Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria made… insinuations and subtle references to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in a letter marking the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of Metropolitan Onufriy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) on August 18.
In his letter, Patriarch Daniel praised Metropolitan Onufriy, stating that “during this decade following your canonical election by the Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, you have established yourself as the successor of the great Bishops and confessors who served in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Kyiv.” He acknowledged Metropolitan Onufriy as the “Primate of the Sister Church of Ukraine.”
Without directly mentioning the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territories, Patriarch Daniel highlighted the “difficult ordeals of the Ukrainian people and their Church,” focusing instead on the “efforts of division.” He noted that “in recent years, Ukraine has endured a terrible crucible of bloody war, and everyone is fervently praying for peace in Ukraine.”
Patriarch Daniel further emphasized that “these years have been marked by division within Ukrainian society itself, during which you have consistently shown yourself to be a unifier and peacemaker—roles that are the duty of every true shepherd of Christ.”
These remarks come just days after Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv called for an unconditional dialogue with Metropolitan Onufriy to unify the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine.
It is also noteworthy that Patriarch John of Antioch and Patriarch Ilia of Georgia sent letters of congratulations to Metropolitan Onufriy on this occasion.
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
