Abbess Seraphima: The head of Phanar ignores millions of UOC believers

Abbess Seraphima (Shevchik). Photo: UOJ

Abbess Seraphima (Shevchik), abbess of the Archangel Michael Convent in Odessa, as part of the Odessa Eparchy's Besedka project, said that Patriarch Bartholomew completely ignored the opinion of UOC believers. In her opinion, even Soviet times hardly let such lawlessness occur.

“We are ignored with you, our existence is ignored, without a bishop there is no church, just as without the people of God there is no church. They want to decide our fate without us, without a multimillion-strong flock, with the help of special services and officials of other states. Can the special services decide which churches to go to or not for believers?!” the abbess of the nunnery questioned.

Abbess Seraphim was also outraged by the words of the head of Phanar that he "temporarily tolerates" His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

"Bartholomew says that he tolerates Metropolitan Onuphry, a holy man, but why doesn't he say that he tolerates Filaret, who now, in spite of everything, is determined to create another schism in his own schism?!" said the abbess of the monastery in Odessa.

As the UOJ previously wrote, Phanar claimed it considers itself responsible for the unity of Orthodoxy.

Read also