Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard

15:12:02
12/09/2018

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The chairman of the Synod department of relationship of the Church with society and the media Vladimir Legoyda stated in an interview with TASS that the legalisation of the “Kiev Patriarchate“ will lead to an increase in the level of aggression in Ukraine. After the intention of the Constantinople Patriarchate to provide the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate with autocephaly (independence), religious tension in Ukraine started to increase. We spoke to the political scientist Rostislav Ishchenko concerning what the political consequences of the actions of Constantinople can lead and whether they will create the condition for religious discord in Ukraine.

“There already is religious discord in Ukraine. But it is on religious grounds that civil war can start in Ukraine, and it can start with a very high share of probability. I would say that the probability of it starting is about 9:1.”

Several months ago Poroshenko declared that the issue with Tomos has been resolved, and he presented it as a personal victory on the eve of elections. But how can this be a victory if autocephaly will lead to civil war?

“Poroshenko can’t win elections with or without Tomos, with or without autocephaly. Poroshenko needs an aggravation inside the state in order to either cancel elections or jail his opponents and competitors. Civil war for him is the ideal option. He hopes that this collision will be controllable. I am afraid that he is mistaken, and it won’t be controllable. A post-mortem dissection will show who is right.”

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