UOC priest concelebrates with Patriarch of Georgia in Tbilisi
Father Vasyl Nachev, a cleric of the Rivne diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, participated in divine services in Georgia on the eve of Pentecost and concelebrated with Patriarch Shio III of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The priest reported this on his personal Facebook page.
During his pilgrimage, Fr. Vasyl visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Tsminda Sameba) in Tbilisi. He said that he introduced himself as a priest of the UOC, headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, presented his clerical ID, and provided written confirmation that he was not under any canonical prohibitions. After this, he was warmly invited into the sanctuary. On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, he participated in the Divine Liturgy together with the Primate of the Georgian Church.
On Pentecost, the priest also visited the Sioni Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, where his group venerated the cross of Saint Nino, brought out for veneration on this day. During the anointing with oil, Fr. Vasyl was again required to confirm his affiliation with the UOC. In both churches, he was explicitly informed that participation of clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in services would be prohibited.
As the UOJ reported, a delegation of the UOC participated in the funeral of Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia. The Georgian Orthodox Church consistently refrains from recognizing the OCU and maintains canonical communion with the UOC.
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