OCU in Volyn Eparchy urges its pilgrims to criticize Metropolitan of Corfu

Metropolitan Nektarios of Kerkyra. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Representatives of the OCU’s Volyn Eparchy have urged Ukrainian pilgrims to publicly criticize Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu during trips to Greece. The eparchy’s leadership issued an official statement to the faithful following the Greek hierarch’s visit to Russia.

The eparchy’s leadership published the statement after Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu traveled to Russia with the relics of St. Spyridon of Trimythous.

The OCU’s Volyn Eparchy condemned the Greek hierarch’s actions. According to its representatives, bringing the relics of the wonderworker, a saint of peace and mercy, to a country where church authorities bless violence amounts to a public display of solidarity with killers.

Representatives of Dumenko’s structure called Metropolitan Nektarios’ actions inappropriate, painful and spiritually harmful in light of the bloodshed in the military conflict. The OCU also complained that Metropolitan Nektarios has for many years openly supported the Ukrainian Orthodox Church while completely ignoring the existence of the OCU, despite its recognition by the Church of Greece.

“Every pilgrim must tell the pastors on Corfu about the pain of Ukrainian Christians,” representatives of the OCU’s Volyn Eparchy said. “Love for the truth requires us not to remain silent spectators of someone else’s political game.”

The OCU urged Ukrainian pilgrims “not to remain silent” when visiting the island of Corfu. In its view, the faithful should speak openly to the Greek clergy about the suffering of the Ukrainian people and their rejection of the actions of Metropolitan Nektarios, who “serves not the unity of Christ’s Church but the political propaganda of the aggressor.”

Alongside their accusations, representatives of the eparchy invited Metropolitan Nektarios to come to Ukraine and visit Volyn. They proposed that the Greek bishop personally meet with the families of those killed and offer prayers for peace. According to the authors of the statement, this would help the metropolitan hear the voice of Ukrainian believers instead of “Russian church propaganda.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Patriarch Kirill presented an award to the hierarch of the Church of Greece in Moscow.

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