On August 22, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consisting of Metropolitan Ilarion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, Archbishop Ilarion of Winnipeg, Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, and Patriarchal Deacon Epifaniy (Kamianovych).
This was reported by the press service of the OCU.
The meeting was also attended by the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Ukraine, Bishop Michael of Koman, Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the OCU, Metropolitan Yevstratiy of Bila Tserkva, Abbot of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, Archbishop Agapit of Vyshhorod, Abbot of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Bishop Avrahami of Boryspil, and Rector of the Church of the Little (Warm) Sophia, Archpriest Petro Landvytovych.
Metropolitan Epifaniy thanked the guests for their visit and spoke to them about the religious, social and political situation in our country and the challenges that the Ukrainian people, and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in particular, are facing in the context of the war caused by the full-scale Russian invasion.
During the conversation, the parties exchanged views on a number of topical issues. They discussed church-state relations, countering the pernicious Russian propaganda (in which the aggressor state actively involves the Russian Orthodox Church) and the possibility of a dialogue between the Orthodox in Ukraine. In this context, the Primate of the OCU noted that he had repeatedly stated his openness and readiness for a fair dialogue, without any preconditions or ultimatums.
“A genuine and sincere dialogue, which is intended to have real prospects, must begin with down-to-earth communication without prior calls for surrender, which obviously cannot be fulfilled. We are taking steps towards dialogue. A week ago, I once again appealed to Metropolitan Onufriy to start a dialogue, and yesterday, during a speech on the air of the United News telethon, I reiterated my words. We have not received any positive response so far,” said Metropolitan Epifaniy.
Metropolitan Ilarion expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and said that the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate arrived to support the Ukrainian people, the state and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in trying times of war.
“We are pleased to convey greetings and blessings from His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with whom we had a telephone conversation today. We are with the people, with the state, with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” Metropolitan Ilarion said and continued: “The enemy had hoped that Ukraine would be defeated, but by the grace of God, Ukraine has been defending itself from full-scale aggression for three years, which testifies to the indomitable spirit of the Ukrainian people.”
Touching upon the state of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, Metropolitan Ilarion said: “We hope for a process of unity and reconciliation. Your appeal is a positive step towards this, and we hope that a dialogue will be initiated so that the enemies do not use division to their advantage. That is why the Mother Church supports the dialogue for the unification of Orthodoxy.”
“Thank you very much for this meeting. We are sure to continue our cooperation,” Metropolitan Ilarion emphasized.
The Primate of the OCU reiterated that although for more than five years, he has been calling for dialogue and continues to do so, no constructive response has been received.
“Three requirements were announced, which mean that we would have to abandon the decisions of the Mother Church, the Tomos, and everything that the Ecumenical Patriarch has done for Ukraine. Is it possible to fulfill such prerequisites if they are aimed at the destruction of the Local Church? Obviously, such ultimatums cannot be accepted. Therefore, we emphasize that we must talk without any preconditions, sit down, have tea or coffee, look each other in the eye, and talk about how to proceed, leaving out all past grievances. And should Metropolitan Onufriy agree, I am ready to sit down with him tomorrow and talk,” said the Primate of the OCU.
On the occasion of the visit, on behalf of Patriarch Bartholomew, the delegation handed over to Metropolitan Epifaniy of the OCU a copy of the ancient mosaic icon of the Mother of God “Pammakaristos”, which is kept in the Patriarchal Church of Phanar, as well as a small copy of the cross that has long adorned the dome of Hagia Sophia. Metropolitan Epifaniy presented the hierarchs with commemorative panagias and the book “The Official of the Bishop's Ministry” in pocket-sized format. he also presented the Patriarchal Deacon with a copy of the icon of the Savior Pantocrator from the Synodal Hall of the Metropolis and a Bible in a modern Ukrainian translation.
The delegation arrived in Ukraine on August 21, 2024, with the blessing of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who, in a letter to Metropolitan Epifaniy on its arrival, noted that the members of the delegation “will hold meetings with state and church institutions and organizations exclusively in cooperation with you, and at the same time convey the blessings, good wishes and congratulations of the Mother Church to your country and its noble people on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the declaration of independence of dear Ukraine.”