Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya) of the OCU has shared that Ukrainians are eagerly awaiting the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew, was mentioned in an interview for the Greek English-language media "OrthodoxTime".
"We look forward to his arrival on August 24, when the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Ukrainian state is celebrated. The pandemic seems to be an unpredictable factor, but all other conditions are favorable. There is a desire of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the will of the Ukrainian state. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is also waiting for the Patriarch," His Eminence said.
When asked about the reason for the intense reaction of the Moscow Patriarchate to the upcoming visit, the Archbishop replied:
"In recent decades, according to their own vision, the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine has claimed to be the only canonical Church. To prove their claim, they referred to the fact that other Сhurches сommunicated exclusively with them. Now this argument will work against them. When everyone sees with their own eyes that the Ecumenical Patriarch will concelebrate with Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv."