Kiev, June 11, 2020
Photo: spzh.news
The head of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine, “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko congratulated Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on the occasion of his name’s day today, expressing his great love for the Patriarch and praising the great work he has done for the unity of the Local Orthodox Churches.
“With brotherly love, on behalf of myself and the entire Orthodox Church of Ukraine, I cordially congratulate you on the day of your patron saint, the holy Apostle Bartholomew,” Epiphany writes on his Facebook page.
Like his Heavenly protector, Pat. Bartholomew “takes great care to spread the testimony of truth in word and deed among Orthodox Christians and before the whole world,” Epiphany lauds.
And during this difficult time for the world, Epiphany assures the Patriarch of his “eternal love and constant prayer” for him and for the entire Patriarchate of Constantinople, “which you are worthily leading.”
“I thank God and honor Your Holiness’ hard work in establishing unity and unanimity among the Local Churches, because we are all witnesses to the fact that many good fruits of this work have been achieved over the past year,” the OCU head writes.
“I assure you of my unwavering deep respect and constant prayer for you and ask you to pray for our Orthodox Church of Ukraine, for the peace and unity of Ukraine, and for our pious people!” Epiphany concludes.
Recall that on October 11, 2018, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople unilaterally lifted the anathemas against the schismatics of the “Kiev Patriarchate” and the “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church” and on December 15, sponsored a “unification council” in which the two were merged into the new “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
However, only two hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church decided to leave the Church and join the OCU, while the canonical Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine continued to exist as the largest religious body in Ukraine and continues to grow.
In the summer of 2019, “Patriarch” Philaret Denisenko left the OCU and revived his “Kiev Patriarchate.” Thus, there are three competing bodies within the world of Ukrainian Orthodoxy: the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Met. Onuphry, and the schismatic OCU under Epiphany Dumenko and the schismatic KP under Philaret Denisenko.
Before Constantinople began its activity in Ukraine in August 2018, all Local Churches were in communion with one another (save Antioch and Jerusalem), whereas now there is an internal schism in the Church between the Patriarchate of Moscow and the Patriarchate of Constantinople and between Moscow and OCU-supporting hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Church of Greece, including their respective primates.
