Archbishop Stanislav Gondetsky: Patriarch Bartholomew told he would immediately abdicate if he were Cyril
This is reported by the UGCC Information Department.
"When I learned that Polish President Andrzej Duda invited Patriarch Bartholomew from Constantinople to Poland and at the same time invited me to join the invitation, and when Bartholomew arrived, I took a chance to have a 45-minute meeting with him," the hierarch said.
"He (Patriarch Bartholomew - Ed.) is a fascinating person, very intelligent, deeply enthusiastic about the whole world, and Poland in particular. The program of his visit also included a meeting with Ukrainian refugees. He received them very simply and cordially. Then we made a joint statement on the events in Ukraine, he for his part, and I for my part. He has long been known for his condemnation of the war in Ukraine. Besides, note the difference between Greek Orthodoxy and Moscow Orthodoxy. During the conversation, I asked him what he, as the Patriarch of Constantinople, would do in the place of Patriarch Kirill. And he immediately replied: "I would renounce the office of Patriarch because what is happening is not in the spirit of the Gospel." This really impressed me," said the Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference.
On May 17-20, 2022, the Polish Catholic Bishops led by the Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference made a visit to Ukraine to show solidarity with Ukraine.
On May 18, when in Lviv, the delegation visited St. George's Cathedral, the Cathedral's crypt and the Metropolitan Chambers of St. George's estate and met with Metropolitan Igor Voznyak of Lviv, UGCC.
On May 19, they visited the capital of Ukraine, where, they met with the Patriarch of the UGCC, and also visited Irpin and Bucha.
On the same day, the Polish guests met with the Primate of the OCU.
