Kiev, November 20, 2019
Photo: spzh.news
Returning from his pilgrimage to Greece with a group of representatives of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” Alexander Drabinko, one of the bishops who abandoned the Orthodox Church in order to become a schismatic, told reporters that certain Local Churches do not recognize the OCU because they are under slavish obedience to President Putin of Russia.
Thus far, the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Alexandria and the Church of Greece recognize the schismatics, but the Churches of Jerusalem and Cyprus have yet to find their own voice, Drabinko believes.
“I understand that in the world we will soon have the recognition of all the Local Orthodox Churches that are independent, as I was told. They say: What can do we do? You should ask Putin, not us, why other Greek-speaking Churches, such as Cyprus and Jerusalem, still do not recognize you,” he said in an interview with 1+1.
He also noted that the announced schedule of the pilgrimage was intentionally incorrect in order to avoid provocations from Russia.
However, the schismatic pilgrims did encounter opposition not from Russia, but from faithful Greek clergy and laity, on Aegina and in Patras.
Greek clergy and laity have also addressed their hierarchs in protest of the recognition of the OCU.
