Church schism in Ukraine is a disaster, triggered by external forces, Ukrainians must be in the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, said in an interview Last news the Patriarch of Alexandria And all Africa Theodore II.

now in Ukraine there are several churches of the Orthodox rite is recognized by all the local Orthodox churches of the UOC-MP and the UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate And the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC). The Kyivan Patriarchate And the UAOC, with the assistance of the political authorities for more than 2 decades, demand the recognition of their legitimacy.

"For me, As the Patriarch of Alexandria, the canonical head of the Ukrainian Church is his Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry. I know him very close, you know he is a spiritual man. Unfortunately, come some citizens from outside And imposed on the Ukrainian people these contradictions. As Orthodox Patriarch, I ask the faithful in Ukraine to be under the omophorion of the canonical head of the Ukrainian Church - Metropolitan Onufry, " said Patriarch Theodore.

The Patriarch, who lived And studied in Odessa, told that he knew the Ukrainian people And is familiar with the situation around the Church schism in Ukraine.

"My heart hurts when I see that there are citizens at war, two Nations, between whom there was always friendship, separated by political conflict. And it's a real sin, it's a disaster, when among the brotherly peoples created such problems, " - said the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

Full text of the interview with Theodoros II read on the Internet office of ria. EN 16. 00 MSK.

sections: Politics