Vadim Novinsky told about the unfulfilled promises of Patriarch Bartholomew before the establishment of the PCU

Former Ukrainian MP and protodeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) Vadym Novynskyy has revealed details of the negotiations with Patriarch Bartholomew that preceded the granting of the Tomos. During the meeting at the Phanar, the head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople operated with unreliable data on the religious situation in Ukraine. He said this in an interview with the Spanish channel HerQles.

According to Vadym Novinsky, Patriarch Bartholomew claimed that the creation of a new church structure (PCU) is supported by 40% of Ukrainians, while the canonical UOC – only 15%. The Protodeacon noted that he personally pointed out to the Patriarch the falsity of these statistics. In addition, it was stated at the meeting that 30 hierarchs of the UOC were allegedly ready to participate in the so-called unification council, which at that time amounted to about a third of the entire episcopate. Novinsky emphasized that these figures also did not correspond to reality.

Special attention in the interview was paid to the personal guarantees of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Novinsky claims that Bartholomew made direct promises not to take steps that could harm the UOC. “We will not make rash, unjustified steps. We will not hurt the Church of Ukraine,” Novinsky quoted the words of the Patriarch, adding that these promises were eventually broken.

The clergyman concluded by holding the head of the Phanar responsible for the current conflicts around Ukrainian churches. According to Novinsky, violence against parishioners and priests is a direct consequence of the actions of Constantinople. Earlier he also said that the legislative initiatives to ban the UOC were adopted under administrative pressure.

Earlier, Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon already stated that the Phanar does not intend to reconsider the decisions on the legalization of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and granting the Tomos of autocephaly to Ukrainian schismatics. The hierarch said that the interest in such a development of events on some sides of the interchurch conflict is the cause of “spiritual illness” and “ecclesiological deviation”.