Greek media: Patriarch Bartholomew not to attend enthronement of OCU head
The Ecumenical Patriarch never participates in the enthronement of primates, but Patriarch Bartholomew may soon travel to Ukraine on an official visit.
A delegation from the Patriarchate of Constantinople will participate in the enthronement of “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko in Kiev this Sunday, February 3, though Patriarch Bartholomew will not be a part of it, reports the Greek site “Romfea”.
“The Patriarch will be in Constantinople this weekend. The Ecumenical Patriarch never participates in the enthronement of primates,” the Patriarchate told the agency.
The delegation from Constantinople is expected to include Metropolitan Emmanuel of Gaul, Metropolitan Amphilochius of Adrianople, the Patriarchate’s Exarch to Kiev Archimandrite Michael Anischenko, and the abbots of two Athonite monasteries—Fr. Ephraim of Vatopedi and Fr. Alexios of Xenophontos.
The Sacred Community of Mt. Athos voted on January 28 not to send a delegation to the enthronement, though abbots Ephraim and Alexios will attend as part of the delegation from Constantinople at the request of Patriarch Bartholomew.
As the UOJ reported, 13 out of 20 monasteries in Athos voted against taking part in the enthronement of the head of the newly established OCU Epiphany Dumenko.
