Alexandria, Egypt, October 15, 2018
His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa is currently on a pastoral visit to Zimbabwe, but there exists the possibility that upon return he will visit Moscow and Constantinople.
The Alexandrian primate could embark upon the trips to act as a mediator in the ongoing Ukrainian Church crisis, Fr. Panteleimon, rector of the church in Domyat, Egypt, told RIA-Novosti on Friday.
“We regret the attempts to separate the Ukrainian Church from the Moscow Patriarchate. We know about the decisions of the Synod in Istanbul and the continuing course of separation. These decisions were not approved by the Alexandrian Orthodox Church. There is an initiative from Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria to intervene and put an end to the conflict and to keep the Ukrainian Church in the bosom of the Moscow Patriarchate,” Fr. Panteleimon explained.
Following his trip to Zimbabwe, as Fr. Panteleimon explained, Pat. Theodoros may visit the Russian and Constantinopolitan Churches “to settle differences and keep the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Moscow Patriarchate.”
At this point, only preparations for such a trip are underway, with no date set yet.
Pat. Theodoros II has long been a friend to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, having studied at the Odessa National University and having served as Alexandria’s Patriarchal Exarch in Russia for five years, based in Odessa.
He recently visited the Polish Orthodox Church, where he released a joint statement with His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, in which they called on all responsible for the situation in Ukraine to do everything possible to preserve peace.
The Alexandrian primate then traveled to Odessa in a show of solidarity with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where he encouraged all believers to remain faithful to the canonical Church headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine and assured them that he is always with them. The patriarch also promised His Eminence Agafangel of Odessa and the entire Ukrainian Church that he would inform all the primates of the world’s autocephalous Orthodox Churches about the real situation in Ukraine, which he has seen with his own eyes.
Previous statements from Pat. Theodoros in support of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church can be read here, here, and here.
Follow us on Facebook!
