"Your pope is Muscovite": OCU calls on Greek Catholics to break up with Rome
A chaplain of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has urged Greek Catholics to spiritually unite around the "Kyivan Baptismal Font".
In a Facebook post, chaplain Roman Hryshchuk quoted the controversial address to Russian youth by Pope Francis and recalled what he perceived as pro-Russian statements and actions by the pope.
His comment came in the wake of strong criticism from the OCU against Pope Francis for his pro-Russian remarks. He referred to the pontiff not as the Roman Pope, but as the "Muscovite" Pope, urging the Greek Catholics to sever their allegiance to the Holy See of the Vatican.
Hryshchuk also criticized the rhetoric of Greek Catholic priests who, under the influence of the Pope's words, shifted from a staunchly anti-Moscow stance to a "universal-Christian-loving" stance, characterized by "rose-colored pony" sentiments.
He expressed his indignation at a Roman Catholic priest's remark during a Hero's funeral that "we should pray for all soldiers on the battlefield, not just Ukrainian ones! Because Russian soldiers are also someone's children and they also have mothers!"
Hryshchuk called on Greek Catholics to realize that their spiritual center cannot be in Rome and urged them to unite around Kyiv.
"True spiritual and national prosperity can only be found in spiritual unity around the Kyivan Baptismal Font," he concluded.
Earlier the UOJ wrote that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine labeled the Pope's words about "Mother Russia" as "disappointing".
