Archprt. Chrysostom II repeatedly denies MFA’s statement on support for OCU

His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostom II of New Justinian and All Cyprus

The head of the Church of Cyprus for the second time denied the statements of Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Cyprus Boris Gumeniuk, calling them false, the UOC Information and Education Department reports.

The information that during the meeting held on January 9, 2019, Archbishop Chrysostom II of Cyprus supported the provision of the Tomos on autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was published by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

"The head of the Cyprus Orthodox Church confirmed his position on the right of Ukraine to have its own independent autocephalous Church, wished the Ukrainian people peace and good," the Foreign Ministry said.

The Archbishop of Cyprus called false the statements about his "latest" support for the autocephalous Church in Ukraine. His Beatitude stressed that "every state has the right to autocephaly, and it depends on the Ukrainian people". "But at the moment, however, I see that the Ukrainian people has not awakened to such actions," he said.

His Beatitude Chrysostom II noted: "It is not yet of paramount importance to grant autocephaly, it is important that there be no division of Orthodoxy."

In conclusion, the Primate of the Church of Cyprus said that he was proposed to receive in Cyprus the head of the OCU Metropolitan Epiphany, but he rejected the proposal, stressing that he did not mention him during the Divine Liturgy and would not do it.

As UOJ reported, in October 2018, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry published distorted information on the content of negotiations with the Cyprus Church. The version of the Ukrainian embassy that the Orthodox Church of Cyprus advocated for Ukraine's autocephaly differed from what was said on the official website of the Church.

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