Primate of UOC: We ask for the exchange of captives in “all-for-all" format

Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOCThe Primate of the UOC stressed that the UOC would continue to do everything possible to help release all Ukrainian prisoners-of-war.

The UOC has appealed to the new Ukrainian government with an initiative to resume the process of the release of Ukrainian prisoners and asked for an “all-for-all” exchange, said His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine in an interview to the “Ukraina” TV channel.

“Our Church has been addressing the issue of the release of prisoners-of-war for several years now, and we have made some progress,” noted His Beatitude. “We do not go into the legal depths who is at fault for whom, we say: we all live under God, we are all guilty to God – there is no person who would not be at fault to God. Does he forgive us? Yes, he does. So, forgive each other, as God forgives us. This is our principle by which we seek the release of our prisoners-of-war."

He explained that Orthodox believers living on the territory of Russia appeal to the relevant state structures with a request to release Ukrainian captives, “we, in turn, go to our structures and ask that the Russian prisoners-of-war who are in Ukraine should be released”.

This is the activity, noted His Beatitude Onuphry, which the Church has been undertaking for a long time, and now the UOC is already addressing the new Ukrainian government with the initiative that the prisoner exchange process should be resumed.

“I have already sent letters to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to arrange a petition for our prisoners-of-war on that side, and to our President with a corresponding letter to resume this process,” added His Beatitude and stressed: The UOC seeks that all captives should be released in the "all-for-all" format.

We recall that His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry called on Ukrainians to help Vladimir Zelensky implement his good intentions.

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