ROCOR Clergy Concerned About Fate Of Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Archpriest

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2022) The clergy of the Russian Church Abroad (ROCOR) have been concerned about the fate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), ROCOR Archpriest Seraphim Gan told Sputnik.

Earlier on Friday, the Council of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate declared independence.

"It is is difficult to talk about ROCOR's attitude regarding this decision, as it just happened. Our bishops will consider it in the near future. However, I and many other clerics of ROCOR have always been concerned about the suffering faithful of the UOC," Gan said.

Gan noted that he has visited Ukraine regularly during the past 15 years and saw the suffering of the canonical church there.

"Everyone knows that the UOC was persecuted by the authorities and in the course of hostilities, these persecutions were aggravated," he said.

ROCOR has very close ties with the UOC and Ukraine itself, because the confessor of the late First Hierarch Metropolitan Laurus - Archbishop Vitaly (Maksimenko) - served at the Assumption Pochaev Lavra (monastery), while another Frist Hierarch - Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky) - was Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia in 1918-1920.

Gan also pointed out the spiritual friendship of ROCOR's late First Hierarchs, Metropolitans Laurus and Hilarion, to the Primate of the UOC Metropolitan Onufrii.

"They were friends and fellow ascetic strugglers, real monks and men of fervent prayer," he said. "When Metropolitan Hilarion passed away last week, Metropolitan Onufrii took care to send his representative, Bishop Gideon, to the funeral."

Gan also recalled that Metropolitan Onufrii many times came to the United States and served in the ROCOR parishes, including his parish in Sea Cliff, New York.

"All these and many other details demonstrate very close contacts and fraternal relations between our churches, so I hope very much that we will be able to preserve prayerful and Eucharistic communion with the persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church," he said.

Gan also urged holding onto unity and joint prayer and communion during this difficult time despite all suffering and disappointments.