UOC hierarch: "Ukrainian issue" deeply divides the Church of Greece
The religious conflict in Ukraine has become one of the first issues for the Greek Orthodox Church, Vladyka Victor noted.
Bishop Victor of Baryshevka, the head of the UOC Mission to European international organizations, the vicar of the Kiev Metropolis, noted that in the Greek Orthodox Church is deeply divided due to the “Ukrainian church issue”.
“The Ukrainian church issue hasn’t been a concern only of Ukraine for a long time. Today this is one of the first issues for the Greek Orthodox Church. Because the Church of Greece is deeply divided on the "Ukrainian question" today," Vladyka Victor explained on the air of the “1Kozak" channel.
According to the hierarch of the UOC, this problem affects the unity of believers and the clergy of the Greek Church, their support for each other, and their brotherhood.
Some bishops of the Church of Greece advocate for strict observance of the canons of Orthodoxy and fidelity to faith and God, while other bishops uphold the opposite point of view, said Bishop Victor. He noted that the Greek hierarchs supporting the recognition of the OCU bear their obedience in districts with dual subordination to both Constantinople and their Church.
It is not known which Local Orthodox Church will come under pressure after the Greek one, Vladyka Victor resumed.
He also reported on the difficult situation in the Serbian Orthodox Church and noted that in 2019 representatives of this Local Church spoke at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, making the voice of Orthodoxy more powerful in Europe.