All dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Western Ukraine have been destroyed – Archpriest Andrei Novikov
Despite the tactical maneuvers, the Kyiv regime's strategic goal has not changed: the complete liquidation of both the UOC and Orthodoxy as a whole in Ukraine.
This was stated on the Spas channel by the former secretary of the Odessa diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and now rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills, Archpriest Andrei Novikov , a correspondent for PolitNavigator reports.
"This is the worst possible situation for the UOC, when it seems a decision has already been made, and only the technical steps to liquidate it remain, and these steps seem to be constantly delayed. Of course, this is used for blackmail ."
And the Ukrainian regime is still trying to portray this as a natural process, not a willful decision to liquidate the Church in the style of the Roman persecutions. They want to portray it as a natural process, with people allegedly voluntarily converting, for example, to the schismatic "OCU." And to achieve this, they are intensifying the seizure of churches.
In Western Ukraine, our dioceses have been virtually liquidated; there are no parishes left. Closer to Central Ukraine, where the schismatics were particularly marginal, the number of parishes has now been halved.
"This isn't because believers are turning to the schismatics, but because churches are being forcibly seized, and weak clergy are also being driven into schism through pressure, blackmail, and threats . But the main reason is violent seizures, accompanied by beatings, destruction, and sacrilege," Novikov explained.
“ As for the intentions of the Ukrainian regime with regard to the canonical church, they are changing only tactically, but the strategic goal remains – the complete liquidation of the UOC, due to the fact that it is part of the ROC , and the complete liquidation of Orthodoxy as such.
"Because the 'OCU' is no longer Orthodoxy. It's even formally a denomination, which, both in practice and in theory, departs from Orthodox doctrine," the priest added.
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