Primate of the UOC: Churches should not encroach on the canonical territory of each other

The difficulties with the Pan-Orthodox Council should not cause a desire to “take revenge”, said His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Onufriy in his interview to the Synodal Department for Information and Education of the UOC.

I don’t think that difficulties encountered in preparing pan-Orthodox Council will cause with the local Orthodox churches a desire to take revenge.  If we go this way, we can put a cross on the future pan-Orthodox Council. I think that is understood by all, so the encroachment of one of the Churches on the canonical territory of another one should not happen…” said the Primate.

Metropolitan Onufriy commented on the impact of the Council preparation crisis on the situation in the Ukrainian Orthodoxy. He said that in the Rules of the Council there was no question about the religious situation in Ukraine. "Church schisms, which are a product of human sin, are present in almost all local churches. They are treated as sin is treated – with repentance," noted the Primate of the UOC.

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