such accusations was taken by the “bishops” of the OCU from some “open sources”.

Sergei Dumenko and his "synod" believe that the hybrid aggressor allegedly "uses direct or indirect influence on individual judges in order to make decisions that destroy the state independence of Ukraine." However, the OCU did not specify how the preservation of the name of the UOC by the Church, which has been in effect since 1990, can destroy the independence of Ukraine.

In the statement, the “synodals” call the UOC “the metropolis of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine” and worry that its religious organizations “cannot make changes to the Unified State Register, cannot change the leaders indicated in the register to others, cannot register new religious organizations.”

In this regard, the OCU calls on "the state and international partners of Ukraine to pay attention to these potential threats and prevent their implementation."

In conclusion, Dumenko and the “hierarchs” called on the UOC “not to rely on riches,” but to follow the Tomos and start a constructive dialogue with the OCU.

As the UOJ reported, the Constitutional Court began to consider the case on renaming the UOC. 

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