Epifaniy praises Patriarch of Alexandria for "following fhe OCU's Tomos"

Patriarch Theodoros. Photo: Ekirikas

Epifaniy Dumenko, the leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), sent a congratulatory message to Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria on the occasion of his 70th birthday, as Dumenko said on his Facebook page.

In his message, he claimed that Patriarch Theodoros "testifies to his commitment to the canonical order of the Church through words of truth and righteous deeds." Dumenko also praised the Patriarch of Alexandria for "following the Tomos of autocephaly of the Church and lovingly welcoming it into communion."

It is worth recalling that until the end of 2018, Patriarch Theodoros called on Ukrainians to remain faithful to the canonical Church under Metropolitan Onufriy. He also stated that he as the patriarch recognized Metropolitan Onufriy as the canonical head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. For this, Yevstratiy Zoria accused Patriarch Theodoros of corruption, claiming that he had received "gifts and envelopes" for his stance.

"I don't know about others, but for me, such a bought opinion is not only worthless but, on the contrary, serves as proof of the wrongdoing of those in whose favor this VIP propaganda is voiced," Zorшa wrote.

After Patriarch Theodoros changed his position on the Ukrainian issue, the OCU also reversed its opinion. In 2021, Zoria stated that the OCU "enjoys the support" of the Patriarch of Alexandria.

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