Religious scholar: Tomos may be revoked for non-fulfillment of Phanar terms

Patriarch Bartholomew signing the Tomos for the OCU. Photo: Reuters

Former press secretary of the head of the UOC-KP, now a lobbyist and cleric of the OCU, religious scholar Andriy Kovalev expressed concern that a violation of the letter or spirit of the Tomos could lead to its revocation from Dumenko's structure. He made this statement on the Espreso TV channel.

Kovalev reminded that last year, at the OCU's Local Council, amendments to the charter were considered, which prompted a reaction from Patriarch Bartholomew. The head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate sent a letter asking not to make certain changes that, in his opinion, could threaten the unity of Orthodoxy in Ukraine. However, as Kovalev noted, this letter was not read at the council and only recently surfaced in the press after the adoption of a law that effectively bans the UOC.

Kovalev warned about the potential consequences of failing to comply with the Tomos' conditions: "The philosophy of this document is that the Tomos is a starting point for Ukraine and Orthodox Ukrainians. Unfortunately, some perceive it as a finish, a completed fact. Therefore, Bartholomew's letter is actually a sign of a very dangerous situation. It must be understood that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew granted the Tomos to Ukraine, but for non-compliance with its conditions or violation of its spirit, I believe the Tomos could be revoked," Kovalev said.

He added that this could be a serious blow to Ukraine, especially given that the OCU leadership had concealed Bartholomew's letter from the entire Church.

Kovalev also stressed that the key condition for the implementation of the Tomos is the unity of Orthodox believers in Ukraine. He warned against dividing the Church into "correct" and "incorrect" Ukrainians.

As previously reported by UOJ, former UOC-KP spokesman and General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spokesman Andriy Kovalev called the head of the OCA, Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada, "a Kremlin agent in a cassock" and urged the SBU to investigate the visit of His Beatitude to Ukraine.

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