Diptychs of Greek Church do not list Epiphany Dumenko

The new Diptychs for the Greek Orthodox Church in 2020 have been printed, without mention of the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” or its primate Epiphany Dumenko, reports the Greek outlet “Oukraniko”.

The new publication includes the name of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine and the other bishops of the canonical Ukrainian Church, but there is no indication that the “bishops” of the OCU are to be included among the canonical hierarchs of the Church.

The publication does include the names of the new hierarchs of Phthiotis, Lemnos, and Kalavryta, who were elected by the Greek Bishops’ Council on October 11, notes “Oukraniko”.

As evidence, “Oukraniko” gives a screen of the corresponding page of the document with the names of the Primate and the bishops of the UOC.

The outlet “Oukraniko” recalls that “On October 12, the Bishops’ Council recognized the Patriarch of Constantinople’s right to grant autocephaly in Ukraine”, which Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) told the press amounted to a recognition of the OCU, though this interpretation was rejected by other hierarchs.

Moreover, the council, “caused excitement and uproar among bishops, clergy, and believing laity, and many of them questioned the fact of any Synodal decision,” writes “Oukraniko”. 

Documented objections to the "decision" to recognize the OCU accompany the massive file, which has been lodged before the Greek Justice, and more specifically the Council of State, by the "Pan-Hellenic Orthodox Union" to annul the synodic "decision".

“Oukraniko” reports that the published Diptychs of the Church of Greece include changes to an earlier hierarchy decision, such as the election and ordination of the new Metropolitans mentioned above, and do not include the" pseudo-autocephalous church of Ukraine " and clearly refer to Met. Onuphry as the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

“Oukraniko” reminds that Demetris Ignatius in his address to the Bishops' Council on October 12 regarding the Ukrainian question said, among other things, “the granting of autocephaly is the prerogative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but it does not negate the essence and presence of Metropolitan Onuphry and Russian ecclesiastical presence in Ukraine".

The metropolitan then emphasized that the granting of “autocephaly” to the OCU “does not affect him (Metropolitan Onuphry - Ed.), does not change his status, does not excommunicate them (believers of the UOC – Ed.) from the Church, does not lead them to schism”.