UOC: Pseudo-patriarch Filaret is to oversee none of the Ukrainian Lavras

Archbishop Clement (Vecheria) of Nezhin and Priluki

That is how he commented to the ”Obozrevatel” (Observer) a statement of the UOC KP chief Filaret Denisenko that after the SLC has been established in Ukraine all the Lavras will pass to it.

"First of all, it should be borne in mind that Filaret is now too elderly, therefore, it does not befit me very much to comment on his words, especially all that he said in his last interview," said the Chairman of the Synodal Information and Educational Department of the UOC Archbishop Clement. It happens that people grow forgetful at this age. I can only remind him that the three Ukrainian Lavras currently belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, recognized by all the Local Churches, which is the only Local Church of the Ukrainian people. Filaret will never ever take control of any of the Ukrainian sanctities."

Besides, Vladyka noted that today there is no question of any autocephaly at all.

"According to the information coming from Istanbul, there is no talk of autocephaly, but there are some ideas as for creating an eparchy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine," said the hierarch of the UOC. “Without commenting on the legitimacy of such a eparchy, I will only say with absolute certainty that those who might join it will not have the slightest fraction of rights to self-identification that our Church possesses today. Therefore, your question has no objective grounds. Life will tell what happens next, but everything will definitely develop not as primitively as our politicians and Filaret depict it. However, let me note, throughout the history of Ukraine, our believing people have always defended their sanctities from both the Uniates and the schismatics. Even the Communists could not seize the Pochaev Monastery. Therefore, I would advise those who encroach on these monasteries not to try to transgress through the laws of national history."

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