Polish Orthodox Church refuses to recognize Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and all Poland has sent a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople informing him that the Polish Orthodox Church (POC) does not recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the canonical UOC website reports.
In the letter, the head of the POC reminds Patriarch Bartholomew that, according to church laws, “divisive church groups” can only be returned to the Church’s bosom through their own repentance. Similarly, the ban on serving, such as that placed on former Kyiv Patriarch Filaret, can only be withdrawn by the entity who imposed it.
The Polish metropolitan observed that he does not see any repentance from Filaret or his followers.
“And this is where the problem lies. This is why they cannot be recognized by the current pastors who can perform the sacraments. The so-called ‘Metropolitan’ Epifaniy, and in fact the secular person, has been harmed,” Sawa said.
The UOC’s external church relations department commented on the letter, observing that Metropolitan Sawa refers to the Primate of the UOC using his full title, that is, he calls him His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine.
“This means that the primate of the POC continues to recognize His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and all Ukraine as the sole canonical head of the UOC, despite the fact that Patriarch Bartholomew said in one of his previous letters that our His Beatitude loses the ability to bear the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine after the holding of the so-called ‘Unifying Assembly’,” the UOC commented.
Unifying Assembly was held on December 15, 2018. During the assembly, Metropolitan Epifaniy was elected as head of the new, united autocephalous (independent) Orthodox Church of Ukraine.