Metropolitan Augustine comments on Phanar's words that UOC no longer exists

Metropolitan Augustine of Bila Tserkva and Boguslav. Photo: news.church.ua

It is sad to state that the mentality described in the catchphrase of St. Nestor the Chronicler “the Greeks are crafty” is still relevant. So the head of the UOC Synodal Department for Interaction with the Armed Forces and Other Military Formations of Ukraine, Metropolitan Augustine (Markevich) of Bila Tserkva and Boguslav commented on the words of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople that he “temporarily tolerates” the existence of the hierarchs of the UOC not as local ruling bishops but only as titular ones, and His Beatitude Onuphrius is only a “hierarch residing in Kyiv”.

“This is all, to put it mildly, sad,” noted the bishop. “The content of the letter of the Ecumenical Patriarch did not reveal anything new to me, but it is a great pity that he showed such an attitude towards our Beatitude.”

The Metropolitan did not assess everything that happened from a canonical point of view, since a lot has already been said about this, but he pointed out the moral component, which, in his opinion, is also very important.

“There are purely human relationships,” he explained. “For more than 25 years, he has agreed with the decisions of the Council of Bishops, the Local Council, in particular, the Councils of the Kyiv Metropolis and the entire Russian Orthodox Church, and confirmed this at meetings repeatedly, and then suddenly twisted everything like this – I don't know how this can happen. After all, there are witnesses to all this – Primates and bishops of other Local Churches, theologians, simply believing Orthodox Christians ... For Patriarch Bartholomew to suddenly change his attitude so radically, polarized, at least some reason or circumstances are needed for this.

According to Metropolitan Augustine, such an “I-do-what-I-want-to” attitude of the Phanar, without any reason, casts a shadow on all the good that remains of Byzantium.

“It is difficult to state the relevance of the saying of St. Nestor the Chronicler: “The Greeks are crafty.” And I didn't think that such a mentality could live that long. It's sad ... ” concluded the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

As reported earlier, Academician Pyotr Tolochko noted the Phanar's ignorance of canon law and said that it is His Beatitude Onuphry who tolerates the presence of the structures of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine.

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