Greece: Clergymen who anathematized OCU do not belong to GOC

Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus. Photo: fanarion.blogspot.com

Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus. Photo: fanarion.blogspot.com

On March 25, 2021, the Metropolitanate of Piraeus of the Greek Orthodox Church declared that the priests Angelos Angelakopoulos and Matthew Vulcanescu, who anathematized Dumenko and the OCU, do not belong to the Church of Greece. The Metropolitan's response was published by fanarion.blogspot.com.

The metropolitanate claims that Protopresbyter Angelos Angelakopoulos moved from the Piraeus diocese to the Metropolitanate of Kithira, from where he left at the beginning of 2020 and is now a "private person".

Protopresbyter of Romanian origin Matthew Vulcanescu, according to the Metropolitan of Piraeus, went to the Archdiocese of Western Europe of the Russian Orthodox Church under the omophorion of Metropolitan John of Dubna and "announced that he would serve in Great Britain."

Consequently, according to the diocese of Piraeus, both priests do not belong to the Piraeus Metropolitanate of the Greek Church.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that on March 21, 2021, on the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the cleric of the Greek Church, Protopresbyter Angelos Angelakopoulos, anathematized the OCU and its leader Epiphany Dumenko.

Later it became known that Dumenko and the OCU were also anathematized by Protopresbyter Matthew Vulcanescu.

Both priests used to serve in the Metropolitanate of Piraeus, the head of which, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus, is one of the most adamant opponents of the recognition of the OCU by the Church of Greece.

Metropolitan Seraphim believes that Epiphany Dumenko is a layman, while the head of the canonical Church in Ukraine is His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

Read also

They took away passport but not Christ, UOC hierarch on Metropolitan Onuphry

Metropolitan Luke believes that stripping the UOC Primate of Ukrainian citizenship is a form of political repression.

Mayor of Chernivtsi claims cathedral and other UOC churches belong to OCU

According to Klichuk, the shrines were transferred from the UOC to the Dumenko structure "legally".

Zelensky comments on decision to revoke citizenship of UOC Primate

Referring to His Beatitude, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that "there is no place for all these persons in Ukraine, and there never will be."

Greek media criticize OCU for joint services with UGCC

The resource believes that it is part of the general framework of a gradually implemented uniatisation of the Orthodox Church.

In vlg. Druzhba, Rivne region, new altar of UOC church consecrated

The consecration was performed by Archbishop Pimen.

Synod of Romanian Church criticizes Ukrainian authorities

Romanian hierarchs consider the refusal of Ukrainian state bodies to recognize the religious association of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine as "unjustified, and abusive".