After the final ban on religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Federation, the parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate) in the East and the Center of Ukraine will face the process of marginalization.
This opinion was expressed on the air of Hromadske Radio by the rector of a UOC)MP) temple in the village of Voloske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Andriy Pinchuk.
“The not really big part of the priests will transition to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This share may be higher in the west of Ukraine. In the east and in the center, priests and laymen, at best, will leave the buildings of churches quietly to start gathering in houses and apartments. This will launch the process of marginalization. New believers will not come to them,” the clergyman said.
In his opinion, it is also possible that some UOC(MP) representatives will resist change.
“What we saw in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra we might see in hundreds of parishes and monasteries. People will set up barricades and not let anyone in. And, in my opinion, there is even a likelihood of violent confrontation. We have historical examples – in Britain, for example,” says Andriy Pinchuk, one of the pro -Ukrainian priests in the UOC(MP).
When people choose their following instead of the logic, it is difficult to talk to them and negotiate, hoping that they will change their point of view, he added.
It was reported that on October 19, the Verkhovna Rada passed at first reading a bill on banning religious organizations affiliated with the aggressor state Russia.
