The head of the OCU visited Mount Athos for the first time, having secured the support of six monasteries

The head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, has made his first pilgrimage visit to the Holy Mount Athos. During the four-day trip, he visited six of the twenty monasteries where he was received by the abbots and brethren. The visit took place against the backdrop of ongoing disputes over the canonical status of the OCU, so the delegation did not receive an official reception from the Holy Synod, the governing body of Mount Athos, as is customary for visits by the heads of canonical Orthodox Churches.

In the capital of Mount Athos, Kareia, the OCU delegation was met by only a few members of the Holy Synod. The majority of Athonite monasteries continue to adhere to the position that it is impossible to communicate with the structure, which they consider schismatic. Nevertheless, six monasteries welcomed the Ukrainian delegation.

During the visit, the group visited the monastery of New Esphigmen, where the abbot Archimandrite Bartholomew publicly declared his support for the OCU. Visits were also made to the Skete of St. Elias (subordinate to the Pantokrator Monastery), the Iversky Monastery, Stavronikita, Simonopetra and Xenophontos. Prayer services were celebrated in the monasteries, and in the skete of St. Elias Epiphanius presided over the Divine Liturgy.

During one of the speeches Epiphanius Dumenko criticized the «northern countries» for «neglecting the canonical order» and challenging the primacy of the Ecumenical Patriarch. This statement reflects the Constantinople Patriarchate’s doctrine of «first without equals» status, which is controversial and not accepted by a number of Local Orthodox Churches. Critics of the OCU, in turn, point to the non-canonical nature of its creation from two previously unrecognized religious groups, which remains the main reason for its non-recognition by a significant part of the Orthodox world.

Recall that the head of the OCU Epiphanius Dumenko, during his visit to the Holy Mount Athos, made a speech in which he sharply condemned the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, drawing parallels with the biblical story of Ahab. Dumenko accused the Russian Orthodox Church of «disregarding the canonical church order and abandoning unity with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.» At the same time, the head of the OCU expressed deep gratitude to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, «with whose blessing» the visit to Mount Athos took place.