The hierarchs call on the faithful to pray for residents of Kosovo and to do everything possible to live in peace. At the same time, the Church assures that it understands Kosovo and Metohija as an integral part of Serbia, and that it will always help its children there however it can.
Though formally a cleric of the Moscow Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Fr. Cyril has long been known as a supporter of the Ukrainian schismatics and has concelebrated with them a number of times since the creation of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” in 2018.
The hierarchs made a number of administrative and personnel decisions, and also issued a statement to the hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church about the extremely trying times the UOC is facing today.
The church has served as a representation of the Russian Orthodox Church for many years, but two priests and another church employee were branded threats to national security and expelled from the country last week.
The Russian Church’s Department for External Church Relations issued a statement yesterday “strongly protesting against the unjustified expulsion of its representatives from Bulgaria.”