No hierarchs of Local Churches attend Epiphany’s enthronement except Phanar
The enthronement of Epiphany was not attended by any hierarchs of the Local Churches except Constantinople. Roman Catholics, the UGCC head and Protestants were present.
On February 3, Epiphany Dumenko, the head of the OCU, was enthroned at St. Sofia Cathedral. It was attended by the delegation of the Constantinople Patriarchate: Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Metropolitan Amphilochios of Adrianople, head of the UOC of Canada Metropolitan George (Kalishchuk), Abbot of the Athos Monastery of Xenophontos Archimandrite Alexis, exarch of the Phanar in Kiev Fr. Mikhail Anishchenko, as well as two monks from St. Panteleimon Skete of the Koutloumousiou Monastery of Mt. Athos. The Athonite attendees did not represent the Holy Mountain (owing to the fact that the Holy Kinot of Athos at its extraordinary session decided to refuse Patriarch Bartholomew to send an official delegation to Kiev), but they were part of the Constantinople delegation.
Besides, head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the conference of the Roman Catholic Bishops Bronislav (Bernatsky), Metropolitan of the Lvov RCC in Ukraine Mieczyslav Mokshitsky, representatives of the Protestant Churches were also present.
The representatives of Phanar failed to secure the consent of any of the hierarchs of the Local Churches to come to Epiphany’s enthronement.
Representatives of the Ukrainian political establishment also attended the ceremony: President Petro Poroshenko with his wife, Batkivshchyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and others.
Recall that on February 1, due to the heart problems, the abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery Archimandrite Ephraim was hospitalized. He had arrived in Kiev as part of the delegation of the Constantinople Patriarchate. On February 3, he left the borders of Ukraine. Nevertheless, Epiphany Dumenko managed to make several photos with the Athonite elder.
