Metropolitan Mitrofan: UOC KP has lost more than other confessions for three years

The denomination to have strategically lost for the last three years is namely the UOC KP. From the standpoint of tactics, the Kyiv Patriarchate has gained temporary advantages, but lost from the strategic perspective. It was told by Chairman of the UOC DECR Metropolitan of Lugansk and Alchevsk Mitrofan in his interview, reports the DECR site.

The hierarch believes there are several reasons thereto. Firstly, the UOC KP has totally spoilt its relationships with the UOC due to the raider seizures of the UOC temples, aggression, and hate campaign against the canonical Church as “anti-Ukrainian”, promotion of antichurch bills (## 4128, 4511, 5309, 1244), which has led to the destruction of “basic human relations” burgeoning before the beginning of the war.

He stressed that the UOC is "a self-sufficient Church – canonical, legitimate, recognized," while "the UOC-KP is non-canonical, illegitimate, unrecognized," and without the UOC will not receive any recognition. "That is why I am surprised at their behavior. I believe that political emotions have prevailed over their minds," the Bishop added.

As the second loss of the UOC-KP, he points to the destruction of its relations with the UAOC, despite claims for getting united into a single Church. "It's difficult for me to imagine how they are going to do this now," said Metropolitan Mitrofan.

The third problem for the UOC-KP is its attempt to play the role of a "state church", because other religions, for example, the UGCC, are also concerned about this.

Fourthly, according to His Eminence, the UOC KP has not made any progress in its dialogue with the Constantinople Patriarchate, whose recognition the schismatics have been seeking so long. "Constantinople will never recognize them, for this will lead to great problems not only with the Russian Orthodox Church, but also with other Local Orthodox Churches, and this is too big price for Constantinople," he explained.

Vladyka Mitrofan added that in the autumn of the last year, during a private meeting at Phanar, the Constantinople Patriarchate explained to the UOC-KP: "Of course, we respect you but you are in schism, and therefore, you can conduct a dialogue with the UOC, with us, and we all together with Patriarch Kirill. Obviously, they could not say anything else to them," he said.

In addition, over these years, there has been no noticeable increase in the number of believers in the UOC-KP, despite the powerful information propaganda.