Phanar hierarch to OCU reps: Don't despair, for you'll soon be the victory
Metropolitan Emmanuel (far left) addresses the Ukrainian delegation. Photo: fanarion.blogspot.com/
On March 6, 2021, at a meeting of representatives of the parliament and diplomats of Ukraine with Patriarch Bartholomew, Metropolitan Elder Emmanuel of Chalcedon of the Patriarchate of Constantinople said that members of the OCU would soon be the victory in the plentitude of the Church.
Addressing the Ukrainian delegation, the Phanar hierarch urged not to fall into despair, not to lose hope and “stay united” in the new church under the “leadership” of Epiphany Dumenko, and “soon you will be the victory in the whole of the Church. We believe it."
Answering the question why the Patriarchate of Constantinople granted the Tomos to the OCU, Metropolitan Emmanuel said that "we did not have any possibility of doing something else."
“It was like getting into the water in a small stream that became the river. You cannot just swim against the whole river. This is how we felt and this is why we’ve seen there is the future in this new church,” the Phanar hierarch assured the attendees.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Servants of the People said that they had been negotiating with the head of Phanar for a long time.
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