Serbian Church hierarch on how to resolve OCU problem

Metropolitan Irinej of Bačka. Photo: Facebook page of the Bačka Diocese

A hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Irinej of Bačka, outlined a possible scenario for resolving the “Ukrainian issue” in an interview with the Serbian website Pečat.

Metropolitan Irinej believes that Patriarch Bartholomew should make a statement saying, “The leaders of the Ukrainian schism and senior Ukrainian state agents misled me, or rather, grossly deceived me, by claiming that everyone or almost everyone in Ukraine, from the canonical Metropolitan Onufriy to the citizens Denysenko (the self-proclaimed 'Patriarch of Kyiv Filaret'), Dumenko (the self-proclaimed 'Metropolitan Epifaniy'), and Maletich (the self-proclaimed 'Metropolitan Makariy'), eagerly awaited the 'unification council' in Kyiv and the creation of the 'Orthodox Church of Ukraine.'”

Following this, Patriarch Bartholomew should annul the OCU, ensuring the restoration of the ecclesiastical status quo ante. The next step would involve dialogue between Dumenko’s structure and the UOC (referred to by the Serbian hierarch as the “Russian Orthodox Church”) and a broader dialogue at the pan-Orthodox level.

“This would not only prevent a new schism – worse than the one already existing between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches – but also restore the former reputation and trust in the Ecumenical Patriarchate, while sending Patriarch Bartholomew into history as a great and wise Patriarch,” the Serbian Metropolitan said.

He is convinced that “further persistence in maintaining the current canonical disorder would have, I am certain, unpredictable catastrophic consequences – a prolonged schism, and possibly even a new millennium of schism, this time not between the Christian East and the Christian West, but within the Orthodox East.”

“This schism would cause irreparable damage to the mission and witness of Orthodoxy in the world, while also giving rise to considerable ecclesiological heresies,” Metropolitan Irinej concluded.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a hierarch of the Hellenic Orthodox Church called for the convening of a Pan-Orthodox Council.

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