Mt. Athos, October 13, 2025
Dumenko served Liturgy at Pantocrator Monastery’s St. Elijah Skete. Photo: pomisna.info
Epiphany Dumenko, the primate of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” arrived on the Holy Mountain on Thursday for a four-day pilgrimage.
Delegates from the OCU, including hierarchs and clergy, have visited Mt. Athos before, but this was the first visit of “Metropolitan” Epiphany, after previous plans had to be abandoned several times. His nationalist organization is highly controversial on the Mountain, and he was not accorded the usual festive greeting by the Sacred Community and representatives of the twenty ruling monasteries, as is customary for the the primate of a canonical Orthodox Church. During its four-day visit, the schismatic delegation visited six of the twenty monasteries, all of which had previously received visitations from schismatic clergy and parishioners.
The other monasteries hold to the Orthodox stance that it’s impossible to have communion or relations with a schismatic organization composed of non-ordained “clergy.”
In Karyes, the capital of Mt. Athos, Dumenko and his delegation were met by a handful of members of the monastic ruling body known as the Sacred Community, the OCU reports.
The next day, the schismatics visited New Esphigmenou Monastery, which was created by Patriarch Bartholomew to replace the ancient Esphigmenou Monastery that is currently in a state of schism. The group was met by the brotherhood, led by Abbot Bartholomew, who said: “We officially and publicly support the ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine.’”
Next, the OCU group visited the St. Elijah Skete under Pantocrator Monastery, being greeted by Abbot Gabriel and the brethren. A doxology was served in the church. In his speech, Dumenko noted that Pantocrator has supported his organization since its creation in 2018.
He also turned to politics, saying: “So now the new Ahabs from the northern countries despise the canonical order established by the Fathers and Ecumenical Councils, reject the primacy in service that the Ecumenical Patriarch has, and do not want to be in church unity with their Mother, the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople, which gave birth to them in the Lord.” This reflects the Constantinople Patriarch's new doctrine, which is unacceptable to the majority of Local Orthodox Churches, of “First Without Equal.” This is the heresy that the Roman Church fell into, and which caused the Great Schism.
The majority of the Orthodox world recognizes that it is Dumenko and his OCU that “despises the canonical order” of the Church, as the organization was created from two non-canonical groups, one of which had left its Mother Russian Church and never repented of the same, or received any canonical release. The other group had never been in a canonical Church to begin with, and its hierarachs were not consecrated by canonical bishops.
Next, Dumenko celebrated Vespers at Iveron Monastery, where the delegation was greeted by Abbot Nathanael and the brotherhood. Afterwards, a moleben was served at the Iveron Icon, the most revered icon on the Holy Mountain.
The OCU group then returned to Pantocrator’s St. Elijah Skete, where Dumenko served the Liturgy the next morning. Next, they were received by the brotherhood of Stavronikita Monastery, where a prayer of thanksgiving was offered. The delegation then moved on to Simonopetra Monastery, where it was greeted by Abbot Elisha and the brotherhood, and another doxology was served.
For its last visit of the day, Dumenko and his delegation arrived at Xenophontos Monastery, being received by Abbot Alexios. Again, a doxology of thanksgiving was served.
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