Spokesman of the OCU, Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya), believes it is not correct to compare the meeting in Amman with the Pan-Orthodox Council of 2016.
Spokesman of the OCU, Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya), believes it is not correct to compare the meeting in Amman with the Pan-Orthodox Council of 2016.
He wrote about this on his Facebook page.
"The preparations for the Council lasted over 40 years with the participation of all the Churches that planned to attend it. The date, place, and agenda were agreed upon. And suddenly, in a few weeks, the ROC and three other Churches refused to come," he said.
The Archbishop explained that the meeting in Amman was not prepared transparently, contrary to the procedure for convening pan-Orthodox meetings of this level.
"The refusal of the majority of Primates to take part in it only attested to the artificial nature of the initiative itself.
The use of symbols of Churches that had nothing to do with the organization of the meeting only adds to the feeling of imitation.
In fact, Moscow wanted to hold an "Anti-Cretan Council". And a big nothing came out of it", Archbishop of the OCU emphasized.
The meeting of Primates of Orthodox Churches was held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on February 26.
Only four Primates were to take part in it: the initiator of the meeting, Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Patriarch Irenaeus of Serbia, and Metropolitan Rostislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. The Romanian and Polish Churches have sent their representatives to the meeting, but not their heads.
Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church brought Metropolitan Onufriy of the UOC to Amman to strengthen his position.