The scandal deals a serious blow to the authority of Patriarch Bartholomew, whose actions in Ukraine did not lead to the restoration of the unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.
Making a split in the ranks of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU) radically changed the situation around this unrecognized organization in the Orthodox world. The structure artificially erected by Phanar (Constantinople) and NATO structures didn’t last even six months.
The Metropolitan of Boryspil and Brovarsky Anthony , the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the canonical UOC MP, wrote about this and more in his latest piece at Vesti Ukraine.
Source: Fort-Russ
He notes that, cross-linked with political, geopolitical, and certain mercantile interests in the West, the OCU is expectedly falling apart. Moreover, the cementing administrative support, after the last elections, has sunk into oblivion.
The hierarch sums up the main results of the begun separation of the structure supervised by the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Firstly, from the lips of its representatives, there was a public acknowledgment that the “OCU” is not an independent “church” and is under the control of Phanar – the now NATO and Vatican friendly seat in Constantinople, without a real constituency as Istanbul is now a predominantly Muslim city in a predominantly Muslim country.
Moreover, as it turns out, with the Tomos (the decree) , the Ukrainians were deceived, because it did not grant this autocephaly.
Secondly, the situation has demonstrated a large number of contradictions and various camps of influence. This creates prerequisites for new divisions and splits, which puts the prospects for the future activity of the said structure under very serious doubts. In this regard, Anthony recalls the words “Metropolitan” Macarius that he does not legally negate the UAOC (Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church) until Philaret and the UOC-KP (so-called Kiev Patriarchate) do this themselves.
Thirdly, the “OCU” because of the defragmentation, it can see its attempts at recognition at the level of the Local Orthodox Churches put to an end. The latter will not expose themselves to blow, entering into a relationship with an organization that is not only created around the canons, but also provokes further splits.
Fourthly, the scandal that has arisen deals a serious blow to the authority of Patriarch Bartholomew , whose actions in Ukraine did not lead to the restoration of the unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, but to a drastic aggravation of its separation.
Fifthly, the current situation has even more actualized the issues regarding the Pan-Orthodox Conference, at which the Local Churches must work out a solution to eliminate the negative consequences of Phanar’s interference in Ukrainian church affairs.
Metropolitan Anthony believes that this issue is now of paramount importance. After all, the delay in the relevant process is paid for with new and new persecutions against the believers of the canonical Church, political blows aimed at its destruction, as well as a gradual erosion of the foundations of pan-Orthodox unity.
The final split in the camp of the Ukrainian schismatics themselves. Philaret reanimated the Kyiv Patriarchate and “canceled” the OCU, and in response, they called this decision worthless in legal and canonical terms.