Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and all Ukraine reflected on the seventh anniversary of the granting of the Tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in a post shared on social media, recalling the historic events of January 6, 2019, and his recent concelebration with Bartholomew at the Phanar.
Recalling the original moment when the Tomos was received, Metropolitan Epifaniy wrote: “The day of January 6, 2019, will forever enter the history of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the devout Ukrainian people as a special date.”
He described how, during the festive Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Theophany at the Church of St. George at the Phanar in Istanbul, the Tomos was formally handed over: “Then, from the hands of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the first among the Primates of the Churches, in the Church of St. George at the Phanar in Istanbul, during the festive liturgy for the Feast of Theophany—where I had the honor, as Primate of the local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, to concelebrate with His All-Holiness—we received the Tomos of autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church.”
Referring to the recent celebration, seven years later, Metropolitan Epifaniy emphasized the spiritual and symbolic meaning of concelebrating once again on the same feast day: “Yesterday, seven years later, on holy Theophany, on such a symbolic and historic day for all of us, I had special spiritual joy and God’s favor to once again, together with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, preside at the Divine Liturgy in the historic sacred center of Orthodoxy, in the Church of St. George at the Phanar.”
He expressed profound gratitude to God for these events:
“I sincerely thank the Lord for all His blessings toward us, toward our people, and toward our Church!”
Metropolitan Epifaniy underlined the unity shown through prayer, worship, and fellowship: “Together with the delegation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in heartfelt prayer, in common worship, and in friendly communion, we testified to our spiritual unity and together prayerfully asked the Lord for the victory of truth and the establishment of a just peace for Ukraine.”
At the conclusion of the liturgy, he again voiced appreciation to the Mother Church and the Ecumenical Patriarch: “At the end of the liturgy, in my address, I once again expressed our gratitude to the Mother Church and to the Ecumenical Patriarch for everything that has been done for Ukraine and that continues to be done today for our devout people.”
Highlighting the deeper historical meaning of the Tomos, Metropolitan Epifaniy stated: “The Tomos of autocephaly returned and restored justice that had been violated many centuries ago.”
He also referred to the historical injustices endured by the Church of Kyiv and the Ukrainian people: “More than three hundred years ago, through violence and in violation of canonical order, the Moscow see seized power over the Church of Kyiv, using this power to keep the Ukrainian people in bondage.”
He explained that, after regaining state independence, repeated appeals were made to Constantinople: “But we, having freed ourselves from Russian tyranny and restored the independence of the Ukrainian state, repeatedly appealed to our Mother Church in Constantinople with persistent requests to restore justice and canonical order in Ukraine.”
These appeals, he noted, were answered seven years ago: “Seven years ago, we received a historic written response to our requests from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, sealing it with unity in prayer and the Holy Eucharist.”
Concluding his message, Metropolitan Epifaniy shared that he returns to Ukraine bearing the blessing and support of the Ecumenical Patriarch: “Therefore, I return to my native Ukraine with the blessing and heartfelt greetings from His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.”
He stressed the continued closeness of the Mother Church to the Ukrainian people: “Brotherly love, Christian support, and sincere prayers are with our people. The help of the Mother Church is tangible.”
Finally, he expressed gratitude for the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s stance during the ongoing war: “We are grateful to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for bearing witness to the truth about this aggressive Russian war and for all the peace-building efforts that are being made. Glory to God for all!”
