Dumenko on the Macedonian Church: 'We Oppose Them'

Primate of the Macedonian Church. Photo: doxologiainfonews.com

KYIV — At a recent “bishop’s council,” Epiphany Dumenko, the head of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), declared in his report that “a number of Local Churches are completely dependent in their position on instructions from the Moscow Patriarchate, and in many others there are hierarchs trying to expand the zone of Russian influence.”

Dumenko was referring to the Macedonian Orthodox Church—Archdiocese of Ohrid.

“We absolutely cannot allow the situation with the Church in North Macedonia to be repeated with the Ukrainian Church,” Dumenko said. He said the Macedonian Church, “having received restoration of communion from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, soon entered an alliance with the Moscow Patriarchate and uncanonically accepted from the Serbian Patriarchate the so-called ‘Tomos.'” 

Dumenko did not explain exactly how the Macedonian Church supposedly entered an “alliance” with the ROC or why its Tomos was “uncanonical.”

“Perhaps some think we are naive and blind and don’t see how, under the guise of various initiatives, allies of the Moscow Patriarchate would like to undermine the real independence of our Local Church and its ability to resist the influence of ‘Russian World’ adherents,” Dumenko continued.

“They would like the Church of Ukraine to follow the North Macedonian path. But we understand these intentions, we oppose them, and we will continue to oppose them,” declared the OCU head, without further clarification.

It should be noted that the Macedonian Church has refused to concelebrate with the OCU, which Ohrid views as schismatic.

Earlier this week, the Orthodox Church in America became the latest Orthodox church to recognize the Macedonian Church’s autocephaly.

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