Response given during the panel discussion at the Round Table “Contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Debunking Myths for the Reconciliation of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine,” held on April 29, 2025, in Kyiv as part of the enlightening-analytical project “Contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Debunking Myths for the Reconciliation of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and the Consolidation of Ukrainian Society,” organized by the Sophia Brotherhood with support from the Renovabis Foundation.
Yurii Chornomorets: Let’s be realistic. Option one: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) recognizes that Constantinople is the Mother Church. Second: that appeals must be directed precisely there, and that problems are resolved according to the canons by the one who has the authority to consider appeals. Even the mere fact that it is the appellate center is sufficient for them (the UOC) to be able to direct their steps there.
Again, what’s the alternative? You submit a request for autocephaly to Moscow. When Patriarch Kirill turned 70, Moscow clearly stated: “We will never grant autocephaly to Ukraine.” This was stated explicitly in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour before all delegations of global Orthodoxy. When Metropolitan Onufriy was asked at a diocesan assembly in late 2022, “Will we ever do this?” he replied: “Yes, we will submit a request to Moscow once the war is over.” First of all: Moscow never ends its war—hybrid, cultural, imperial. The war will never end!
Moscow continues to wage war. Even if it lacks strength, it will persist. Accordingly, if they didn’t grant autocephaly back in the early 1990s—and today’s Patriarch Kirill played a key role in ensuring it wasn’t granted back then—they certainly won’t grant it now. This is obvious; we need to be realistic. Do you want to ask Moscow, as a Kyriarchal Church, for autocephaly? It will never grant it. The Macedonian Church was granted autocephaly by the Serbs only after a long and difficult journey. Unless Russia is occupied the way Japan was occupied by the Americans, only then might they give Ukraine a Tomos… But never, not in any case, as long as Russia exists and Russian power remains—be it by “good Russians” communing with Catholics—they will not give Ukraine autocephaly.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church must return to realism: either autocephaly is self-proclaimed or it is received through consultations moderated by the Ecumenical Patriarch. Canon law and the real situation offer no other path.
If the bishops do not want to go this route, then fine—goodbye, dear bishops, you are not fulfilling your mission. Look at history: under what circumstances does any Orthodox nation proclaim autocephaly?
A genocidal war is being waged against the people, and you are the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian people, of Ukrainian Orthodox believers. For you, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) is a nonentity—it “does not exist,” it’s “a political organization.” You claim to be the only true Orthodox Church. Why, then, did you not proclaim autocephaly when a genocidal war was launched against you? This is the first time in history something like this is happening! This is a morally bankrupt stance—the result of what Stalin and Hitler were trying to achieve. Stalin aimed to burn conscience out of people, to turn them into obedient tools for any form of manipulation…
Naturally, in such conditions, the Brotherhood of Sophia arises, because everything “alive” in the UOC and OCU understands that something must be done—not even from a Christian but from a human perspective. You can boast about full churches and call yourselves Christians, but if the foundation is scorched and the people dehumanized—they are not true believers, but a fiction of believers. The situation is critical, and some solution must be found—even if each parish proclaims its own autocephaly, that would be better than remaining in any kind of unity with such an immoral episcopate.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church claims to have somehow distanced itself from Patriarch Kirill. Yet, Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy appears, who not only commemorates but obliges others to commemorate Patriarch Kirill. From his pulpit, he says: “Our duty is to preserve the single spiritual, canonical space that has existed here for a thousand years, with its center first in Kyiv, now in Moscow, and we must preserve that unity.” The Synod’s response—zero. Did the episcopal council convene and remove him from office? No. Since nothing happened, you are all complicit in this crime.
An information war is being waged against Ukraine, coordinated by certain bishops of the UOC. Have you raised the question of their responsibility? No. That means you, as a whole episcopate, are complicit in this crime. You are all now engaged in an information war against Ukraine. There must be consequences: first, canonical; second, legal; and third, of course, the church laity must respond. If you want to remain Ukrainians—there must be a response. If you want to remain Christians—there must be a response. If you want to remain Orthodox—there must be a response. Because today Patriarch Kirill is a Gnostic-type heretic. This is a super-heresy—Manichaeism being preached instead of Orthodoxy. To tolerate this is to betray Orthodoxy, its tradition, the Ecumenical Councils, and even the pre-conciliar heritage. We await the moment when some process begins, and that this situation will not be tolerated—neither within the Church nor outside it.
To emphasize: the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is open to all dialogue. Its bishops do not pretend to be perfect, or to represent ideal 21st- or even 20th-century hierarchs. They are ready to concelebrate with UOC bishops. The example in Rivne shows: there is no closure—there is openness. If you wish, come forward, and there will always be a way to live and serve together. The Ecumenical Patriarch is radically open at any moment. And yet, some still insist on remaining with Moscow, demanding to be respected as though they had no ties with Moscow. How is that possible? You cannot remain allied with Russians and ask to be loved as Ukrainians; you cannot be with Manichaeans and ask to be honored as exemplary Christians. I believe that is absurd.
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