UOC Spokesman: Church unity has to be built on stone not on sand of schisms

Deputy Head of the UOC DECR Protopriest Nikolai Danilevich

The authorities make a mistake not coordinating their ecclesiastic initiatives with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, said Protopriest Nikolai Danilevich, deputy head of the UOC DECR, during the press conference "Single Local Orthodox Church: what will change after receiving Tomos?", organized on August 1 by Golos.ua.

"The authorities are building a religious policy on the basis on which, in fact, one cannot build anything. It (the religious policy – Ed.) is pinned on the UAOC and UOC-KP being unrecognized Churches, "Father Nikolai said. “You know, in the Gospel there is a comparison that a man who builds a house on the sand is not intelligent because his construction will be eventually destroyed by the power of winds and storms. It is necessary to build on the stone."

According to Protopriest Nikolai, if they want a single Church, perhaps even autocephalous, it is necessary to build on the stone of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and not on the sand of church schisms.

"It is necessary to speak with us and with all Local Orthodox Churches," the UOC Spokesman stressed. “I think that officials should understand this. If the current ones are unable to understand it, then at least those who are to come later will do it."

Earlier, Protopriest Nikolai Danilevich said that the canonical Church in Ukraine already has what the schismatics are so much enthusiastic about, but that they deliberately do not want to see it.

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