Patriarch Cyril I against the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the position of Patriarch Cyril I towards the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill I is against the autocephaly of Ukrainian Orthodoxy because it deprives Russia  one of the effective instruments of influence over Ukraine, weakens the position of the Moscow Patriarchate in Russia itself, and the prospects of implementing the concept of the russkij mir. The patriarch argued that the situation of the Orthodox community in Ukraine was a consequence of the Ukrainian government's policy, the goals of which were the same as in the revolutionary period in the Soviet Union, i.e. to cause divisions that would lead to the destruction of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is very dangerous as it can be used by other countries as an example to violate religious freedom and human rights violations by political authorities.