While responding to the criticism of Moscow via Facebook, the Deputy Head of the External Church Relations Department of the OCU Evstratiy Zoria explained that on October 12, the Council of the Church of Greece recognized the autocephaly of the OCU.
While responding to the criticism of Moscow via Facebook, the Deputy Head of the External Church Relations Department of the OCU Evstratiy Zoria explained that on October 12, the Council of the Church of Greece recognized the autocephaly of the OCU.
"Just as I predicted, the Russian side is trying to "diminish" the consequences of the decision made by the Council of Hierarchs of the Church of Greece... Now there are speculations that a procedural decision was not taken at the Council, and therefore that the “decision was not made," Bishop Evstratiy writes.
He explained that, first and foremost, such an order was deliberately chosen, since the conclusions of the Synodal Committees, based on the Standing Synod and the Council of Hierarchs, state that the right of the all-orthodox proclamation of autocephaly belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Therefore, voting on this matter in the other Local Church would call this right into a question, and consequently, all the autocephaly proclaimed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, including the autocephaly of the Church of Greece itself.
"To put it simply, it would seem just as unnatural as if, after the election of the Primate in some Local Church, the other Local Church would vote to determine whether to accept this election," Bishop Evstratiy writes and further proves the legitimacy of the Ukrainian autocephaly recognition.
“Secondly, the Council specifically elected a committee led by Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) to present the opinion publicly. Thus, his statements after the Council on recognition of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church are not mere thoughts of a single hierarch (just like the opinions of those who did not want to support the cathedral decision and whose statements Moscow is trying to lean on in its propaganda). Metropolitan Hierotheos proclaimed the official position of the Council and therefore the position of the Church of Greece.
One way or another, the Moscow informational smog will flutter in a week. Though, we have to explain the seemingly obvious things to minimize the number of affected people.”