Metropolitan Anthony called on the Local Churches to discuss the establishment of the OCU

Metropolitan Anthony, Administrator of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), appealed to the global Orthodox community to critically assess the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the OCU. According to (SPZ), the hierarch called on representatives of the Local Churches to study the published report by a member of the Phanar delegation on the events of the 2018 “council” and to begin an open pan-Orthodox dialogue.

In his article, Metropolitan Anthony drew attention to a questionable episode in the report, where the hierarchy of church structures was discussed. According to the document, representatives of Constantinople agreed with the Turkish ambassador’s assertion that there are only five “major” Churches, while the rest are secondary and subject to the jurisdiction of Constantinople. In the bishop’s view, such ideas of “Eastern papism” threaten the very structure of Orthodoxy, where all Churches are equal in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

The hierarch emphasized that the issue of establishing the OCU concerns not only Ukraine but also the principles of church unity. He expressed regret that the Patriarchate of Constantinople has yet to provide official comments regarding the published document, just as it had previously remained silent regarding the persecution of believers and the seizure of churches belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The metropolitan called on the clergy and the faithful to “read this document not as journalists or diplomats, but as Christians,” in order to assess whether the actions described are in keeping with the spirit of ecclesiastical freedom.