During the meeting with the Metropolitan, a TSN journalist did not kiss his hand and immediately inquired whether his actions outraged the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy.
“Of course not. It’s more, you see, a tradition, a Russian tradition that a faithful as if he were a subordinate, must bow to his master, must kiss his hand,” said the head of the OCU, TSN reports.
This seems to be a certain looking down on the faithful, as if they are someone’s slaves. So we are shifting away from this tradition because we are, in fact, friends, as Christ said,” he explained.