Head of OCU Epiphany wears Met. Vladimir (Sabodan)’s panagias at "Liturgy"

"Primate" of the new church structure at the monument to the late His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine

The “primate” of the new Church dared to put on the panagias of the late Primate of the UOC at the Divine services held at the Transfiguration Cathedral in Teremki.

On February 10, 2019, the “Primate” of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko “celebrated a Liturgy” wearing the panagias of the late His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) of Kiev and All Ukraine, reports the website of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Kiev.

The event was attended by Metropolitans Simeon (Shostatsky) and Alexander (Drabinko) banned from ministry for falling into schism, “bishops” of the OCU, the Minister of Youth and Sports Igor Zhdanov and Ukraine’s deputies.

Metropolitan Alexander gave Epiphany a reliquary with relics of saints.

The deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the 6th convocation and the ktitor of the Transfiguration Cathedral Igor Lisov presented the head of the OCU with a panagia.

After the Liturgy, representatives of the new church structure prayed for the of repose His Beatitude Vladimir (Sabodan) of Kiev and All Ukraine at the monument to the metropolitan.

The myth that the late Primate of the UOC Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine allegedly fought for autocephaly of Ukraine was actively spread by the current “hierarch” of the OCU Metropolitan Alexander. He was the secretary of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir, and he himself spoke about his influence on the church life of Ukraine during the period of the serious illness of the predecessor of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine. “During the time of the primacy of the Metropolitan (Vladimir – Ed.), I could influence the church life in a certain way, and, therefore, I was responsible for the position of the UOC”, the defector metropolitan described his activities during that period. The UOJ previously reported on the specifics of the personnel policy of Metropolitan Alexander, who had passed into the OCU, and who gathered around gradually dying away from illness His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir a “promising” team of young supporters of autocephaly.

 The deceased Primate of the UOC said that the question of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church should in no case be a “bargaining chip” in the Church-state relations. His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir considered neglecting the canons of Orthodoxy and interfering in church affairs from the outside on the way to solving the issue of autocephaly a reckless game. He always repeated that overcoming the schism in Ukraine is possible only through repentance. 

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