Archpriest Serhii Prokopchuk, Director of the Office of the Sophia Brotherhood
Because the decisions made there were vague and ambiguous. And due to the procedure and format in which they were adopted, the Primate can unilaterally annul them at any moment.
The person of the Primate and his personal statements cannot replace decisions made by a Council — or at the very least, by the Synod. If tomorrow a pro-Moscow candidate becomes the new Primate and declares that the Council never approved anything like “canonical independence,” the UOC would automatically revert to being part of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Here’s how I understand the situation:
Metropolitan Onufrii may, in fact, desire a certain level of independence — perhaps even autocephaly. However:
- He does not recognize Constantinople’s right to grant autocephaly to the UOC. Moreover, he considers Patriarch Bartholomew an “Eastern Pope” who usurps the authority of the Church.
- Moscow will never grant autocephaly itself, nor will it allow others to grant or recognize it.
- Autocephaly has never been granted collegially by the Local Churches — there is no such precedent in Church history. And they will not recognize it if the UOC proclaims it unilaterally.
Thus, the UOC is left with two rather bleak options:
- Remain in the gray zone of “quasi-autocephaly,” facing slow absorption by Moscow and the looming threat of a ban in Ukraine.
- Declare “illegal” autocephaly — and follow in the footsteps of Filaret.
But no one in the UOC dares to take that step.
The only viable path for the UOC — one that could truly save it — is dialogue and reconciliation with Constantinople. No amount of statements will help now.
Everyone is waiting for real actions.
One specific step that could precede restoring contact with Constantinople — and help deflect pressure from the UOC by other Local Churches — would be the recognition of Patriarch Kirill’s and the Russian Orthodox Church’s actions as immoral, anti-Christian, heretical, and uncanonical. This should be followed by an appeal to the Local Churches to review these actions at a Pan-Orthodox Council.
Such a move would open the way for the UOC to:
- Announce a complete break with Moscow — which the Ukrainian state expects.
- Carry out an internal purge of “Moscow loyalists” — the Kirill supporters.
- Avoid sanctions from other Local Churches. As long as the issue is under review at a Pan-Orthodox Council, no one would condemn the UOC for its canonical initiatives.
After that, a space would open for true reconciliation within Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
Is Metropolitan Onufrii ready for this?
P.S. This is exactly the scenario proposed by the Signatories at the very start of the war… Déjà vu.
P.P.S. I am deliberately not bringing up the case of the OCU — it remains a deeply painful subject. Let this wound begin to heal. Let the pain subside.
Why Is Feofania Called “Smoke and Mirrors”?
Archpriest Serhii Prokopchuk, Director of the Office of the Sophia Brotherhood
Because the decisions made there were vague and ambiguous. And due to the procedure and format in which they were adopted, the Primate can unilaterally annul them at any moment.
The person of the Primate and his personal statements cannot replace decisions made by a Council — or at the very least, by the Synod. If tomorrow a pro-Moscow candidate becomes the new Primate and declares that the Council never approved anything like “canonical independence,” the UOC would automatically revert to being part of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Here’s how I understand the situation:
Metropolitan Onufrii may, in fact, desire a certain level of independence — perhaps even autocephaly. However:
Thus, the UOC is left with two rather bleak options:
But no one in the UOC dares to take that step.
The only viable path for the UOC — one that could truly save it — is dialogue and reconciliation with Constantinople. No amount of statements will help now.
Everyone is waiting for real actions.
One specific step that could precede restoring contact with Constantinople — and help deflect pressure from the UOC by other Local Churches — would be the recognition of Patriarch Kirill’s and the Russian Orthodox Church’s actions as immoral, anti-Christian, heretical, and uncanonical. This should be followed by an appeal to the Local Churches to review these actions at a Pan-Orthodox Council.
Such a move would open the way for the UOC to:
After that, a space would open for true reconciliation within Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
Is Metropolitan Onufrii ready for this?
P.S. This is exactly the scenario proposed by the Signatories at the very start of the war… Déjà vu.
P.P.S. I am deliberately not bringing up the case of the OCU — it remains a deeply painful subject. Let this wound begin to heal. Let the pain subside.