ROC: Division of the Orthodox in Ukraine is a project of special services
According to Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, the ROC relies not on political tools but on the factor of the spiritual and cultural kinship of the Slavic peoples.
Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the ROC, said that the division of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine is a project of the special services, reports RIA Novosti.
According to the priest, "the division between Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, between them and their Russian co-religionists, was undoubtedly carried out according to a project actively supported by political circles and special services of a number of Western states."
Nevertheless, says Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, “even in the current conditions, the Church continues its peacemaking and unifying ministry, preserves the unity of our common Eastern Slavic Orthodox civilization, relying not on political tools but on a much more powerful and enduring factor of spiritual and cultural kinship”.
As reported, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported active pressure on the Churches in order to recognize the OCU.