UAOC: Moscow offered us autocephaly

As we know, a lot of this back-and-forth reporting is conjecture and posturing. It's hard to know the real situation, and will be, until the three groups (UOC-MP, UOC-KP, and UAOC) return to unity.

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(RISU) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow proposed to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) to join the Russian Orthodox Church. So said the head of UAOC, Metropolitan Mefodii (Kudriakov) during a program of the 5th Channel.

“He said you have conducted negotiations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate for more then 10 years without a result, but I offer you the status enjoyed by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad: you retain autocephaly and the existing system, all your Churches and funds will remain at your disposal but the only thing is that you will have to attend the councils of Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) (UOC-MP),” said Metropolitan Mefodii.

The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad joined ROC in 2007 on condition of retaining its autonomous status. Recently, a scandal broke out in the USA with regard to attempts of the Moscow Patriarchate to subordinate the Orthodox Church in USA. However, an influential priest of the Orthodox Church in USA argued against any prospect of such attempts.

Apparently, the main strategy of Patriarch Kirill is to draw and admit in ROC of any “problematic” Orthodox communities in order to strengthen the international influence of the Moscow Patriarchate, reports “Religion in Ukraine.”