The most ancient patriarchate confirmed its support for the canonical Church in Ukraine
“I recognize only one Orthodox Church in Ukraine - which is headed by Metropolitan Onuphry,” - said the other day, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem.
At the same time, he recalled that, according to the teaching of the holy fathers, schism is the most serious sin. Obviously, this refers to the sin, first of all, of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The latter is not the only demarche of His Beatitude Theophilus in relation to Bartholomew. The very recognition of the UOC (MP) is already a rebuff to the Phanar’s assertions that after the formation of the “HCU”, no UOC (MP) no longer exists. In addition, within six months from the date of issuing the “tomos” to Ukraine, the Patriarch of Jerusalem managed point out both the papal ambitions of Bartholomew and refute the “doctrine” about the “Mother Church of Constantinople.”
Were in place delivered Patriarch of Jerusalem and Ukrainian politicians, right up to Poroshenko, who pressed for recognition of the “SCU”. At the same time, the defender of the UOC (MP) Vadim Novinsky was awarded and Putin himself was unequivocally supported - as a defender of the Orthodox world from globalism (represented by the curator of Phanar and Bankova - the USA, it should be assumed).
As for “SCU” itself, its delegation was not allowed neither to the service for the descent of the Holy Fire, nor to the audience of Ukrainians with His Beatitude Theophilus the day before.
A month after Easter, receiving the next pilgrimage group of the Russian Orthodox Church from (Belarus and Ukraine), Patriarch “mentioned” on the subject that Jerusalem is the spiritual capital of the Christian world (as if reinforcing the assertion that it is the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and not the so-called Patriarchate of Constantinople, that is the Mother of all churches).
But on June 11, the unexpected happened. Including for the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The hierarch of this church, Nektary, prayed with “Metropolitan Epiphanius of the HCU.”
Yes, it was a banal “set-up” for Bartholomew, who invited representatives of local churches to his name day, but did not warn them that Epifan, who was not recognized by them, would also be at the festive service.
The head of the Greek Church “slammed the door” and was not present at the liturgy, but the representative of Jerusalem remained... According to the canons, services with him are now prohibited, and he should be excommunicated. But the condemnation of its member by the Jerusalem Synod would already be the beginning of a direct and open confrontation with the Phanar for the Jerusalem Patriarchate. Bishop Theophilus is not ready for this yet...
However, in order to show the immutability of his line in principled support of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Jerusalem in the same week headed celebrations on the occasion of the annual celebration of the day of the Russian spiritual mission in the Holy Land.
In order to support the HCU flock, which was in a state of deep disappointment, the hierarch of this gathering, Ivan Zorya, reported on Facebook about his joint participation in the conference with Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem. This only deepened the skepticism of his non-traditional fans.
This “irrefutable” evidence of “the most powerful spiritual ties between the HCU and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem” clearly contrasted with the “timid” voiced in the same days protest, expressed by the Moscow Patriarchate to Israel regarding the inadmissibility of the state’s seizure of church lands.
This is the reality in which Thomas’s witnesses live...
And the statements of the ancient patriarchy... They are simply not conveyed to them.
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