"The seed of grace sown then has borne abundant fruit": Head of Phanar praises Epiphany Dumenko for 7 years of OCU leadership

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople sent a congratulatory letter to the head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, on the occasion of a significant double event: the seventh anniversary of the creation of the OCU and his birthday. In his message, Patriarch Bartholomew praised the firm and wise leadership of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the face of modern challenges and military threats.

According to the official website of the OCU, in his letter, Patriarch Bartholomew expressed «double spiritual consolation and joy» that encompasses both the OCU and the Patriarchate of Constantinople. He emphasized that seven years ago, the Mother Church «in her loving care handed over into strong and gracious hands» Of Metropolitan Epifaniy «the reins of the newborn Autocephalous Church».

Bartholomew emphasized that «the seed of grace sown then … bore abundant fruit — as a living testimony to the presence of the Holy Spirit of the Comforter among the pious Ukrainian people.» He also emphasized that the current times for humanity «are marked by storms, challenges and military threats that bring severe tests of courage and fortitude to human souls.»

Nevertheless, according to the head of Phanar, Epiphany Dumenko «as a good shepherd and a watchman, stands firm and unshakable on spiritual heights, comforting, strengthening and inspiring the spiritual flock entrusted to him by God.»

At the end of his message, Patriarch Bartholomew expressed a heartfelt prayer to the Lord, the «Builder of the Church,» for granting the head of the OCU «long, healthy, joyful and blessed years, full of heavenly gifts and spiritual strength.» He also wished that the Holy Great Church of Christ would see in the person of Epiphany «a worthy heir to the ancient Kyivan church tradition — a wise helmsman capable of leading the ship of the Ukrainian Church past the storms of history to the quiet harbors of the world.»

Earlier, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople addressed the head of the OCU with an instruction to actively seek ways to bring the UOC hierarchs closer to each other through dialogue and the search for common ground to achieve unity. Seven years after the granting of the Tomos of autocephaly, the Patriarch emphasized the importance of efforts to achieve peace, condemned state interference in church affairs, and called for a rethinking of positions for the sake of general reconciliation.