Zoria: I have been in contact with Phanariots since 2008

Spokesman of the OCU Eustratiy Zoria. Photo: video screenshot of the DetectorUA Youtube channel

"Archbishop" of the OCU Ivan (Eustratiy) Zoria spoke on the propagandist Youtube channel DetectorUA about contacts with representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople long before the anti-canonical act of Patriarch Bartholomew, who issued a tomos to Ukrainian schismatics.

The OCU spokesman said that his contacts with the Phanariots began back in 2008, when he was a member of the Kyiv Patriarchate under Filaret Denisenko. “I have known the main actors of the Ecumenical Patriarchate who took and are taking part in its life since 2008. I began to travel to Istanbul as part of the delegation of the Kyiv Patriarchate more or less regularly from 2011,” Zoria said.

He also said that a personal acquaintance with Patriarch Bartholomew took place during the tomos issue. “I met the Patriarch when the Tomos was presented, but according to him, I understood that he had heard about me,” Zoria noted.

As the UOJ reported, Zoria said that but for Phanar's efforts, other Churches wouldn’t have recognized the OCU.

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