Granting autocephaly for UOC will not resolve the issue of schism

Even if tomorrow autocephaly were granted to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the issue of schism wouldn’t be resolved. It was said by the PhD of theology, Archpriest of the Kiev temple of St. Konstantin and Helena, Sergei Veigo in the live program “The Right to Faith”, reports First Cossack.

"The question is raised: who will be given this autocephaly? Probably, the Verkhovna Rada? Or the Cabinet of Ministers? No - the Church. What Church? At least three large Churches function in Ukraine. They are the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Kyiv Patriarchate and the UAOC. In addition, there are quite small Orthodox Churches who also call themselves autocephalous," says father Sergiy.

According to him, if autocephaly is granted, then it will be given to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is in canonical communion with the entire Orthodox Church of the world. "And then the autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church will put forward the same demands before the schismatics as it does now. It means, by and large, that nothing will change," the clergyman explained.

Moreover, according to the clergyman, a number of parishes, monasteries, and possibly even eparchies, can go directly to the Russian Orthodox Church, that is, to stauropegion. This will lead to the fact that in Ukraine there will be at least two canonical Orthodox Churches: the autocephalous Church and those religious structures that do not want to enter it.