Dumenko complains to Patriarch Theodore about harassment from Moscow

Epifaniy Dumenko. Photo: UOJ

The head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, wrote a letter to Patriarch Theodore, in which he stated that the establishment of the Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa violates canonical rules and complained of harassment from Moscow.

The open letter was published in four languages on the OCU website.

"With deep sadness and pain in our being, we learned about the lawless, wicked, and impious decisions that the Church of Russia adopted to incur upon the canonical boundaries of the Holy and ancient Apostolic Patriarchate of Alexandria and All of Africa. By this, the Patriarch of Russia and the Synod headed by him grossly and unjustifiably violated canonical rules, particularly Canon 6 of the First Ecumenical Council," Dumenko wrote.

According to him, the creation of the Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa is the revenge of Patriarch Kirill for the recognition of the OCU by the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Also, he complained about pressure from Moscow.

"We in Ukraine experienced – and continue to experience – the brunt of anti-canonical actions of the Moscow Patriarchate... In the second half of the 17th century, taking advantage of difficult circumstances and relying upon the political power of the tsars, the Patriarchate of Moscow invaded the Metropolis of Kyiv... We must not forget the many other cases when the Church of Russia has invaded territory and violated canons... And, records of the Moscow Patriarchate and Stalin’s government lay out clear plans for convening a so-called Ecumenical Council after World War II for the purpose of declaring the Patriarch of Moscow the 'Ecumenical” Patriarch'," he added.

Dumenko called for halting "the attempt of the Patriarchate of Moscow to turn itself into someone similar to the Catholic Pope in Orthodoxy, while Orthodoxy itself into a Russian ethnocentric sect."

As the UOJ previously reported, Patriarch Theodore said that the Russian Orthodox Church wants to "enslave the Ukrainians."

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