Archbishop of Cyprus opposes political interference in UOC affairs

The meeting of Sergei Stepashin with the Primate of the Cyprus Orthodox Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II

His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has joined the chorus of Orthodox primates and hierarchs decrying political interference in Church affairs in Ukraine. The topic was addressed during his meeting with former Russian Prime Minister and Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Sergei Stepashin yesterday, reports “Interfax”.

“We discussed the situation that has unfolded around the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Archbishop of Cyprus expressed concern about the situation around the Orthodox Church and called for the strengthening of unity,” Stepashin said commenting on the results of the meeting.

“The Archbishop of Cyprus supported the idea of holding a meeting of all the Local Orthodox Churches and spoke against political interference in the affairs of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” Stepashin noted.

As the UOJ reported, earlier religious scholar Dmitry Gorevoy said that the attempts of the Russian Orthodox Church to influence the situation through a pan-Orthodox discussion of the Ukrainian church question failed, because, according to him, “no one wants to support it, no one wants to confront the Ecumenical Patriarchate exclusively because of the ambitions of Moscow ". At the same time, more and more Orthodox Churches declare the need for a broad discussion of the Ukrainian issue.

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