UGCC: The head of Phanar is a pleasant and "canonically open-minded" person

Sviatoslav Shevchuk and Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: news.ugcc.ua

The hierarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Metropolitan of Philadelphia (USA) Boris Gudziak, during an online lecture for students of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, spoke about his recent meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in Kyiv and called him a pleasant and "canonically open-minded" person. “It was a pleasure for me last week (during the visit of the head of Phanar to Kyiv – Ed.) to meet with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. He is a pleasant person, canonically open-minded,” said the Uniate Metropolitan.

He also recalled that when in December 2018 it became known about the decision of the Patriarch of Constantinople to issue Epiphany Dumenko a tomos after the creation of the OCU, there was a festive banquet at the Ukrainian Catholic University with the participation of the head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk. “We were happy about the Tomos, especially on the day of signing. In December 2018, a UCU banquet was held in Kyiv, and we all got together, about 400 people, to celebrate at this banquet, and His Beatitude Sviatoslav made a fiery speech," said Boris Gudziak.

As the UOJ reported, the visit of the head of Phanar increases the likelihood of an alliance between the OCU and the Uniates, the expert said.

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