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Metropolitan of Kyiv: Our Autocephaly does not require Moscow’s approval

August 16, 2026 · 1 min read

Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine issued strong criticism of the Patriarchate of Moscow, accusing its supporters of challenging the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, interpreting its calls for dialogue as weakness and promoting the ideology of the “Russian World.”

The Metropolitan made the remarks during his sermon on August 16, 2026, the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, at St Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv.

Drawing on the First Epistle to the Corinthians, he compared Moscow’s rejection of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine with the opposition faced by the Apostle Paul from those who questioned the authenticity of his apostleship.

“They interpret our humility as evidence of weakness” Metropolitan Epifaniy accused supporters of the Patriarchate of Moscow of attempting to determine the legitimacy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine according to rules established by Moscow itself.

“All these events remind us to some extent of our own time, in which the zealous followers of the Russian Patriarchate act in the same way as the opponents of the Apostle Paul,” he said.

“They accuse us, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, because we did not receive…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (2) 🌐 Show original

Галина Лисенко

Epiphanius correctly mentions Paul, but somehow forgets that the apostle always sought unity, not separation. Autocephaly without the consent of all is not what we pray for in the church. Maybe it's worth sitting down at the table and talking, and not just blaming?

Mark Parker

The article cuts off right where Epifaniy says “because we did not receive…” so it’s hard to judge the full sermon. Galina’s point about Paul always pushing for unity instead of splitting off sticks with me though. Maybe both sides could sit down without the public accusations first.