Phanar’s archon from Ukraine urges Mount Athos not to trust UOC

Pantelis Bumbouras. Photo: romalewfronimati

Odesa businessman and Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Pantelis Bumbouras, issued an appeal to the monks and clergy of the Church of Greece, as well as the monasteries of Mount Athos, urging them not to trust the statements of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) regarding persecution in Ukraine. His statement came in response to a recently published letter from 40 monasteries in Greece and Mount Athos expressing support for the UOC.

In his appeal, Bumbouras claimed that the UOC is spreading disinformation and manipulating Greek clergy and monastics, taking advantage of their lack of awareness of the real situation in Ukraine. According to him, Greeks "do not understand the game they have been drawn into".

He also stated that many believers in Ukraine "do not want to attend churches linked to Russian intelligence services" and urged the UOC to engage in dialogue with Phanar in order to achieve "a true separation from Moscow". "Many hierarchs are demanding that Metropolitan Onuphry begin negotiations with Patriarch Bartholomew to restore communion with Constantinople," he added.

Bumbouras further emphasized that certain "extreme pro-Russian circles within the UOC" are obstructing the process of unification with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), thereby hindering "the healing of Ukrainian Orthodoxy".

"These groups, whose representatives are known to us, say that 'the Russians will come and save us.' The Russians are seeking out the trusting among Greek priests and elders who are unaware of all the details of what is happening in Ukraine," he stated.

Additionally, Bumbouras expressed concern that the church issue could become a subject of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. "If ceasefire negotiations take place, Russia may put forward demands regarding church matters. And while pro-Russian factions in Ukraine understand what they are trying to achieve, I am not sure that the elders who signed this statement fully realize the depth of the game they have been drawn into," the archon stressed.

In his view, such "a game played at the cost of Ukrainian blood" contradicts the values of Orthodoxy and has nothing to do with spiritual ideals.

As previously reported by the UOJ, abbots and monks from 40 monasteries in Greece and Mount Athos have voiced their support for the UOC.

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