Dumenko: Tomos Restored Dignity After Centuries of Dependence and Hostile Subjugation

Patriarch Bartholomew signing the Tomos on January 5, 2019. Photo: BBC

ISTANBUL — On January 5, 2026, on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the bestowal of the Tomos to the state-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine, "Epiphany" Dumenko arrived in Istanbul. The head of the OCU shared this on his Facebook page.

According to Dumenko, the signature of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew testified to the "restoration of ecclesiastical dignity after long centuries of dependence, even hostile subjugation." Dumenko also noted that this was a moment of "historical justice."

He stated that he arrived with a delegation in Istanbul to once again express gratitude "personally to His All-Holiness for the blessings that our Local Church has received and continues to receive through the affirmation of its status as free and autocephalous. In these festive days, we ask here, in Constantinople, the sacred center of Orthodoxy, for the victory of truth and peace for Ukraine and for the establishment of a single Local Church."

Previously, UOJ reported on the visit of Dumenko to the Phanar, where he will concelebrate Theophany services with the Ecumenical Patriarch.

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