Head of Phanar bestows Archon of Constantinople Church title on OCU sponsor

Patriarch Bartholomew and Andrei Matsola. Photo: facebook.com/MatsolaAndriy

Patriarch Bartholomew conferred the title of Archon of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on the Ukrainian businessman and long-term sponsor of the UOC-KP and now the OCU Andrei Matsola. The businessman announced this on his Facebook page on Monday, August 23.

“For many centuries, the Church has honored with this title the individuals who make a significant contribution to its development, providing all that they can give to the Church. The Mother Church has a lot of people with such titles worldwide, in particular in the United States and Canada, but in Ukraine this title has been assigned for the first time,” said the entrepreneur.

He thanked Patriarch Bartholomew and the head of the OCU Epiphany "for the mercy shown" and noted that this title obliges one to service and commitment in protecting the Orthodox faith and its values.

“’I pray that God will help you’ – these words of His Holiness fill with gratitude and inspire. I believe that through the prayers of both Primates and with God's help, the hopes that the Church pins on me will be successful,” Matsola wrote.

Andrei Matsola is a major Ukrainian entrepreneur, brewer, founder, co-owner and chairman of the supervisory board of the First Private Brewery. The current patron of the OCU was the main sponsor of the UOC-KP before its creation. The media accused him of running an active business in Russia, but this did not prevent the "patriotic church" from pumping his financial support.

The UOJ also wrote that Patriarch Bartholomew presented the head of the UGCC with a panagia with his signature.

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