UOC cleric: Ecumenical Patriarch must intervene after disgrace in Chernivtsi

Patriarch Bartholomew and Epifaniy Dumenko. Photo: OCU Press Service

Speaking on the Viche YouTube channel, UOC priest Oleksandr Klymenko stated that Patriarch Bartholomew should have intervened in Ukraine following the events in Chernivtsi.

Commenting on the appeal made by beaten UOC priest Fr. Vitaliy Honchariuk to the Ecumenical Patriarch, Fr. Oleksandr acknowledged the emotional nature of such a gesture.

“I think this was more of an emotional reaction. I’m not sure what leads someone in such a moment to turn to Bartholomew – perhaps it’s because the OCU and its clergy originated, after all, from the pen of His All-Holiness,” the priest explained.

Nevertheless, Fr. Oleksandr stressed that Patriarch Bartholomew ought to have responded on his own initiative.

“I believe Patriarch Bartholomew should have reacted to the actions of his spiritual children even without such appeals,” he said.

The priest emphasized that, as “one who considers himself the universal judge and Ecumenical Patriarch,” Bartholomew bears responsibility for the conduct of church structures under his patronage.

“Of course, I don’t see Bartholomew as directly guilty of what happened in Chernivtsi – whether in the actions of the police or those of the thugs involved. It would be wrong to think that way or to burden His All-Holiness with such blame,” Fr. Oleksandr clarified.

However, he added that given the Patriarch’s authority and resources, he could and should intervene: “If he has the resources and the ability, he should step in. And I agree with Tetiana Derkach that what we are witnessing is a disgrace to the priesthood itself, and this demands a response.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that according to Fr. Oleksandr, pogroms like the one in Chernivtsi are happening all over Ukraine – they just go unnoticed due to the lack of video evidence. Where cameras do exist, the attackers often destroy them.

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