Media: Dumenko urged Bartholomew not to send a delegation to Ukraine in 2023

Dumenko and Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Zbruch

The publication 'Dukhovnyi Front' (Spiritual Front – Trans. Note) has published two letters indicating that in July 2023, Patriarch Bartholomew intended to send a delegation to Ukraine for negotiations with representatives of the OCU and UOC, as well as with government officials from relevant departments, with the aim of uniting the Orthodox religious structures in Ukraine into one organization.

The first letter is the response of the head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, to Patriarch Bartholomew, in which he implies that sending such a delegation to Ukraine is unnecessary.

We publish the full text of the original letter:

METROPOLITAN OF KYIV AND ALL UKRAINE

№169

1 July 2023

Your All-Holiness Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch, in Christ God very dear and admirable brother and co-servant of our modesty, k.k. BARTHOLOMEW, we embrace Your All-Holiness in the Lord and sincerely and joyfully we are greeting Your All-Holiness.

Having received from Your All-Holiness the letter No. 422 of June 27, 2023, we, on behalf of ourselves and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, reaffirm our unwavering love and respect for Your beloved in Christ person, the worthy Patriarch of our Mother Church.

From Your All-Holiness we have always received and hope to continue to receive help and support in the words, decisions, and actions through which Your All-Holiness' fatherly love is manifested. I also take this opportunity to cordially thank Your All-Holiness for the warm and hospitable reception of our representative, His Eminence Metropolitan Yevstratiy, who recently paid a visit and had fruitful communication with Your All-Holiness on our behalf, of which we have been informed in detail. We assure Your All-Holiness that everything conveyed to you at this meeting in writing and in conversation is relevant.

We have also been informed of the fruitful meeting that Your All-Holiness had at the same time with the authorized representatives of the Ukrainian state.

We highly appreciate the desire, now expressed by Your All-Holiness in your letter, to support us and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the difficult circumstances of war in which we live by sending an official delegation to Ukraine to represent You. Until today, we have not received any information from the members of the delegation beyond what is contained in the letter from Your All- Holiness. In particular, we have not been informed of the planned time of the visit and its desired program, so that we could better prepare ourselves, having discussed the details with them.

This is especially important given the large number of invitations that our modesty has received from the eparchies of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine with requests to visit them and which are already planned in advance.

Also, love and concern for our brothers obliges me to inform Your All- Holiness that according to the information provided to us by the state, the security situation in Ukraine has become more unpredictable in recent weeks due to predictable new and terrible aggressive actions by Russia. The biggest concern is that according to the completely reliable and confirmed information available to the state and distributed even publicly, there is a real threat of a terrorist attack by Russia at the nuclear power plant it occupies near Zaporizhzhia. The consequences of such an act of terrorism could be comparable to those of the Chernobyl disaster, and the area of radioactive contamination is unpredictable and may even reach Kyiv.

Therefore, we take this opportunity to humbly ask Your All-Holiness to pray for Ukraine and for all of us, so that God will not allow the criminals to fulfill this terrible intention!

We are convinced, Your All-Holiness, that not only with words, but first and foremost with our deeds, we have consistently demonstrated our commitment to our canonical duties to the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople, our loving Mother, and to Your beloved person, our benefactor, for after many centuries of injustice suffered by the Church of Ukraine, You wisely restored canonical order by providing us with the necessary assistance.

Unfortunately, not everyone and not always shows the same love and respect, and that is why the spirit of this age penetrates the life of the Church. This is especially evident in the numerous violations committed by the Moscow Patriarchate.

Concluding this letter, with brotherly love, we ask for Your holy prayers for us, for our people and for the Church of Ukraine, and I assure Your All-Holiness of our unwavering love and respect for You and for the Mother Church.

With love in Christ, Your brother -

PRIMATE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE

The second letter was written by Archimandrite Gregorios Frangakis, the then acting Secretary of the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, about the synod's decision to send a synodal commission to Ukraine, with a list of members and the purpose for which the commission is being sent.

We publish the full text of the original letter:

THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

HOLY AND SACRED SYNOD

THE CHIEF SECRETARIAT

Consul General of Ukraine in İstanbul Adakale Sokak, No 13

34153 Şenlikköy, Florya - Bakırköy

İSTANBUL

Phanar, 28 June 2023

Dear Consul General NEDILSKYI,

Warm greetings to you in the spirit of goodwill and solidarity. I hope this letter finds you in excellent health and high spirits.

It is with great pleasure that I announce the forthcoming visit of a Patriarchal Delegation to Ukraine. This Delegation, which will be comprised of His Eminence Archbishop Ilarion (Rudnyk) of Winnipeg, Metropolitan of Canada, His Eminence Metropolitan Job (Getcha) of Pisidia, and the Rev. Patriarchal Deacon Epiphanios Kamianovych, will be arriving in Ukraine on Monday, 3 July 2023, to engage in dialogue with His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanios of Kyiv and All Ukraine and with His Excellency President Volodymyr Zelensky's Government on behalf of His All-Holiness, our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

In light of this occasion, we kindly request your valuable assistance and guidance in advancing the necessary arrangements for our delegation's visit. We kindly ask that you communicate with His Eminence Archbishop Ilarion of Winnipeg at to facilitate the success and smooth execution of the visit. order

As we move forward with the preparations, I assure you that our Delegation will strictly adhere to all relevant protocols and regulations set forth by the authorities of Ukraine. We prioritize the health and safety of all participants and will take every necessary precaution to ensure a secure and well-organized visit.

Once again, I extend His All-Holiness's deepest gratitude for your valuable assistance and cooperation in facilitating this visit. Please do not hesitate to contact His Eminence Archbishop Ilarion of Winnipeg should you require any additional information or have any questions regarding the visit. We eagerly await your guidance and cooperation as the Patriarchal Delegation embarks on this important journey.

With warm regards,

Archimandrite Gregorios Frangakis

Chief Secretary

UOJ sources report that the head of the Phanar decided to send a delegation to Ukraine after the number of conflicts provoked by the OCU through the forcible seizure of churches and the injury of UOC believers reached a critical mass.

Additionally, our sources claim that Patriarch Bartholomew was greatly dissatisfied with the conflict in Cherkasy, where OCU supporters attacked the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery.

As reported by the UOJ, the Office of the President of Ukraine, in collaboration with the Phanar, is preparing to register the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Constantinople Patriarchate, into which they plan to incorporate the Ukrainian Orthodox Church after it is banned.

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