Media: President's Office dissatisfied with Dumenko and Zoria's stance on UOC

Epifaniy Dumenko and Yevstratiy Zoria. Photo: pomisna.info

The Greek media outlet "Romfea" reports that there is dissatisfaction within President Zelensky's Office regarding Epifaniy Dumenko and Yevstratiy Zoria's inability to "unite the country in the face of an external threat".

The position of Epifaniy Dumenko and Yevstratiy Zoria regarding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), along with the forceful seizures of churches by supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), is causing frustration with the President's Office, according to Romfea.

The Greek outlet reminded that the seizures of UOC churches by OCU supporters "with the use of weapons and tear gas", as well as the "mass beatings of believers", have made dialogue between representatives of the canonical Church and Dumenko's followers impossible.

The publication underscored that "in their public statements, Metropolitan Epifaniy and Metropolitan Yevstratiy have repeatedly endorsed the increasing pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and accused it of alleged collaboration with Russia, openly calling for its ban and elimination."

"This stance is now causing irritation in the Office of the President of Ukraine, which seeks to unite the country in the face of an external threat," Romfea wrote, citing its sources.

It was also noted that negotiations between Dumenko and Patriarch Bartholomew, "who could finally guarantee the genuine unification of the Orthodox faithful," will be challenging.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the head of the Ukrainian Parliament's Committee on Humanitarian Policy, MP Mykyta Poturaev from the Servant of the People party, stated that President Volodymyr Zelensky's position on Law 8371 remains unchanged – it needs to be adopted as soon as possible.

On August 10, in his evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had held a meeting "on a decision that will strengthen our spiritual independence".

Additionally, MP Maryana Bezuhla announced that a Ukrainian delegation of MPs will soon travel to the United States to provide "additional explanations" and negotiate the adoption of Law 8371 by Parliament, which effectively bans the UOC.

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