Kiev, August 18, 2021
Photo: worldandwe.com
Services at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev during the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew this weekend will follow Greek tradition in certain respects, although taking place on what Constantinople considers to be the territory of the “autocephalous” “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
The Patriarch is visiting at the invitation of President Vladimir Zelensky to participate in the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.
According to a press release from the schismatic OCU yesterday, all “clergy” wishing to serve will have to show identifying documents and pass through a security check to enter the cathedral.
Moreover, “During the services, priests will not wear their miters, using only kamilavki (monks—klobuks).”
In Ukrainian practice, archimandrites wear miters, distinct from those of a hierarch in that there is no cross on top, and archpriests can also be awarded the right to wear a miter during the services. However, in Greek practice, only bishops wear miters.
Thus, the “clergy” of the OCU will follow the practice of the visiting hierarch, Patriarch Bartholomew.
This decision is interesting against the background of Constantinople’s and the OCU’s argument that the latter needed independence from the Russian Church, while the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is an autonomous body within the Moscow Patriarchate, in fact enjoys more freedom than the so-called “autocephalous” OCU.
His Eminence Archbishop Jonah (Cherepanov) of Obukhov of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church commented on the regulation, saying: “It’s a strange autocephaly the OCU has. Everyone has to adhere to Greek tradition for the arrival of Patriarch Bartholomew. And where is the independence? When he served in Kiev with our clergy, there were no restrictions on our traditions.”
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