BOC Patriarch's post candidate: Bartholomew's actions are dividing Ukraine

Metropolitan Daniel. Photo: Vidin Metropolis

The hierarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Daniel of Vidin, who is one of the three candidates for the post of Patriarch of the BOC, criticized Patriarch Bartholomew's actions in creating the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Radio Bulgaria reports.

He compared the persecution periods of Christians during iconoclasm and the Soviet era with the pressure of authorities on the UOC in modern Ukraine.

"Today in Ukraine, something similar is happening. Now this attempt at substitution – through the creation of the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in 2019, while there exists the universally recognized canonical Church in Ukraine – the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) with Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv. This non-canonical action by Patriarch Bartholomew has led to even greater division in Ukraine," said the BOC hierarch.

Metropolitan Daniel added that Bartholomew's actions in Ukraine did not heal the schism but only deepened the crisis.

"He signed and proclaimed two structures, hitherto non-canonical, uniting them into the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), and recognized the newly created entity as the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine. However, what about the fate of the universally recognized UOC, headed by Metropolitan Onuphry, five years ago and still recognized by all Local Orthodox Churches? Five years have passed, and Churches, including Greek-speaking ones like the Albanian Church, or those close to the Patriarchate of Constantinople like the Jerusalem Patriarchate, Antiochian Patriarchate, do not recognize these structures. There is a notable letter from Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana – he justifies his view on this issue and notes that the issuance of this Tomos to unrepentant schismatic groups with problematic clergy is unacceptable. Patriarch Bartholomew was convinced that millions of Orthodox Christians, deprived of communion with the Church, would be brought into it. Instead of the peace he envisioned, he ignited even fiercer division, in which these people, whom he declared canonical, began persecuting the canonical Church. They take away churches, beat priests, kill – is this Christian? It's absurd, but division is a fact," Metropolitan Daniel added.

As the UOJ reported, the OCU is not enthusiastic about the candidates for the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

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