None of the Orthodox Churches ever
gained independence without the support of the state. The Ukrainian
Church is no exception. Primate of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy told
this in an interview to Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Week Mirror)
“Looking at our history, it is known
that all the Churches that have received autocephaly over the past
hundred years have benefitted from significant support from the state in
this process,” said the Primate of the OCU. “So our case is neither
special nor new. Basically, we are now talking about a very long
process, which just came to its logical conclusion during President
Poroshenko's tenure. Ukrainian Presidents Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid
Kuchma have repeatedly stated that Ukraine needed its own local Church.
In 2008, under President Yushchenko, it seemed that such a Church would
already be established, but everything did not go so well. The issue was
not resolved. Petro Poroshenko approached this issue quite seriously
and, having the gift of diplomacy and persuasion, succeeded to build and
effectively hold talks with the Ecumenical Patriarch. And since we are
in a state of war, it is obvious that it is important for Ukraine to
enjoy spiritual security.”
“The war actually showed who is who in
Ukraine, which Church is actually Ukrainian, and which is Ukrainian in
the name only,” Metropolitan Epifaniy is confident. “Therefore, over the
past five years, a lot of faithful parishioners have joined the UOC of
the Kyiv Patriarchate, and now - the recognized Local Orthodox Church of
Ukraine. This was a necessity for a warring country.
The Russian authorities understand the
role of the Church very well. For example, when asked what guarantees
the security of the Russian state, Putin replied: a nuclear shield and a
Church. But when the Ukrainian state tries to defend itself
spiritually, this very Russia says that the Ukrainian state interferes
in the affairs of the Church. But then what is happening in Russia
itself? No independent Church exists there as such. Structurally, the
Russian Church is the State Department for Religious Affairs. Everything
can be done, including the destabilizing actions on the territory of
Ukraine through the Moscow Patriarchate. If our state contributed to the
unification of the Orthodox of Ukraine, it does not mean that it
interfered in the Church matters. These are quite different things: to
interfere in the Church matters — and to help in ensuring spiritual
security of the country,” concluded the Primate of the OCU.