Phanar-leaning media outlets report Pat Bartholomew is displeased with OCU

St. Michael's Cathedral of the OCU. Photo: open sources

A media outlet close to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Orthodox Times, has published insider information concerning Patriarch Bartholomew’s stance toward the OCU project and how the situation in Ukraine is perceived at the Phanar.

According to the report, “the situation within the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is far removed from what Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew envisioned when he granted the Tomos of Autocephaly more than six years ago.” The current state of affairs in both the OCU and UOC is described at the Phanar as “tragic.”

Sources claim that Archbishop Yevstratiy Zoria “controls the finances of the OCU” while “pursuing a policy that serves his personal interests.”

“There is neither mission nor theology. It is telling that although Russia has been at war with Ukraine for three years, one might expect all Orthodox Ukrainians to have rushed to the newly formed Church, especially given the UOC’s ties to Moscow. But that didn’t happen. In fact, some Romanian-speaking parishes in Ukraine would rather pay antimension to Patriarch Daniel of Romania and leave the UOC than join the Autocephalous Church under Metropolitan Epifaniy. This is very alarming,” the Orthodox Times sources stated.

According to them, Zoria is “politically exploiting autocephaly for his own benefit,” a fact that “the Ecumenical Patriarch is deeply displeased with.”

The report also claims, “The Ecumenical Patriarch did not conceal his dissatisfaction with Metropolitan Eustratius, even during their meeting in Rome for the enthronement of the new Pope. He barely spoke to him – only a formal greeting – and the warmth of previous encounters was missing.”

The Phanar is also reportedly unhappy with the head of the OCU. “Metropolitan Epifaniy is not a figure who inspires. If someone like Anastasios were to go to Ukraine, he would attract all Orthodox believers like a magnet. They would unite around him. Now, there’s a man who is not accepted – who cannot unify,” the sources said.

They also suggested that the Patriarch is receiving distorted and one-sided information about Ukraine – information curated within the OCU.

“Whatever information reaches the Phanar is only what Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon wants and allows to be shared. He maintains a close relationship with Metropolitan Eustratius in Ukraine, and the two support each other’s positions for reasons of their own. Both are responsible for the current state of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine. In the Phanar, everything related to Ukraine goes through Emmanuel. And anyone who dares speak out on this issue is sidelined. Emmanuel accuses them – and that’s the end of it,” the report claims.

The current status of the OCU is described as “a branch of the state.”

“Unfortunately, it has assumed the role of a state church. They have not realized how dangerous this is – under current conditions, it could easily backfire,” say the sources.

At the same time, the Phanar is reportedly displeased with the UOC as well. The UOC is accused of allegedly falling into “ethnophyletism” in an effort to prove its loyalty to Ukraine and refute accusations of Russian influence. However, the sources offer no concrete examples of this “ethnophyletism.”

They also criticized Metropolitan Onuphry, saying that while he is “a spiritual man and a respected elder,” he supposedly “lacks the charisma of a leader.”

Interestingly, these sources indirectly confirmed that the UOC is indeed facing persecution: “When your Church is under persecution, and you are its shepherd, you must save it.”

As the UOJ previously reported, religious scholar N. Vasylyevych has also stated that there is criticism at the Phanar regarding the actions of the OCU’s leadership.

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