Kiev, August 22, 2024
Photo: Facebook
A delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople arrived in Ukraine yesterday, a day after the Verkhovna Rada adopted Bill 8371, which green lights the banning of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In a conversation with Patriarch Bartholomew, President Zelensky praised the banning of what is the largest Church in the nation for its “unifying potential.” The head of state said in his nightly address:
I spoke with Patriarch Bartholomew. I thanked him for his support of Ukraine and Ukrainians, our defense, our independence. I informed him about the law passed to strengthen our spiritual independence. It is very important that we share a common understanding of the unifying potential for Ukrainian Orthodoxy that this passed law provides, and everything is provided for it, in sufficient measure, to really eliminate dependence on Moscow and to add unity to Ukraine.
International Orthodox outlets have published several articles lately reporting that both Zelensky’s administration and Constantinople are increasingly concerned about the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” project’s failure to unite Christians in Ukraine.
“Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko and “Archbishop” Evstraty Zorya, the leaders of the schismatic OCU were summoned to Constantinople last week, which resulted in Dumenko publishing a so-called “Appeal to Metropolitan Onuphry with a call for a dialogue on unity.”
For the UOC, one of the necessary preconditions for such a dialogue is that the OCU “stop the forcible seizure of churches and forced transfer of parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.” However, Dumenko reiterated his structure’s unwillingness to meet such criteria, calling instead for a dialogue “without preconditions.”
Media reports indicate that Patriarch Bartholomew has finally begun to realize the scale of the violent seizures that have been going on for many years already and is upset by the picture they create.
Reportedly, during their recent meeting in Istanbul, Pat. Bartholomew demanded that Dumenko explain the scale of violent seizures. The OCU head downplayed the reality of the situation (100s of churches have been seized), saying there have only been isolated incidents that were caused by the UOC faithful refusing to give up their churches.
“So how do you explain the seizure of cathedrals in Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Khmelnitsky?” Pat. Bartholomew reportedly then asked, referring to violent seizures in western Ukraine that created a big stir in the media recently. Dumenko was unable to answer the question.
And yesterday, a Constantinople delegation arrived in Kiev to celebrate the upcoming 33rd anniversary of Ukrainian independence. Furthermore, “Special attention will be given to finding ways of understanding between the Orthodox of Ukraine and dialogue to achieve unity on the ecclesiastical issue,” according to Constantinople’s Exarchate in Ukraine.
The Exarchate writes that the delegation originally planned to arrive last year, but the visit was postponed “due to unforeseen technical reasons.”
On the other hand, the outlet Ukrainian Spiritual Front, ideologically aligned with Constantinople and the schismatics, published the text of Dumenko’s letter from last year convincing Pat. Bartholomew that the delegation shouldn’t come.
It is reported that Ukrainian authorities are especially displeased precisely with Dumenko and Zorya for hindering the possibility of "Church unity".
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