From the canon law perspective, the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine remains an inseparable part of the Russian Orthodox Church.
That’s according to the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Ukraine, Bishop Michael (Anishchenko) of Koman, who spoke with lb.ua.
“It can be said that self-proclaimed autocephaly is the path of Bishop Filaret (former head of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate – ed.) in the early 1990s. It’s just strange that the reaction to this step is not the same now as it was back then. So, we also see that, unfortunately, the MP leadership allows itself double standards in many regards,” the bishop said.
When asked about the situation around the UOC-MP from the point of view of Ukrainian law, the exarch noted that he never saw their charter officially published.
“If it’s not out there, I can’t comment on that. But, in my opinion, this (the holding of the Council – ed.) was aimed at avoiding issues with the legislation of Ukraine, which had been attacked by the aggressor power.
“It is quite possible” that the current status is temporary as the UOC-MP clerics are yet to figure out which side to pick, depending on war developments, the exarch agrees.
“We see that the position of many hierarchs fluctuates depending on the Ukrainian Army’s success,” Bishop Michael noted.
