Well-known Greek-American outlet publishes positive piece on OCU leader after earlier criticism

The Greek-American religious outlet Orthodox Times, associated with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, has published a favorable article about the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epiphaniy Dumenko. The article highlights a social media post from the OCU on the occasion of the Feast of the Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The publication drew attention due to the fact that Orthodox Times had previously published several rather critical pieces on the activities of the OCU. This observation was made by the Ukrainian media channel Pershyi Kozatskyi.

It is known that in some articles by editor-in-chief Effie Efthimiou, the issue of conflicts over parish transitions was raised, and the leadership of the OCU was criticized for its approach to resolving religious disputes.

Earlier publications noted that the OCU has encountered difficulties in maintaining interfaith peace in Ukraine, and that its leader is a figure of polarizing evaluations. However, the outlet did not issue direct accusations and allowed the OCU space to present its position.

The current article in Orthodox Times includes quotes from the official OCU post, in which Dumenko states that “victory is achieved through sacrifice and humility.” The outlet did not provide commentary on the activities of the OCU, instead limiting itself to quoting from the official source.

It is also worth noting that the popular Ukrainian publication Glavcom recently released a critical piece describing the troubled state of the OCU. The article outlined key issues within the organization, including internal conflicts, the inability to engage in dialogue with other Orthodox believers, and a sharp personnel crisis. The author of the article places responsibility for this state of affairs on OCU leader Epiphaniy Dumenko, who, after seven years, has failed to establish a “church” that could support state policy and unite all Orthodox Ukrainians under its jurisdiction.