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Greek Orthodox Don’t Recognize Kyivan Patriarchate

29.03.2006, [19:21] // Orthodox //

Greece-Ukraine – “The Orthodox Apostolic Church of Greece, like all the other national Orthodox churches with which it remains in Eucharistic communication, has never recognized the existence of an autocephalous Orthodox patriarchate in Ukraine. The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece considers it impossible to recognize the Kyivan Patriarchate under today’s conditions, as well as the hierarchal rank of Chrysostomos Bakomitros, and considers the activity of the Exarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate [UOC-KP] in Athens to be not legitimate.” So reads a statement of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece released by the official site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) on 27 March 2006.

The statement adds: “Even if we recognized the self-proclaimed ‘Kyivan Patriarchate,’ the exarchate within the jurisdiction of the Church of Greece would, nevertheless, be an interference in a foreign church jurisdiction.”

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens said he will not participate in events organized by the Ukrainian Embassy in Athens, which has invited representatives of the UOC-KP.

RISU note: In May 2005 Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the UOC-KP, ordained Archimandrite Chrysostomos (Bakomitros), as bishop of southern Ukrainian Khersones. Bishop Chrysostomos established the Exarchate of the UOC-KP in Athens and plans to register it in the future. Since independence in 1991, thousands of Ukrainians have traveled to Greece in search of work.

Sources and previous related RISU news:

• http://orthodox.org.ua/News-R_ooua.php?id=761

• http://orthodox.org.ua/News-R_ooua.php?id=762

• http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;5567/