Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in 2007 had received visitors from Ukraine, among them was the future (then) Primate of the Church of Ukraine Metropolitan Epiphaniy.
Epiphaniy himself, in a recent interview, said that the words that the Ecumenical Patriarch said to him at the time finally came out prophetically.
“I was still a layman and I lived in Athens, it must have been in 2006. While speaking to me, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said some prophetic words to me: “You will return to Ukraine, and service to the Ukrainian people awaits you.”
At that time I did not take these words seriously and I probably forgot them. Only now do I understand that it was a prophecy. That’s how things turned out and in this first meeting, we came close. And who would have thought that this is how fate would bring it and I would be the head of the Church of Ukraine?”
“I started speaking Greek to him. He was very happy: “When did you learn Greek?” I answered: “I learned them at the University, now I am perfecting them”. He asked: “And how long have you been living in Athens?”. I was at the University for only a few months. “It is not possible”, the Patriarch replied. “Some people live in Greece for 10 or 20 years and have not learned the language so well”, Metropolitan Epiphaniy described, referring to the discussion he had with the Ecumenical Patriarch.
He pointed out that he maintains contact with the Ecumenical Patriarch: “We communicate both by phone and in person when I come to Constantinople. Due to the pandemic, there was no such possibility. We are now awaiting his visit to Ukraine.”
Source: df.news