OCU: Zoria discusses an issue of church unity with Montenegrin Metropolitan

"Archbishop" Eustraty Zoria. Photo: LIGA.net

“Archbishop” Eustraty Zoria in Montenegro discussed with the hierarch of the Serbian Church, Metropolitan Amphilochios (Radovic) of Montenegro and the Littoral, the issue of the unity of Orthodoxy. This is reported by the official website of the OCU.

In particular, according to the press service of the newly established religious organization, "the deputy head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Archbishop Eustraty of Chernigov and Nezhin, paid a short visit to Montenegro."

It is reported that in the Monastery of Cetinje, Eustraty Zoria was able to venerate the monastic shrines – the relics of St. Peter of Cetinje, part of the Life-giving Cross and the right hand of St. John the Baptist.

Afterwards, as stated on the website of the OCU, in the residence of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral "a long meeting was held with Metropolitan Amphilochios".

According to the press service of the OCU, “during the meeting they spoke about inter-Orthodox relations in view of the granting by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Tomos on autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”.

According to the website of the newly established religious organization, “the hierarchs agreed that everyone should look for ways to affirm the unity of Orthodoxy as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.”

In addition, the “archbishop” Eustraty “assured Metropolitan Amphilochios that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has ecclesiastic and canonical communion only with the Local Orthodox Churches that enjoy this communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and with no one else.”

It is also said that Eustarty Zoria had handed over Metropolitan Amphilochios an official calendar of the OCU, the icon of the Archangel Michael and the letter of the head of the OCU Epiphany with apologies for “co-serving” with the dissenters.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the “head” of the new church structure, Epiphany Dumenko, wrote a letter to Metropolitan Amphilochios (Radovic) apologizing for co-serving with the “cleric” of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.

In addition, Patriarch Bartholomew declared to the Montenegrin authorities that Metropolitan Amphilochios (Radovic) is the only canonical bishop of the country.

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