Bishop Joseph (Milyan): the UGCC should not act against the visit of Patriarch Kirill to Ukraine

Auxiliary Bishop of Kyivan Archeparchy Bishop Joseph (Milyan) considers that the church should not comment, oppose, or act against the visit of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. The bishop told this to a journalist, who asked him if the Greek Catholic Church, which did so much for the independences of Ukraine, for the formation of the Ukrainian nation, should oppose today's Russian expansion, for example, with some visits from the Vatican? “I believe that doing something against someone is not good. We must not act in such a way. The Moscow Patriarchate has the right to organize a visit to Ukraine of Patriarch Kirill. He visits, and it is his right. As for me, we should not do anything to counteract his visit or that of any other denomination,” said Bishop Joseph. “We have to maintain stability, faith, and live with love to God and thy neighbor. Then there will be no oppositions, counteractions. Pope Benedict XVI will visit. But it will not be to counteract the visit of Patriarch Kirill,” he underlined. According to him, if the church is biased in such a dimension, it will “lose sight of its main task and will waste a lot of effort on unnecessary things.” “I agree that it is big temptation because the church is the laity, and the laity are biased in different spheres of social and political life, and they can offer solutions to these difficult problems of multidenominational, professional, and general coexistence. But I am convinced that the church should not take part in the processes of opposition,” said the bishop. The bishop reminded that during the last visit of Patriarch Kirill to Ukraine the Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar) made some statements on behalf of the UGCC. “He is the head and speaker of our church. Yes, there are many temptations to give comments, but there are only temptations. Someone once asked me why our church is not saying anything about the visit of Patriarch Kirill. I stated that our church is not quiet, our church talks. Silence is also a language, simply one must know how to read it,” he said.

Information Department of the UGCC