Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan), the head of the UOC MP was de facto given to understand that he would no longer be allowed to delve into church affairs, according to Kyiv Weekly. Sabodan’s attempt to reverse (in the eyes of a huge number of the faithful) a semi-legitimate meeting of the Synod led to a situation where the Synod was held, Sabodan’s right hand Oleksandr Drabynko was expelled “for spreading discords.” The gathering exquisitely and humiliatingly decided to “continue praying” for Metropolitan Volodymyr’s health, reads the KW article titled Ukrainian church for Putin.
Presidential Administration in Kyiv did not intervene in the situation at all, although it should have understood that the political map of the country would also strongly depend on such processes. Secondly, we should mention the total absence of reaction by Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow, who had annually visited Ukraine 3 – 4 times over the last several years and gave speeches on far less important occasions.
The total absence of reaction by Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow, who had annually visited Ukraine 3 – 4 times over the last several years and gave speeches on far less important occasions is understood. There is no doubt that Sabodan’s dismissal was completely sanctioned by Kirill, who essentially had began a casting session for the new head of the UOC MP. As a result, now there is a triumvirate of rivaling friends, each of whom believes that he will be appointed the next head of the church.
The stance of the Presidential Administration in Kyiv and the president himself look more than strange as the next several months may see tectonic changes inside the official church of the Party of Regions. This church, which unofficially but actually depended on official Kyiv, will today be fully dependent on Moscow, including financially after the system of division of revenues is altered. Dering the elections, the hierarchs will consult not with the Bankova or locaal authorities but directly with Moscow emissaries. And if the clerics are told to openly support Russia-leaning forces, they will canvass in favor of the Bloc of Russia or the Rodina party. More precisely, the clerics will lobby for a restitution law and will start blackmailing the government, saying “either you confiscate the St. Volodymyr Church from the Kyiv patriarch and convey it to us, or you will lose our support”, warns the article by Vadym Denysenko.
