OCU “hierarch”: Now you grab Filaret's temple – next day they'll grab yours

"Metropolitan" Joasaph Shibaev and "honorary patriarch" Filaret. Photo: Facebook

One cannot expect recognition of the Church, in which lawlessness is made law, wrote “hierarch” of the OCU Joasaph Shibaev on his Facebook page, responding to the rhetoric of the “clerics” supporting the actions of the leadership of the OCU regarding “patriarch” Filaret.

“I appeal to you, hierarchs – do not make yourself a laughing stock of the whole world. It is clear that you approve of lawlessness in favor of the Primate. It’s one thing when your traditional toadyism occurs in a narrow environment. But it looks completely different when it is shown to the whole world,” Shibaev declared.

In his opinion, it is strange to expect the Ukrainian autocephaly to be recognized by world Orthodoxy in a situation when law is born out of lawlessness.

“None of the Orthodox Christians will ever legitimize the bishops’ intervention in foreign dioceses. And do not refer to the Tomos or the Statute – they cannot contain provisions that are clearly contrary to the Canon Law of the Church whatever the “majority” is in favor of it. And it makes it all the more funny to perk a finger at each other’s faces reminding how someone once left someone illegally, too,” he noted.

The "metropolitan" stressed that "illegal actions do not create a legal precedent for the Church, no matter when and by whom they were committed."

“Yet, for your narrow circle, this lawlessness can set a precedent by your general approval today. Today you illegally seized the temple from the patriarch. And tomorrow, any of you will be denuded not only of the temple, but also of the diocese,” summed up Shibaev.

Earlier, the “metropolitan” Joasaph Shibaev stated that the head of the OCU had no right to expropriate the Holy Protection church from Filaret and criticized Epiphany for disregarding the rules of canon law.

Recall, on May 28, 2019, Filaret banned from priesthood Alexander Trofimliuk, a rector of the Holy Protection temple and Theological Academy of the OCU, who is Epiphany’s right hand. On May 29, 2019, Epiphany canceled Filaret’s decree and declared that he was taking the Holy Protection church of Kiev under his jurisdiction.

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