The Primate of the Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev and All Ukraine, held a meeting with Metropolitan Emmanuel of France.
Metropolitan Epiphanius warmly welcomed the Metropolitan of France on Wednesday, in the presence of Archbishop Yevstratiy of Chernihiv and Nizhyn.
A fruitful debate followed on the issues of the Church of Ukraine. The Metropolitan of France expressed the belief that very soon all the problems of the new Church would be resolved, as was the case with the other Churches that received the Tomos of Autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which used to be dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The Metropolitan of France stated, “Every Church that has received the Tomos of Autocephaly from the Mother Church of Constantinople has its history and problems. However, they all have memory and true common belief and, thus, they do not forget that they were part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This spiritual relationship with the Mother Church remains unbroken and is loving for Jesus Christ, not a dependency or oppression. There is no place for injustice and ingratitude in the Church of Christ. When God permits such temptation, we must all wholeheartedly pray earnestly to overcome it. The Church of Ukraine is currently experiencing difficulties that will be written down in the ecclesiastical history that will place focus on the protagonists. However, problems will soon be overcome and they will be a thing of the past. Rest assured that all Sister Churches pray for peace in Ukraine and act in accordance with the will of Christ and not the interests of the powerful.”
The Metropolitan of France conveyed the brotherly wishes of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the Primate of the Church of Ukraine and expressed his gratitude for Archbishop Yevstratiy’s recent visit to Paris.
SOURCE: Metropolis of France
