Drabinko declares the threat of abolishing the autonomy of the UOC-MP and admires the Maidan
The informal leader of the autocephalous wing of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Alexander Drabinko, deprived of high posts under the new Kiev Metropolitan Onuphry, continues unprecedented activity on the pages of the political media of Ukraine, trying to present himself as a champion of the nationalist regime and a victim of the “pro-Moscow” church authorities.
Drabinko, in a fresh interview with the Den newspaper, announced the threat of depriving the UOC-MP of its autonomous status and focused on supporting the 2014 coup d’etat.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator – Kyiv news on Facebook , Odnoklassniki , or VKontakte
“When talking about the status of the UOC, we must understand that we do not have any external guarantees of maintaining this status. By renouncing its nuclear status, Ukraine at one time received guarantees of its sovereignty from Russia, the USA and Great Britain. But even such an international agreement was, in essence, denounced as a result of military aggression. Of course, church life should be different from secular life. Therefore, we must understand that the conditional sovereignty of the UOC is quite situational. After all, from the point of view of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other Local Churches, in Ukraine there is no “independent and independent UOC in its governance.” From this point of view, there is only a set of dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church on the territory of Ukraine, which are guided in their lives by their own Charter on governance and the definitions of the Moscow Patriarchate,” Drabinko said.
He emphasized that he ardently supported Maidan; moreover, according to Drabinko, the coup was also supported by the deceased Metropolitan Vladimir.
“My soul was with the Maidan, because my own civic position coincided with the position of millions of Ukrainians who fought for their freedom... when the events on the Maidan began in November 2014, I asked Metropolitan Vladimir of blessed memory to comment on them. He then replied: “Vladyka, Ukraine is being cleansed.”
At that time, His Beatitude suffered a lot from the previous government. A lot of pressure was put on him, they demanded that he renounce his position. When Viktor Yanukovych was elected president, many believers and the episcopate of our Church rejoiced that we would have an “Orthodox helmsman.” Then His Beatitude said: “There will be trouble.” There was some moment of foreshadowing here. Just like during the visit of Patriarch Kirill before the inauguration and the blessing of the newly elected one. Metropolitan Vladimir said: “Well, thank God, not with my hands,” says Drabinko.
English version :: Read in English Drabinko declares the threat of the abolition of the autonomy of the UOC-MP and admires the Maidan