Met. Anthony: Less than 1% of UOC parishes have moved to OCU over a year
Over the year of the OCU's existence, 78 communities have joined it, which is less than 1% of the total number of UOC parishes, said Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich).
On December 3, 2019, Metropolitan Anthony of Borispol and Brovary, said in an interview with “Russia-24” that the ranks of the new church of Ukraine (OCU), despite the efforts of the official propaganda, have been filled, forcibly or not, by less than 1% of all parishes of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the year since the OCU's formation, reports “Interfax”.
The UOC Chancellor said that since last December, when the OCU was formed, around 100 UOC temples have been seized, 220 of its parishes re-registered unlawfully and around 78 switched sides voluntarily, which accounts for less than 1% of the total of over 12,000 UOC parishes, and that including several parishes which have since returned into the canonical Church.
"In times like these [the church] is purifying itself. In fact, who's left us? Those who weaved various tales and squabbles within the Church, who were self-affirming themselves, who were of too high an opinion of themselves... The people who remained are loyal to God, to the Church, loyal to their oath, as priests and as archbishops, those who live for Christ and in Christ," the UOC metropolitan said.
As the UOJ reported, earlier Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) has emphasized that church raiding undermines stability in Ukraine.
