Head of ROC to Archbishop Chrysostomos: You are in communion with impostors

Epiphany Dumenko and Archbishop Chrysostomos. Photo: infonavigator.com.ua

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, believes that having recognized the OCU, the Primate of the Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos, entered into communion with the impostors, reports Romfea publication.

Responding to the congratulations of Archbishop Chrysostomos on the occasion of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, Patriarch Kirill noted that having recognized the OCU, the Primate of the Church of Cyprus neglected "the canonical Church of Ukraine, the Church of Martyrdom, proclaiming an illegal gathering of schismatics who are at war with Her" as his brothers and co-ministers.

The Primate of the Russian Church emphasized that “by the commemoration of Epiphany you let into communion the persons who did not have the gift of priestly dignity,” and recalled that Archbishop Chrysostomos and the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus in 2019 rightly expressed “doubts about the possibility of retroactively approving ordinations of the deposed, excommunicated and anathematized bishops."

He recalled that "a considerable part of the" bishops "of the so-called" Orthodox Church of Ukraine "you recognized were ordained not even by the anathematized but by impostors."

"Those 'hierarchs' were 'ordained' by the two persons who would perform initial ordinations, i.e. the deposed former bishop Ioann Bondarchuk and the former deacon Viktor Chekalin, a scheming opportunist, who was convicted of seducing minors and who never accepted an episcopal ordination from anyone. With a cramped heart, I think that now you are in communion with these people,” concluded Patriarch Kirill.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Patriarch Kirill called on Archbishop Chrysostomos to reconsider his recognition of the OCU.

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