Metropolitan Epiphany urges primate of Ukrainian Orthodox Church Onufriy to engage in dialogue on unit
Photo: Epiphany, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Metropolitan Epiphany of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, called on Metropolitan Onufriy, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), to engage in a dialogue on unity, according to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine website.
"On the day of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, prayerfully placing our hope in Her intercession, guidance, and help in every good deed, I wish to renew the call on behalf of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to you, to the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful who recognize you as their leader: for the sake of the well-being and affirmation of the Orthodox Christian faith in Ukraine, for the sake of the Church of Christ, for the sake of protecting the truth from attempts to distort it - let us urgently begin dialogue," reads Epiphany’s appeal.
It is also noted that the Council at St. Sophia’s Cathedral on December 15, 2018, established the canonical foundation for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as a Local Church, to receive the Tomos of Autocephaly from His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
"However, with great sorrow and pain, we all witness that, primarily due to the position of the Moscow Patriarchate, some Orthodox believers have not yet heard the call for unity addressed to them and have not fulfilled this obligation to be united. But even among those Ukrainian Orthodox who are not yet part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the number of those desiring to achieve this unity is growing," added Epiphany.
Ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
In October 2023, the Parliament supported a draft law in the first reading to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and other religious organizations with ties to Russia. In March 2024, the Committee recommended that the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament - ed.) support this bill in the second reading as well.
On July 23, members of Parliament blocked the Rada's podium, demanding the urgent consideration of this bill. The Parliament is expected to review it next week.
Meanwhile, in political circles, discussions are underway about granting special status to those parts of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that decide to sever ties with Moscow.
