By Konstantinos Menyktas
Highly interesting remarks were made by Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin regarding the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ecumenical Patriarch, three days before the election for the new Patriarch of Bulgaria, in which Daniil is part of the triprosopon.
In an interview with bnr.bg, the Metropolitan compared the creation of the “so-called” Orthodox Church of Ukraine by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in 2019 to the persecution of the Church in the USSR. He recalled that during the Soviet era, “many priests were wiped out, temples were destroyed,” and efforts were made to replace the Church through schism. Despite the existence of a recognized canonical Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv, he asserted that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was founded uncanonically. “This uncanonical action of Patriarch Bartholomew led to even greater division within Ukraine,” he emphasized.
Furthermore, Daniil criticized the Ecumenical Patriarch’s stance on the apostolic succession of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine. He pointed out that those who had been excommunicated for what he considered justified canonical reasons were legitimized through the granting of the Tomos of Autocephaly by Patriarch Bartholomew. He claimed that the Ecumenical Patriarch signed the Tomos to unite “two non-canonical structures” under the umbrella of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” which he then recognized as the “canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
Daniil also referenced other Orthodox Churches to bolster his argument against the Ecumenical Patriarch. He noted that even Greek-speaking churches such as the Albanian, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Patriarchate of Antioch, despite their affiliation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, have not recognized the OCU. He argued that instead of promoting and defending peace, the Ecumenical Patriarch exacerbated the situation by creating division. He accused those recognized as canonical by Bartholomew of persecuting the canonical Ukrainian Church, usurping temples, using physical violence against priests, and even committing murders.
The Metropolitan stressed that this division has extended beyond Ukraine’s borders, affecting other Churches as hierarchs remain divided over the recognition of the OCU. “Through the Tomos, Bartholomew is defined as the head of the Ecumenical Church, while normally the only head is Jesus Christ,” he stated.
Finally, Daniil urged the faithful of the Bulgarian Church to “watch what is happening” and to “defend the canonicality and dogmatic truths of our faith.”
