“The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is open to all. And this is our main point of difference”, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv highlighted during his address to the Ukrainian society.
One year after the proclamation of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy addressed the Ukrainians.
In his speech he referred to the love for their country and its history, underlying that “Even if we wanted to, we wouldn’t be able to change what had already happened, we can influence the way we go forward”. He also pointed out that they are building a Church that accepts people as they are, a Church that is being built upon love. “The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is open to all. And this is our main point of difference.”
As he characteristically underlined, “A year ago, our Orthodox Church took its place in the Diptychs, as an autocephalous one, and we are therefore now responsible for our works and our decisions”, adding that “ An autocephalous Ukrainian Church has never been a threat to Ukrainian society, but the Church, which was losing both its Kyiv centralism and Ukrainian identity, was being transformed into an instrument of the imperial state.”
Metropolitan Epifaniy also noted that “After many decades and even centuries of despair, looting, and rights unprotected, we should start to learn to investing the long term, be more strategic, to do better work, and to plan for eventual results. Our doors are open also for difficult discussions about ourselves, about how to overcome the inertia of suffering, acceptance of pain, long-standing trauma, and the expectation of betrayal.”
Read Metropolitan Epifaniy’s of Kyiv address
Source: pomisna.info