Head of the OCU meets with the Pope

On December 13, 2024, the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, visited the Vatican, where he met with Pope Francis. In addition, Dumenko plans to hold religious events in the Basilica Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari. Dumenko wrote about this on his Facebook account.

“Today in Rome, at a meeting with Pope Francis, we talked about the importance of uniting the efforts of all people of good will to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and Europe. I thanked the Holy Father for the humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression. We especially appreciate the Pope’s constant call to all the faithful to pray for peace for Ukraine. And we will also offer prayers for Ukraine with special inspiration in Rome in the Church of St. Theodore (Ecumenical Patriarchate) and in the city of Bari in the Basilica of St. Nicholas near his honest relics,” – Dumenko wrote.

As reported, on December 10, 2024, the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko made a report at an event organized by the Conference of European Churches. During his speech, Dumenko criticized the Russian Orthodox Church and accused the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of being unwilling to start a dialogue with the OCU. Moreover, Epiphany Dumenko claims that it is not the representatives of the OCU who are to blame for the seizures of UOC churches, but the heads of dioceses of the canonical Church and clergy, who, in his opinion, provoke conflicts on the ground.