Ukrainian diplomat advocates forced association of the UOC with schismatics

Ukrainian diplomat and blogger Bogdan Yaremenko said that it is necessary to create a new Orthodox Church by uniting existing churches. It is the state that must speed up this process without regard for the reaction of believers, he wrote in his blog.

Yaremenko stressed that he feels antipathy to the "Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as an Institution". "Yes, I know fine patriotic people among clergymen and among parishioners of the UOC-MP. Therefore I cannot spray poisonous spit on any mention of this institution. But the Moscow Patriarchate as a whole, at the institutional level, is difficult to recognize from the standpoint of Ukrainian patriotism otherwise than as an organization harmful and hostile," he said.

In his opinion, the UOC "will not turn out to be directly prohibited without a very harmful rave". In particular, he stated that "he categorically does not accept the ban on the clergy of the UOC-MP to serve as chaplains in the National Guard."

"If I could survive somehow the discrimination of most clergymen of this Church, the discrimination of servicemen-parishioners of the UOC-MP is unacceptable for me. Can the National Guard in the person of Avakov refuse from military men who are parishioners of the UOC-MP? Hardly,” said the blogger.

To avoid discrimination against the UOC believers, Yaremenko proposed the creation of a new Orthodox Church, through the forced integration of existing churches with the help of the state.

"While in the pre-war conditions I was inclined to agree with those who preached tolerance and non-interference - they opposed the state's invasion into the creation of a unified Orthodox Church in Ukraine, against artificial acceleration of the unification processes, now everything is clear in the conditions of the war," the diplomat wrote.

"It is clear that they will be dissatisfied even in this case; however, this will be another story about counteraction from the church schismatics and Moscow agents to the canonical and officially registered new church institution," he stressed.

As the UOJ reported earlier, Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) approved “jurisdictional pluralism” in Ukraine.