"Anathema!": At the Rylsk Monastery of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, believers protested against Patriarch Bartholomew's commemoration of the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

During the Divine Liturgy at the Rila Monastery on October 19, 2026, a highly publicized incident occurred: the faithful present in the church responded with cries of “Anathema!” when the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, was commemorated by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

According to the SPZ, the head of the Phanar mentioned the head of the OCU in the list of Primates of autocephalous Local Churches during the Great Entrance. This action was carried out in concelebration with Patriarch Daniel of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, despite the fact that the Bulgarian Church does not officially recognize the OCU’s structure.

The publication notes that the commemoration took place contrary to the position of the Bulgarian clergy. Patriarch Daniel has repeatedly emphasized that he considers the OCU a non-canonical organization, insisting on support for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as do most Local Churches.

As a reminder, on October 27, 2025, during a joint divine service of the heads of the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Romania, Patriarch Bartholomew commemorated the name of the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko. Dumenko’s name was solemnly commemorated in the Diptych; however, as it was being proclaimed, someone from the crowd attending the service shouted, “Anathema!”