Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a warm and fraternal letter to Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, marking the seventh anniversary of his enthronement on the historic Metropolis of Kyiv, which coincides with his birthday.
Addressing Metropolitan Epifaniy as a “beloved and much-desired brother and concelebrant in Christ,” the Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his joy that “today a double spiritual consolation and joy illumines both the Holy Church of Ukraine and the Most Holy Ecumenical Mother Church,” as seven years have passed since the “blessed day of your enthronement on the historic throne of Kyiv, which also coincides with the day of your birth.”
Recalling the moment when the Ecumenical Patriarchate entrusted Metropolitan Epifaniy with the leadership of the newly established Autocephalous Church of Ukraine, Patriarch Bartholomew wrote that “the seed of grace sown then, watered by the sweat and prayers of your love, has borne abundant fruit—as a living witness to the presence of the Holy Spirit the Comforter among the pious Ukrainian people.”
Referring to the turbulent times facing humanity today, marked by storms, challenges, and the threat of war, the Ecumenical Patriarch praised Metropolitan Epifaniy for standing firm “as a good shepherd and tireless watchman,” comforting, strengthening, and inspiring the flock entrusted to him by God. He noted that the wisdom, discernment, and piety shown by the Metropolitan in these difficult and responsible times “fully justify the hopes of the Mother Church, who rejoices in the Lord as she beholds the progress of her Daughter and Sister—the Church of Ukraine.”
On the occasion of this double celebration, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered heartfelt prayers “to the Lord, the Builder of the Church,” asking that He grant Metropolitan Epifaniy “long years filled with health, joy, and blessing, rich in heavenly gifts and spiritual strength.” He expressed the hope that the Great Church of Christ may see in him “a worthy heir of the ancient Kyivan ecclesiastical tradition—a wise helmsman, capable of guiding the ship of the Ukrainian Church through the storms of history to the calm harbors of peace.”
