Head of ROC DECR: Phanar saying it "tolerates" the UOC Primate is absurd
Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev). Photo: pravmir.ru
The remark of the head of Phanar that he "tolerates" the presence in Ukraine of the UOC and its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine is an "absolutely absurd and crazy situation," Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate's External Church Relations Department, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
The hierarch noted that since the Council of Crete, "we have been made to believe that the Patriarch of Constantinople is a supreme arbiter in all disputes and conflicts in the Local Churches regardless of the positions of these Churches themselves."
"Patriarch Bartholomew claims that he tolerates the presence of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry and the Church he heads in Ukraine only ‘by condescension’," said Metropolitan Hilarion. “This is an absolutely absurd and crazy situation. Who is he to decide?”
He stressed that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has a self-governing status, more than 100 bishops, 12.5 thousand parishes, over 250 monasteries, including the largest ones – 3 Lavras.
"And he, if you can believe it, tolerates this Church by condescension!" the head of the MP DECR added.
It will be recalled that according to Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), Phanar reshapes the ecclesiology of the Church after the papist model.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.