Taras Chernovol: Phanar gave us grounds to abolish the name of UOC

President Poroshenko and Patriarch Bartholomew at a meeting in Istanbul

The political analyst explains that the agreement between President Poroshenko and Patriarch Bartholomew gives a direct basis for the legislative termination of the functioning of the name "UOC" in relation to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. About this he wrote on his FB page.

“It is clear that the Moscow clergy will not disappear anywhere and will simply ignore this decision. But here we managed to get a direct basis for the legislative termination of the functioning of the UOC name in relation to the Church that belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate,” writes Chernovol.

The political scientist argues that "This will no longer be interference in church affairs, since in fact the state, in accordance with the request of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, eliminates the self-appointed use of the name of the Ukrainian Church."

He added, “This should significantly speed up the transition of parishes to the new church.”

According to him, “in the Ukrainian church and patriotic environment” there is a fear that as a result of the elections, the “Moscow appointee” will win, which “will try to fold” the process of granting of the Tomos. He believes that the agreement between Poroshenko and Bartholomew “severely constrains” the possibilities of any future President.

As the UOJ reported, earlier, in his annual message to the Verkhovna Rada, President Petro Poroshenko said that after receiving the Tomos, the UOC would be renamed. The President of Ukraine said that the UOC will be called the "Russian Orthodox Church." “I guarantee that the state will respect the choice of those who decide to remain in the church structure that preserves unity with the Russian Orthodox Church. And we will call her that way in order to facilitate understanding,” Poroshenko said.

According to the UOJ, the “Agreement on cooperation and interaction between Ukraine and the Ecumenical Constantinople Patriarchate” was signed by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew following the meeting in Istanbul on 3 November. Protopriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, explained that the signing of the agreement violates the foundations of the constitutional system in Ukraine, since representatives of secular authorities are not authorized to negotiate ecclesiastic affairs.

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