Following the sorrowful news of Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria’s decision to recognize the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” His Eminence Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa of the canonical Ukrainian Church penned a moving and heartfelt letter to the Patriarch, with whom he has long been personally acquainted.
As he notes in his letter, Patriarch Theodoros lived and served in Odessa or ten years, at the time that the Ukrainian schisms were first beginning, and has returned to visit twice since becoming Patriarch of Alexandria. In fact, he visited Odessa just last year for the explicit purpose of strengthening and comforting the faithful of the canonical Ukrainian Church, encouraging them to remain loyal to Christ in the canonical Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
Thus, the pain of the Patriarch’s recent decision is more personal for Orthodox Odessans.
No. 446, November 19, 2019
His Beatitude,
The Most Blessed Patriarch of Alexandria
and All Africa Theodoros II
The Most Blessed Patriarch of Alexandria
and All Africa Theodoros II
Your Beatitude,
Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodoros!
Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodoros!
A year has passed since Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew granted a “tomos” of autocephaly to the so-called “OCU.” However, the declared good intentions of the Ecumenical Throne—to save the disastrous state of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, to heal the wounds of schism, to restore to communion with the Orthodox Church those children who are beyond its boundaries—were not crowned with success, but, on the contrary, deepened the crisis and are quickly leading towards a schism of the entire Orthodox world.