In most dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the clergy and the congregation openly support its Primate his Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine Onuphrius and advocated preservation of unity with the Moscow Patriarchate. This was stated by the Chairman of the Department for external Church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk in broadcast television, “the Church and the world”, reports the Synodal Department for Church relations with society and the media.
Bishop, in particular, mentioned the fact that the Metropolitan of Odessa and Izmail Agafangel held a diocesan meeting, which was held by secret ballot on the questions: do you support of Metropolitan Onufriy and are you satisfied with the status of the Odessa diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? “Of the 413 members of the clergy who voted, 406 voted for, three voted against and four abstained, told the DECR Chairman. — This in itself shows that the support of his Beatitude Onufry is virtually unanimous”.
“The mood in most dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, exactly the kind that showed a secret ballot in the Odessa diocese, stressed the Archbishop. — People support his Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry, support the unity of the Ukrainian Church from the Moscow Patriarchate. People do not support predatory actions of Patriarch Bartholomew, the legalization of the schism, which he achieved, and do not intend themselves to go in this division.”
She mentioned that in favor of autocephaly expressed publicly one or two bishops, Metropolitan Hilarion said: “One of these bishops, the priests said, well, if you go to the autocephaly, we’re not going there”.