Met. Anthony: Those having recognized OCU are satellites of Constantinople
The UOC Chancellor believes that the Greek and Alexandrian Churches recognized the decision of Patriarch Bartholomew because of material dependence on Greece.
Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, said that only the Churches of Greece and Alexandria, which depend on Constantinople and on the Greek state, have recognized the OCU so far, Klymenko Time channel reports.
“So far, only the <...> satellites of the Patriarchate of Constantinople – both the Alexandrian and Greek Churches – have recognized the OCU,” says Metropolitan Anthony. “We must also take into account the fact that these Churches depend, including financially, on the Greek state. It’s probably no secret that the Greek clergy receives a state salary, and the Patriarchate of Alexandria receives a salary from Greece through the Foreign Ministry.”
The Hierarch emphasizes that the Churches of Greece and Alexandria were not able to stand the external pressure exerted on them.
“We can see that now some forces are trying to incorporate the church issue into big geopolitics and hence, to solve their, as they put it, strategic tasks of some importance.”
According to the Metropolitan, an Orthodox person should be a patriot of his state, but, despite his civilian belonging to one or another homeland, he must remember a more important principle of life.
“I really like one statement of the Holy Fathers, which reads as follows: “We are all citizens of Heaven but with earthly residence permit.” We must appreciate this earthly registration but understand that, nevertheless, our true Fatherland is in Heaven. And in order to deserve it, sometimes you have to defend your faith also from the pressure of the powerful of this world. But after all, the point is that all this involves a certain way of cross-bearing of a specific person, a specific Church. And not everyone really wants to live through their Golgotha,” summed up the Hierarch.
As reported by the UOJ, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary believes that the head of Phanar insists that the OCU switch to a new calendar style.
