Ukrainian Church’s loyalty to the canons helps Greeks resist pressure, says hierarch of Jerusalem Patriarchate

Jerusalem, October 8, 2019

Met. Timothy of Bostra, serving at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 2012. Photo: wikimedia Met. Timothy of Bostra, serving at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 2012. Photo: wikimedia     

The hierarchs of the Jerusalem Patriarchate admire and are strengthened by the strong stance of the hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian Church headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, His Eminence Metropolitan Timothy of Bostra of the Jerusalem Patriarchate told a visiting Ukrainian hierarch recently.

His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church had the opportunity to speak with hierarchs of both the Jerusalem and Serbian Churches during his recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where they reassured him that they always pray for the much-suffering UOC and its primate, Met. Onuphry, reports the press service of the Zaporozhye Diocese.

When Met. Luke asked His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem to pray for Met. Onuphry, the Patriarch replied that he always prays for him and the sole canonical Church in Ukraine that he leads. He also wished the Ukrainian flock to be strengthened in faith, to not be discouraged, and to firmly hold onto their beloved primate.

Pat. Theophilos has repeatedly expressed his support for the canonical Ukrainian Church.

Met. Luke also had the opportunity to serve and commune with His Eminence Archbishop Theodosius of Sebastia at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, who conveyed his good wishes to Met. Onuphry, whom he called “an ascetic of faith and example of steadfastness in our times.”

Abp. Theodosios has proven himself a loyal Orthodox hierarch in the current crisis. Last August, he stated that the Jerusalem Patriarchate views Ukraine as the canonical territory of Russia, not Constantinople; last October, he called on the Orthodox primates to intervene in the Russia-Constantinople dispute, recognizing the synodal character of the Church.

The Ukrainian hierarch also met with the Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher in Cyprus, Met. Timothy of Bostra, who told Met. Luke that he always entreats God to strengthen the faithful of the UOC in this difficult time, when the Lord is giving them an opportunity to prove their faithfulness to the Mother of Church in deed, not in word only.

“The loyalty to the canons shown by the episcopate of the UOC, headed by its primate, helps us, Greeks, to withstand the pressure coming from various sides, both from within the Church and from without,” Met. Timothy emphasized.

Met. Timothy was present at the 2018 celebration of the Baptism of Rus’ in Kiev, where he emphasized that “His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry is valued and loved by the primates of all Orthodox Churches.” He was in Ukraine again this summer, where he encouraged the faithful to remain faithful to God in His true Church.

Recall that Pat. Theophilos and the hierarchs of the Jerusalem Patriarchate successfully withstood the pressure to serve with Ukrainian schismatics on the feast of Theophany in January.

A hierarch of the Serbian Church, His Grace Bishop Jovan of Slavonia also expressed his deep respect for Met. Onuphry and the entire episcopate of the UOC, and recalled that his own primate, His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, has repeatedly expressed the view of the Serbian Church regarding the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine, which threaten a schism in world Orthodoxy.

Met. Luke also had the blessing of concelebrating with Pat. Theophilos and other hierarchs and clerics from the Romanian, Russia, Greek, Cypriot, and Jerusalem Churches at the Holy Sepulcher, where the jurisdiction of all clergy from Ukraine is strictly checked so that no schismatic clergy may participate in the services.

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10/8/2019

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