OCU protests against "Skadovsk Diocese" created by occupants and calls on UOC-MP clergy to express their position

The Kherson Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of Ukraine) has expressed a strong protest against the decision of the Russian Orthodox Church Synod to establish the so-called "Skadovsk Diocese". Ukrainian priests also called for the leadership of the Moscow-based UOC to assess these events. The text of the official statement of the OCU is published by UNN with a link to the Facebook page of the Kherson Diocese of the OCU.

Territory of Ukraine is not the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, and any decisions of the Russian Orthodox Church regarding Kherson region, which is fully part of Ukraine as a sovereign independent state. state, have no validity whatsoever. ... We call on the leadership of the church structure headed by Metropolitan Onufriy (Berezovsky) in Ukraine to voice their official position on the formation of the phantom "Skadovsk Diocese" of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Details

OCU insists that the temporary occupation of of the left bank of the Kherson region by Russian troops does not make it part of Russia. Therefore, the "decision of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (Journal No. 120 of 27.12.2023) once again emphasizes the shameful fact that the Moscow Patriarchate, headed by Kirill (Gundyaev), is an active instrument of aggression, occupation, enslavement and destruction of Ukraine."

In an official In an official statement on December 28, the clergy call for a public expression of their position on the scandalous decision of the Russian Orthodox Church of Metropolitan John (Siopko). According to the OCU, he is currently the head of a religious Kherson region, he is currently the head of a religious association, part of which was annexed by the synodal decision of the of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 27 this year.

Zokrema, The PCU asks Metropolitan Ioann to comment on the statement of the clerics who are close to him: "we have always understood and realized that both canonically and spiritually we are part of the of that large and strong family in which the earthly and the heavenly are united - the Russian Orthodox Church."

The silence on this issue of the bishops serving in Ukraine and listed as bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate on the pages of the official calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church for 2024 is unacceptable. Such silence is a sign of agreement with the aggressor, evidence of subordination and subordination of those who call themselves the "UOC" to the Moscow center.

They also emphasized that the presence of a voiced and clear position will allow them to work together joint efforts to counteract the spiritual aggression of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russia against Ukraine.

Context

The Russian Orthodox Church announced the confiscation of churches from Ukraine in the occupied on the occupied territory of the Kherson region. This decision was made by Moscow priests during a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was held on December 27, 2023, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Kirill in Moscow.