Met. Seraphim of Piraeus: Tomos on autocephaly is given to schismatics

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and "Metropolitan" Epiphany

In his official statement, issued on January 21, 2019, the authoritative hierarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus, said that the recognition of the OCU will be non-canonical and will lead Orthodoxy to a great schism. This is reported by the Greek newspaper "Vima orthodoxias".

In particular, the report says: “The Tomos on autocephaly was granted on the day of the Epiphany of 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the new schismatic structure (led by the newly elected “metropolitan” Epiphany), which emerged as a result of the so-called unification council, held on December 15, 2018 in Kiev. The Ecumenical Patriarch did not take into account passionate appeals and requests of many Local Orthodox Churches, which indicated that the only possible way to solve the Ukrainian problem is the dialogue and the convocation of the Council with the Pan-Orthodox participation of all the Local Churches.”

The hierarch recalled that the ROC severed the Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus no longer makes a liturgical mention of Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew.

"It is now clear that after one-sided decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant the status of autocephaly to the "church", which is nothing more than an assembly of schismatics – forbidden and self-ordained, it is now taking swift steps toward a new great schism, perhaps the second greatest schism like the one which occurred in 1054, with unknown ecclesiastical consequences for pan-Orthodox unity and to the great joy of its enemies,” the Metropolitan said.

According to him, the granting of autocephaly to the OCU is a precedent being unequalled in the history of our Church. And this happened, according to the hierarch, that the will of the canonical UOC, led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine, which did not ask for autocephaly, was disregarded.

Vladyka considers it indicative that the UOC represents 4/5 of the population of the Ukrainian people. Despite this fact, autocephaly was requested, on the one hand, by the country's leadership headed by President Petro Poroshenko, and on the other hand, by a small group of banned and self-established “bishops”, who became the real recipients of autocephaly.

Also, one should pay attention to a paradox that the opinion of the overwhelming majority of the Ukrainian people was ignored, the hierarch believes: “As it is evidenced by church and political news, there are political and geostrategic goals behind the granting of autocephaly. This is clearly seen not only by the gratitude sent by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko to the United States of America for "vigorous support in the process of granting autocephaly", but also by official statements of the spokesman for the US Foreign Ministry Gezer Neuert, which says that ‘the US supports the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’."

Summing up, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus said: “We want to believe that the hierarchs of the Church of Greece will rise above the circumstances not to recognize the new schismatic "church" led by "metropolitan" Epiphany, following the sacred canons, which they promised to keep on oath during their odinations."

As the UOJ reported, earlier, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus stated that decisions of any Patriarchal Synod could be appealed only at the Ecumenical Council, and the Patriarchate of Constantinople was not entitled to remove the anathema from Filaret alone.

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