By Efi Efthymiou
Members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation, who visited Kyiv in recent days, witnessed firsthand the political and ecclesiastical maneuvering taking place at the expense of Orthodox Ukrainians.
During their visit, the WCC representatives met with Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, government officials, and civilians living through the consequences of the ongoing war.
The delegation also requested a meeting with a representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onufriy. Their request was granted, and they held talks with Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovina.
According to sources of orthodoxtimes.com with knowledge of the discussions, Metropolitan Meletiy left no room for misunderstanding regarding the role and position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
He unequivocally condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and firmly stated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has severed all ties with the Patriarchate of Moscow.
“They have killed members of our flock and our priests. Most of the churches they are bombing belong to our jurisdiction. We have no connection whatsoever with the Moscow that is killing. I never knew such a Moscow,” Metropolitan Meletiy reportedly told the surprised members of the WCC delegation.
He went on to describe the current situation in Ukraine, explaining that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is striving to convince the government that “we are not agents,” while the state is attempting to maintain a balance between the country’s two Orthodox jurisdictions.
“We do not want, and we do not have, any relationship with Russia. Metropolitan Onufriy is not a member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church,” he stressed.
When members of the World Council of Churches asked how they could help improve the situation, the same sources told orthodoxtimes.com that Metropolitan Meletiy replied: “Do everything you can to make the truth known. We have severed every relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.”
The Role of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Greek Catholics (Uniates), and the World Council of Churches
The Russian Orthodox Church joined the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1961 and has remained an active participant in its work, regularly attending meetings and assemblies with sizeable delegations. Despite its repeated attempts to vilify the WCC, the Russian Church itself recognizes that the Council remains the principal international platform through which it can present its positions to the global community.
During the WCC delegation’s meetings in Kyiv, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Uniate) Church called on the Council to admit the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, led by Metropolitan Epifaniy, as a member. His appeal essentially reflected a resolution that had been unanimously adopted by the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which also includes representatives of other religious communities present in Ukraine. The objective was to enable the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to internationalize, through the WCC, the issue of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Since then, according to WCC sources who spoke to orthodoxtimes.com, the Russian Orthodox Church has sought to exploit this initiative in an effort to portray the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine as having “close ties” between the two jurisdictions—the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The reality, however, is that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine itself officially submitted an application for membership in the World Council of Churches two years ago. According to sources, the application is expected to be considered at the WCC General Assembly in 2029.
Furthermore, those familiar with Orthodox ecclesiastical affairs know that the Orthodox Church has long maintained a clear position regarding the issue of the Greek Catholics (Uniates). The matter has been addressed and settled at every level, both synodally and pan-Orthodox. Consequently, any attempt to suggest a special relationship between the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Greek Catholic Church merely reveals an effort to instrumentalize an issue that, in reality, does not exist.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision to grant the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in January 2019 was intended not only to heal a schism but also to restore canonical order throughout Orthodoxy in Ukraine.
It is to be hoped that, once the war comes to an end, the vision of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew may finally become a reality.
