The head of the synodal department of the Moscow Patriarchate for relations between the church, society and the media, Volodymyr Legoyda, said that the Russian Orthodox Church would be able to evaluate the May decisions of the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Feofania after the end of the phase of active hostilities, since in the current situation it is very difficult to make “final judgments”. This is reported by Global Orthodox.

“The official assessments that were given at the level of the [ROC] Synod after the well-known events – the so-called Feofaniya, the council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in May last year and its decisions, were very restrained. And we, of course, proceed from the fact that in a situation where active hostilities are underway, it is very difficult to make any final judgments. And probably, we understand that only after this phase is completed, some more definite assessments will be given and actions will be taken,” Legoyda said.

The head of the synodal department also stressed that it is now difficult to give any assessment to “brothers from the Ukrainian church who are under tremendous pressure”: “The phrase [that they] say and do something “with a gun to their heads” has practically ceased be a metaphor,” Legoyda admitted.

“This is a question, of course, of the most difficult situation, the tragedy that has now happened when we look at each other through gunsights. This situation must end, and then we will return at different levels, including the church, to a more calm one – in a difficult mode, but for a conversation, and for a change in the situation,” the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church said.