Ministry of Culture finds opening Phanar Metochion in Ukraine irreversible

Director of the Department for Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine Andrey Yurash

It is still too early to speak about the exact date of the opening of the Constantinople Patriarchate’s Metochion, said the Director of the Department for Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine Andrey Yurash in the commentary to "RISU".

Despite this, in his opinion, the opening of the Metochion is an irreversible process. "Delay with its opening gives rise to so many consequences, which are dramatic for the Ecumenical Patriarch himself," the official believes.

He is convinced that the state should actively participate in the opening of missions: "it consults all parties of the negotiation process. Many eloquent gestures have been made – this is the appeal of the Ukrainian parliament to the Ecumenical Patriarch, these are visits to the Phanar of the President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada."

Earlier, in early February, the press reported on the opening in Kiev and Lvov of two "metochions" – official representations of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Commenting on the rumours about the opening of the metochions, the "bishop" of the UAOC Victor Bed’ connects this process with the creation of a single local church and criticized the head of the UOC KP Filaret, who "lacks foresight, unlike the UAOC leader, who understands the need for unity of all Ukrainian Orthodox confessions."

As the alleged location of the mission in Kiev, he named St. Andrew's Church, a "multi-storey building" in Desiatinnaya Street or the Brotherly Epiphany Monastery of the UOC KP.

On June 16, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada adopted an appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople with a request to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

On December 17, 2017, Chancellor of the UOC Metropolitan Anthony of Borispol and Brovary met with Patriarch Bartholomew at his residence in Phanar. As the reporters found out, the results of the meeting became a "cold shower" for those who are trying to solve the problems of schism in Ukrainian Orthodoxy in an administrative rather than a church field.

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