In a heartfelt message on the name day of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv expressed the deep gratitude and admiration of the Ukrainian people for the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s righteous and pivotal decisions in recognizing and granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Read the full greeting message from Metropolitan Epifaniy:
“His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is remembered by all who have had the privilege of knowing him personally, communicating with him, and serving him as a man who is smiling, honest, approachable, fair, prudent, wise, and spiritually strong.
Today, His All-Holiness celebrates the day of his heavenly patron, St. Apostle Bartholomew, one of Christ’s twelve closest disciples.
As the foremost among the Primates of Orthodoxy, Patriarch Bartholomew’s ministry fulfills a profound mission: to strive for the establishment of the Great Church in Christ, to work for the glory of God, and to promote peace and justice in the world.
Our people will always remember the righteous and crucial decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for recognizing and granting autocephaly to our Orthodox Church. We continually express our sincere gratitude to His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and the Mother Church of Constantinople for these historically significant canonical decisions.
We are thankful to the Ecumenical Patriarch for addressing our struggles and unequivocally condemning the blatant Russian aggression, which he rightly calls ‘the devil’s war.’ We are grateful for his recognition of Ukraine as invincible and spiritually strong.
We extend our sincere prayers to His All-Holiness. May the Lord, through the intercessions of your heavenly patron, St. Apostle Bartholomew, grant you health, inspiration, and strength for many more successful and blessed years of service in the name of God and for the sake of all people.”
