Metropolitan Anthony: Does Fanar also tolerate the multi-million UOC flock?
Metropolitan Anthony said that the rhetoric of Patriarch Bartholomew regarding the UOC and its multimillion flock were beyond the normal perception of life.
Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in an interview with Russia 24 TV channel, commented again on the recent statement of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople that he “temporarily tolerates” Metropolitan Onuphry.
“If Patriarch Bartholomew tolerates His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry and the episcopate of the UOC, what can I say about the multimillion flock of the UOC?! He tolerates us in our native land!
This is generally beyond the normal perception of life. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry and the episcopate of the UOC have never been under the jurisdiction of Patriarch Bartholomew, so what decisions can he make in relation to us?! This has never happened in Orthodox life and in the world,” the UOC Chancellor stressed.
According to Metropolitan Anthony, the rules that Patriarch Bartholomew wants to establish are not based on historical experience, on the rules and canons of the Orthodox Church, and run counter to the testimony of numerous martyrs.
“We only have to regret that Patriarch Bartholomew makes statements and commits acts that hurt specific people and destroy Orthodox unity,” said the Metropolitan of the UOC.
As a reminder, on October 6, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, in response to a letter from the Tserkvarium publication, stated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church no longer exists, and that he "temporarily tolerates" His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry in Ukraine.
As the UOJ previously reported, Dumenko said that the OCU would appeal to Phanar with a request for patriarchy.