Phanar priest: Patriarch Bartholomew’s actions in Ukraine are a mistake

Archpriest Tarasiy Petruniak. Photo: Diócesis de Málaga on Twitter

The head of the South Spanish district of the Metropolis of Spain and Portugal of the Constantinople Patriarchate, Archpriest Tarasiy Petruniak, stated in an interview with Dialog.tut that the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew in Ukraine, aimed at legalizing the UOC-KP and the UAOC, were a mistake.

"I believe that Patriarch Bartholomew's actions regarding the Ukrainian issue were mistaken. The declared goals have not been achieved, the Ukrainian issue has not been resolved, and the schism has not healed because, in my opinion, individuals who are not clergy have entered the Church's organization. The overall Orthodox crisis has worsened. I think this is because the Patriarch made this decision on his own without consulting the voice of the Church, even though our Church is conciliar (as stated in the Nicene Creed)," the priest said.

He pointed out that a layperson can be a Christian but cannot be a true priest or monk without the corresponding canonical actions. "That's why I understand the doubts of the UOC believers regarding the ordinations in the OCU," noted Archpriest Tarasiy.

In his opinion, when resolving the Ukrainian issue, one should remember the conciliar nature of the Church. "In the Greek language, the word 'conciliar' can be better described as 'synodical,' which means 'assembly.' However, the Nicene Creed contains the word 'catholic,' which means that those gathered together are unanimous in their decision. We believe in this unity. A synod, as a church assembly, can be divided: one half supports one idea, the other half supports another. But in prayer, we speak of that concord, which signifies true unity. I believe that when it comes to resolving the Ukrainian issue, it was necessary to consult the 'catholics,' the catholic Church. That is, ask the opinion of all representatives of the Autocephalous Churches. Based on this synodal opinion, address the issues of Ukrainian autocephaly, rather than making the decision unilaterally," said the priest.

Earlier the UOJ reported that the cleric of the UOC-KP, ordained by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2004, expressed confusion as to why, in 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate admitted members of the UOC-KP in the same status as his into the Church with full priesthood.

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