Hierarch of Constantinople structure spotted at Epiphany-led service

Bishop Isaiah (Slaninka) of Sumperk at the divine service of the OCU. Photo: Facebook

On November 20, 2019, Isaiah (Slaninka), Bishop of Sumperk of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, who comes from the structure of Costantinople in the Czech Republic, participated in the worship in St. Michael’s Monastery of Kiev alongside Epiphany Dumenko and the “hierarchy” of the OCU.

A photo from the service was posted on Facebook by Orthodox blogger Alexander Voznesensky. As the UOJ learned from its sources, Bishop Isaiah is actually staying in Kiev and it is he who is captured in the photo.

Isaiah (Slaninka) was ordained bishop in 2015 at the initiative of the hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Emmanuel (Adamakis) of Gaul and Arseny (Kardamakis) of Austria with the goal of creating an “alternative synod” of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. His consecration was not recognized by the head of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, Metropolitan Rostislav (Gont).

In 2016, Phanar and the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia reached a compromise on the recognition of the consecration of Isaiah (Slavinka).

In August 2019, Phanar initiated the creation of a parallel structure in the Czech Republic. At the constituent assembly, the legal entity “Association: Holy Patriarchal Stavropegial Monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary” was created and adopted its statute. Among the founders are Metropolitan of Austria Arseny (Kardamakis) (Patriarchate of Constantinople) and Bishop of Sumperk Isaiah (Slaninka).

According to the statute, the Association is subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and extends its activities to all Orthodox citizens living in the Czech Republic.

Recall that in Latvia, in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, on October 24, 2019, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Latvia registered the “Latvian Orthodox Autonomous Church under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople”.

Earlier, Bojan Bojović, a member of the Montenegrin schismatic structure, served with the OCU in St. Michael's Cathedral.

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