Met. Agafangel – to abbot of Хenophontos: Do not become a schismatic!
On the eve of the enthronement of the OCU head, Met. Agafangel of Odessa and sent a letter to Archimandrite Alexios, the abbot of the Athonite monastery of Xenophontos.
Metropolitan Agafangel called on Archimandrite Alexios, the abbot of the Athonite monastery of Xenophontos, not to concelebrate with schismatics and raise his voice for the unity of the Church, reports the Greek Orthodox resource “Romfea”, which published the letter.
In his address to the hegumen, Metropolitan Agafangel noted the excellent relations and special ties that exist between the Xenophontos monastery of Athos and the Orthodox people of Ukraine.
In his lengthy letter, the Ukrainian hierarch drew attention to the fact that one who serves and communes with schismatics becomes, according to the canons, a schismatic. Thus, Vladyka Agafangel urged Abbot Alexios to abandon his support of the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and to not engage in relations with those who are persecuting the canonical Ukrainian Church today and follow the path that the Primates of the Antiochian and Polish Orthodox Churches took.
As the UOJ reported, the enthronement of the “Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine” Epiphany Dumenko took place on February 3 at the Sophia Cathedral. As part of the delegation of the Constantinople Patriarchate, the abbot of the Athos monastery Xenophontos, Archimandrite Alexios, participated in the celebrations.
We recall that the Holy Kinot of the Holy Mount Athos decided not to participate in the enthronement of the "head" of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko.
Some monasteries of Athos declared that if Dumenko came to the Holy Mount, they would close their gates. In connection with the actions of Phanar, many Athos keliots and hermits reported the termination of the commemoration of Patriarch Bartholomew.
