Hierarch of the Phanar: Ukrainian side fails to convince the world of the correctness of actions against the UOCC

The head of the Archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the United States, Archbishop Elpidophoros, in his letter to the head of the Phanar, Patriarch Bartholomew, pointed out that the Ukrainian side was unable to convince the international community of the correctness of its actions with regard to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The text of the letter was published by the US edition of SPJ.

“It appears that the Ukrainian side is unable to convince international public opinion of the legitimacy of the measures taken by the Ukrainian government against Onufry personally, his bishops, clergy and his entire church structure in the country. Using this, the other side portrays Ukraine in the international arena as a country that violates religious freedoms and persecutes the Orthodox Church, ” the Phanar hierarch said.

Earlier in Washington a delegation of Orthodox clergy met with US Congressman Daryl Issa to discuss the situation around the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The main topic of the dialog was the ongoing religious persecution of believers.