OCU head thanks Phanar for assistance in gaining "spiritual independence"

Head of the OCU Epiphany and the Phanar representative, Metropolitan Emmanuel (Adamakis). Photo: www.pomisna.info

On August 29, 2020, during a meeting with the hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Emmanuel (Adamakis), the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko thanked the Phanar for its help and support in "establishing the spiritual independence of the Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church," reports the OCU press service.

The Phanar representative conveyed to Epiphany the congratulations of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on the 29th anniversary of Ukraine's independence and "expressed words of support for His Beatitude in the hard work on the development of the Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine".

After Epiphany told the hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople about the latest events in the OCU, the parties discussed "a wide range of issues of church life, in particular, inter-Orthodox relations".

“At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany thanked Metropolitan Emmanuel of France for the assistance and maternal support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in establishing the spiritual independence of the Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church and asked to convey his warmest greetings to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,” reports the OCU press service.

The day before, on August 28, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France concelebrated with representatives of the OCU at the Holy Dormition Church in Podil in Kyiv. As the “Orthodox Times” resource reports, the Phanar hierarch "emphasized the unwavering support of the Church of Constantinople – the Mother of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine and its Primate Epiphany, who has carried out brilliant and fruitful work in Ukraine."

As reported, earlier the Phanar representative said that the OCU is a gift from Constantinople to the people of Ukraine, so that “people can live faithful to their language, traditions and customs, live a miracle called the Orthodox Church”.

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