OCU head: We received Tomos thanks to Euromaidan
The OCU, which had been dreamed of by many generations of our predecessors, appeared precisely thanks to the Revolution of Dignity, says “primate” Epiphany Dumenko.
During the meeting of “Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine” Epiphany with the leadership and representatives of the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which took place on March 20 in the meeting room of the Academic Council of the Kiev Orthodox Theological Academy, the role of Euromaidan in the birth of the “Independent Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church” and the process of the UOC parishes transition to this church structure were discussed.
“It was thanks to the Revolution of Dignity that we received the long-awaited Tomos, the document on the Autocephaly of our Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” the OCU website reports Dumenko’s words. “A lot of generations of our predecessors had dreamed and expected this moment, but you and I became direct participants, co-authors and creators. All together – both the Church and you, active participants in the events, did everything so that this time would become real and now we can state that we have an Independent Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”
Speaking about the transition of religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the OCU, the “primate” once again assured that his church structure seeks to integration on the basis of love and peace.
“We are ready to forgive, forget, turn the page and continue to build our future together, despite what was in the past. We do not want to be similar to our opponents and we will not stigmatize them, be at feud with them, sow hostility and show hatred, because we want everything to be peaceful and love-filled, said “metropolitan” Epiphany.
He also expressed the conviction that the OCU "is the spiritual foundation of the European democratic Ukrainian state, which will become a full-fledged member of the European Union and join NATO."
As reported by the UOJ, earlier Epiphany Dumenko stated that the OCU was born thanks to the Celestial Hundred.
