Metropolitan Anthony emphasized that the UGCC, which falls under the Pope’s authority, holds special views diverging from the Vatican’s official positions and openly supports Ukrainian legislation aimed at banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Despite these positions, the Vatican has not publicly distanced itself or criticized UGCC leaders.

Anthony pointed out that during key moments, such as the eviction of Orthodox priests from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the late Pope Francis expressed personal sorrow, but this did not lead to institutional condemnation of UGCC’s political involvement. According to him, this double stance contradicts the requirements of a neutral platform for peace.

Historical And Political Roots Of Distrust

The Metropolitan referred to the long-standing historical tensions stemming from the 1596 Union of Brest, which brought parts of the Ukrainian clergy under the Vatican while maintaining Byzantine liturgy. He framed the UGCC as a poorly managed segment of the Catholic Church that emerged from “forcible Catholicization” policies in historically Russian lands.

Patriarch Kirill’s advisor Nikolai Balashov also criticized the UGCC for promoting laws hostile to the Orthodox Church, reinforcing the broader Russian Orthodox view that Vatican mediation would be neither impartial nor constructive in the current conflict.