More than 54% of Ukrainians positively assess the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and it receiving the tomos on autocephaly. This is based on results of a survey, titled “Confessional structure of the population of Ukraine and creation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church: May 2019,” conducted by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
Some 54.2% of respondents are positive about the creation of the OCU and it receiving the tomos on autocephaly. A neutral position is expressed by 31.2%, while 10.9% expressed a negative attitude. Some 3.6% found it difficult to answer the question, Deputy Director of KIIS Anton Hrushetsky said during a presentation of survey results at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Wednesday.
Among respondents who are positive or neutral about the OCU’s creation and tomos, 64.5% believe that the conditions defined in the tomos are sufficient for the development of an independent Ukrainian church and that is impossible to refuse it. At the same time, 8.8% of respondents believe the conditions are negative for the OCU and that is necessary to abandon the tomos and restore the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP). Some 26.7% could not or would not answer the question.
More than half of Ukrainians, 50.6%, said that the provision of the tomos is more likely to unite the society, while 30.5% said it would foment division in Ukraine. Some 18.9% could not or would not answer the question.
Some 39.6% of respondents positively assess the election of Epiphanius as OCU head, while 43% are neutral and 6.8% are negative. Some 10.6% of respondents could not or would not answer the question.
Asked who, Epiphanius or UOC-KP head Filaret, should have been elected to head the OCU, 36.5% said Epiphanius, 15.5% said Filaret and 2.2% said someone else. Some 45.9% could not or would not answer the question.
Source: en.interfax.com.ua