Phanar on Ukrainian autocephaly: process is no less important than the goal

Metropolitan Emmanuel of France

Speaking on the issue of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, locum tenens of the Western European Exarchate of the Constantinople Church, said that the process is no less important than the goal, Interfax reports with reference to the Italian agency SIR.

According to the hierarch, the two exarchs, appointed by Phanar to Kiev, are called to pave the way for autocephaly.

"It should be noted that in this case, the process is no less important than the goal," the representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople stressed. "In fact, due to this process, the various branches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church can be brought together."

Metropolitan Emmanuel added that the main mission of the exarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople is "to promote contacts, build bridges, encourage dialogue and, finally, support the construction of a local independent church."

The Phanar representative also stressed that Patriarch Bartholomew intends to protect the Ukrainian Church, for which he "is responsible, since the Metropolitan of Kiev canonically depends on the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, despite the fact that in 1686 the Moscow Patriarchate was granted the right to ordain the Metropolitan of Kiev."

Thus, said Metropolitan Emmanuel, the Patriarchate of Constantinople bears "a double responsibility – both in the Orthodox world in general, and in Ukraine in particular".

Earlier, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has appointed Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon (the U.S) and Bishop Hilarion of Edmonton (Canada) as its exarchs in Kiev "within the framework of the preparations for the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine". The UOC called this step of Constantinople the "violation of its canonical territory".

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