Unless Moscow Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church changes it will cause a schism with Ukraine - Portnikov

He said this on Espreso TV. 

“Now there are dangerous trends that I am very concerned about, and I hope the authorities are able to respond to them. This is a real church split because it is geographical. You see how regional councils in the western, central, and northern regions of our country are banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) one by one, or refusing to use their land, or closing their churches, and communities are writing letters saying they want to be part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). And in the east or south, we have not seen any such precedent, even in those regions that have been most seriously affected by Russian aggression. And here an important question arises: if the government fails to resolve the issue of the functioning of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on Ukrainian soil, then half of the country will go to one church, and the other half will go to another,” the journalist noted.

Vitaly Portnikov emphasized that this can be resolved if the government pursues a competent policy.

“But now we already see these lines, and it is dangerous. It is necessary to limit the existence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, to demand that the UOC-MP clearly prove that it has no ties to the Russian church. Because if the UOC-MP remains on the basis on which it exists today, its existence will lead to the split of Ukraine. This is also a reality, what can I say. I think there are many honest priests and parishioners in the UOC-MP who do not want this split. In my opinion, the government should not dictate to the UOC-MP what its internal life should be like, it should decide how to negotiate with Constantinople, on what basis to unite with the OCU and how to return to canonicity. But the state must clearly demand: either you return to canonicity, or you have no right to this land, churches, communities, because then you are part of the occupying organism,” Portnikov said.