Epiphany: We do not agree to re-ordination

Head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko

The question of the legitimacy of the ordination of the bishops of the former UAOC and the UOC KP has already been resolved by Constantinople, said Epiphany Dumenko, head of the OCU, in an interview with the BBC News Ukraine.

“The Ecumenical Patriarchate, which had this right, accepted our appeals and decided to accept us in our existing dignity, that is, in the state we were in until that time,” Epiphany said. “Constantinople declared the anathema imposed on Filaret null and void – accordingly, everything that has happened up to now (in particular, the ordinations performed by him) were recognized as valid. Moscow cannot limit the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Responding to a question about the probability of re-ordination with the participation of representatives of Constantinople and Moscow as a possible compromise to resolve the current situation, the “primate” of the OCU expressed the conviction that “this is unrealistic and impossible”.

“This is a path that would not lead to the unification and recognition of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (OCU – Ed.). Neither the Ukrainian people nor we as hierarchs would ever go for re-ordination,“ said Epiphany Dumenko.

We recall that the Synod of the Romanian Church asked the Phanar for clarifications on the legality of chirotonies in the OCU. The Cypriot Orthodox Church is also not going to recognize the OCU in its current status since it does not recognize the validity of the priestly and episcopal ordinations in the OCU.

The head of the Polish Church, Metropolitan Sawa, said that he considered Epiphany to be a layman. The fact that Epiphany is not a priest is highlighted in the Statement of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The head of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, Metropolitan Rostislav, called Epiphany an impostor.

As the UOJ reported, Epiphany, the “Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine”, is convinced that Moscow is destroying the unity of the Orthodox world, “insanely opposing” the recognition of the OCU by the Local Churches.

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