OCU states Phanar has no power over other Local Churches

Sergei Dumenko and Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: OCU

For the arrival of Patriarch Bartholomew, a text entitled "Who is the Ecumenical Patriarch" was published on the official Facebook page of the OCU.

It says that Patriarch Bartholomew made "a lot of efforts to improve relations between Catholics, Muslims, Jews and Orthodox Christians all over the world".

The OCU also claims that the titulation "Ecumenical" "is the historical heritage of the Byzantine Empire, whose borders were identified with the borders of the ‘civilized oikoumenē (universe)’”. However, as stated in the OCU, “such a title does not mean that Constantinople has power over other local Churches,” to which Sergei Dumenko also includes his own structure.

The formulations of the Tomos granted by the Phanar to the OCU prescribe an obvious submission to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In particular, its text says that:

• in the titulation of the head of the OCU "no addition or subtraction from his title is allowed without the permission of the Church of Constantinople";
• the HCU (the name of the OCU in the Tomos – Ed.) “cannot appoint bishops or establish parishes outside the state; those already existing from now on subordinate, according to the order, to the Ecumenical Throne";
• “The Autocephalous Church of Ukraine recognizes the Holy Apostolic and Patriarchal Ecumenical Throne as the head”;
• The Statute of the OCU is obliged "to comply with the provisions of this Patriarchal and Synodal Tomos";
• “To resolve significant issues of a church, dogmatic and canonical nature”, the head of the OCU “should turn to our Most Holy and Ecumenical Patriarchal Throne, asking for its authoritative opinion and firm understanding”;
• "The rights of the Ecumenical Throne to the Exarchate in Ukraine and the sacred stavropegia remain non-derogable".

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