Yevstratiy Zorya: The Church of Cyprus recognizes the autocephaly granted to the Ukrainian Church by Bartholomew

On his Telegram channel, Yevstratiy Zorya published an announcement on the recognition by Archbishop George IIII of Cyprus of the rights of the OCU in the Orthodox community of Ukraine.

Zorya also noted that «Orthodox institutions recognize that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has historically granted and continues to grant autocephaly to Churches that were previously under its jurisdiction.»

«Thus, when Ukraine gained independence and asked for autocephaly, it was granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It is worth noting that at the time of granting autocephaly to Russia, the Ecumenical Patriarchate defined its geographical boundaries, which excluded Ukraine,» the «hierarch» emphasized.

He stressed the fact that the Church of Cyprus recognizes the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in granting autocephaly to Ukraine, according to the moral and ecclesiastical rules that prevail in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

«Although other Orthodox Churches may now delay recognition due to factors beyond canonical or ecclesiastical issues, probably related to the size and economic influence of Russia, we are confident that all Churches will soon recognize the rights of the Ukrainian Church in the Orthodox community,» Yevstratiy Zorya concluded.