Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kiyv and his entourage spent the night at the Pantokrator Monastery on Friday, as he makes his first official visit to Mount Athos as Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The Abbot of the Monastery, Archimandrite Gabriel, who had met the Primate of the OCU at the Skete of the Prophet Elias during the day, presented Metropolitan Epifaniy with an icon of the Apostle and Evangelist John.
The Metropolitan of Kiyv thanked the Abbot and the brethren for the warm welcome and departed for the monastery.
The next day, October 11, 2025, in the morning, in the church of the Prophet Elias of the homonymous skete of the Pantokrator Monastery, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kiyv and All Ukraine presided over the Divine Liturgy.
The representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Metropolitan of Miletus Apostolos, Metropolitan of Bila Tserkva Efstratios, the Abbot of the Pantokrator Monastery, Fr. Gabriel, the rector of the Skete, Fr. Philemon, concelebrated with him.
The political administrator of Mount Athos, Alkiviadis Stefanis, and the head of the Protection Council of the Metropolitan Fund of the OCU, Andrii Matsola, were also present.
During the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated in Greek and Ukrainian, prayers were heard for peace in Ukraine, for the Ukrainian people and for the young hero-warriors who are resisting Russian aggression.
After the Liturgy, a meal was served in the monastery. In his farewell address, Metropolitan Epifaniy emphasized that the day of his first Divine Liturgy on Mount Athos is symbolic.
On this day, seven years ago, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate confirmed by their decision that the Metropolis of Kiyv is not part of the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate and that the decisions of the Russian Church against Ukrainian hierarchs, clergy and laity are invalid.
“Seven years ago, these prophetic, wise decisions of our Mother Church paved the way for the Unification Council in St. Sophia and for the receipt of the Tomos on the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” noted Epifaniy, emphasizing that it is a spiritual joy for him to be on Mount Athos precisely on the anniversary of these historical events.
