The Vatican has recognized the united local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, archbishop Eustratius (born Zoria), head of the information department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, has said.
“The official website of the Vatican on December 17 published a news item about the election of Metropolitan Epiphanius as the primate of the autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This means that the Vatican has recognized our church as independent in keeping with the ecumenical dialogue with Orthodox Churches and thanks to its canonical recognition by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,” archbishop Eustratius wrote on Facebook on December 18.
He said it is “a rather painful news for the Moscow Patriarchy and a very important one for the Catholic and entire Christian world.”
“In view of the lack of Eucharistical unity between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, the former is not supposed to issue any official paper to recognize the new autocephalous church; however, by publishing a news item about this event, it has given a signal to all those who still have doubts, including the local churches: the diplomacy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has defeated Moscow’s attempts. And this means that those churches that have not yet decided to recognize the new autocephalous church from now will have a strong reason to do it after the tomos is given,” the archbishop said.
“Probably, this is why the Ecumenical Patriarch has scheduled this event for January 6 so that all those in doubt would have time to make the right decision and support the new autocephalous sister church,” he said.
As earlier reported, on December 15, the Unification Assembly in Kyiv announced the creation of a local Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Metropolitan Epiphanius (born Dumenko) was elected as the primate of the unified church.
