Media: Pat. Bartholomew "temporarily tolerates" UOC hierarchs in Ukraine

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: parikiaki.com/

On October 6, 2020, the head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew, said that he "temporarily tolerates" the bishops of the UOC in Ukraine, reports "Cerkvarium" publication.

In a letter addressed to the editorial board, the head of Phanar said that in his opinion, "from January 6, 2019," the new autocephalous church of Ukraine is the only canonical Orthodox Church on the territory of the Ukrainian state, while “Dumenko should be recognized as its canonical primate."

Patriarch Bartholomew believes that "according to the canonical principle of territoriality, which is an integral and constant fact of Orthodox ecclesiology, no Church can be present within the jurisdiction of the Church of Ukraine."

“Nevertheless, in the spirit of pastoral sensitivity, we temporarily tolerate the existence of Ukrainian hierarchs (of the UOC – Ed.) not as local ruling bishops but only as titular or those who are (have a residence) in Ukraine, hierarchs who hopefully, according to Canon 8 and Council of Nicaea, by the will of God, will soon unite with the local Church,” said Patriarch Bartholomew.

For this reason, writes the head of the Phanar, "His Eminence Onuphry is no longer regarded as the canonical Metropolitan of Kyiv, but as a hierarch based in Kyiv, as it was published in the Yearbook of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for 2020."

The head of Phanar also recalled that on October 11, 2018, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Mother Church of the Kyiv Metropolis, “abolished the Patriarchal and Synodal Missive Letter of the 1686 edition.”

According to Patriarch Bartholomew, this Letter provided the Moscow Patriarch  with a sort of “concession” with “the right only to ordain the Metropolitan of Kyiv, who should be chosen by the spiritual and secular assembly of his diocese” and commemorate during the Divine Liturgy among the first ‘the Ecumenical Patriarch’,  who is ‘the source and the beginning, rises everywhere above all parishes and dioceses’, proclaiming and confirming its canonical dependence on the Mother Church of Constantinople."

Then, on October 11, 2018, the head of Phanar recalled, “the Holy Synod decided to satisfy the appeals of Filaret Denisenko, Makariy Maletich and their followers, who were schismatic not for dogmatic reasons, and having canonically reinstated the hierarchs and clergy in their statue and dignity alongside their believers to communion with the Church, to begin the procedure for granting Autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine."

He also said that "the Ukrainian hierarchs under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, with the exception of two (hierarchs), ignored the invitation letter and did not participate in the Unification Council, as they had been expected to."

The head of Phanar stressed that this Council elected Dumenko as the Primate of the OCU, "and adopted the Constitutional Statute (Charter) of the Church of Ukraine, which was developed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in November 2018."

According to Phanar, since January 6, 2019, "the new autocephalous church of Ukraine is the only canonical Orthodox Church on the territory of the Ukrainian state," and Dumenko "must be recognized as its canonical primate."

Patriarch Bartholomew believes that "according to the canonical principle of territoriality, which is an integral and constant fact of Orthodox ecclesiology, no Church can be present within the jurisdiction of the Church of Ukraine."

“Nevertheless, in the spirit of pastoral sensitivity, we temporarily tolerate the existence of Ukrainian hierarchs (UOC – Ed.) not as local ruling bishops, but only as titular or those who are (have a residence) in Ukraine, hierarchs who hopefully, according to Canon 8 and Council of Nicea, by the will of God, will soon unite with the local Church,” said Patriarch Bartholomew.

For this reason, according to the head of Phanar, "His Eminence Onuphry is no longer regarded as the canonical Metropolitan of Kyiv, but as a hierarch based Kyiv, as it was published in the Yearbook of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for 2020."

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that on October 26, 2020, Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kykkos said that he considered the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko a schismatic.

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