No political force to play exclusive or controlling role in OCU - church leader Epifaniy

This is stated in an address by the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, posted on the church website.

"We are grateful to all political forces for their support in building up our Local Church, regardless of whether they represented the government or opposition at a certain period of history. But no political force, party, or individual leader can or will play any exclusive or, moreover, controlling role in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," said Epifaniy.

According to the top cleric, the OCU has not allowed itself until now and will not allow in the future to become a hostage or a participant in political squabbles.

"For years, the structure of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine was built according to this false model of shadow control. Derkach, Novinsky, Medvedchuk, and other such figures considered themselves as if they were members of a ‘joint-stock company’ that decided all key issues behind the backs of ‘hired managers’ sporting cassocks. Such a model largely contributed to the current public catastrophe faced by the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine," head of the OCU believes.

He added that now opponents are persistently trying to compromise the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, imposing on it the image of the church of a certain high-profile politician.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on December 15, 2018, the Unification Council of the Orthodox Churches of Ukraine was held in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. At the Council, the clergy of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate, UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church created a single local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, approved its charter, and elected its head, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

On January 6, 2019, the ceremony took place where the Tomos of autocephaly was handed to the united OCU.