Epiphany was afraid to voice the theses proposed to him by Zelensky about peace with Crimea and Donbass
Epiphanius, the head of the unrecognized Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is subordinate to Constantinople, is absent from the address of religious leaders to residents of territories not controlled by Kyiv, distributed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, because the hierarch did not like the text, which was too light on militancy and too conciliatory, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The BBC reports this , citing sources in the OCU.
“According to BBC sources close to Epiphany, he was offered to appear on the video, but he refused. The hierarch did not like the text that he was asked to voice, that “one should not speak in the language of guns,” the publication writes.
According to interlocutors, Epifaniy was worried that it would look as if he was calling for negotiations with the leaders of the LDPR.
The publication notes that Epifaniy was also worried that his and Filaret’s participation in the video would lead to disagreements about who is more important in the OCU.
PolitNavigator previously reported that newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released an address from various religious leaders to residents of territories not under Kyiv's control. Epiphanius is not present in the recording.
Let us note that Filaret, who previously called the war “punishment of the residents of Donbass for their sins,” unlike her protégé Epiphanius, was not afraid to “change her shoes” into a peacemaker and voice directly opposite theses.
Epiphanius was afraid to voice Zelensky's proposed theses on peace with Crimea and Donbass.