Patriarch Bartholomew: once the Tomos is granted, the Primate of UOC-MP will no longer bear the title “Metropolitan of Kyiv”
Patriarch Bartholomew called on the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Metropolitan Onufriy (Berezovsky) and other hierarchs of this denomination to take part in the Unification Council on December 15. Metropolitan Onufriy can also stand for election as the Primate of the new Church. Constantinople also reminded Onufriy that he would no longer be able to wear the title "Metropolitan of Kyiv" after the Primate of the new Church is elected.
This is stated in a letter that Patriarch Bartholomew sent to the Primate of the UOC (MP). The text of this document was published on the Facebook page by Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynko).
“Hereby we bring to the notice of your Eminence, these preliminarily adopted decisions of the Mother Church through the exarchs appointed by us to Kyiv, but, unfortunately, you refused to interact with them. Returning to the same issue again for the second time through this Patriarchal letter and addressing to you as “Your Eminence, Metropolitan of Kyiv", in the form of economics and mercy, we inform you that after the election of the Primate of the Ukrainian Church, an organ consisting of clerics and lay people, you will not be able to ecclesiologically and canonically bear the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv, which you still enjoy now in violation of the stated conditions of the official documents of 1686,” the document says.
Patriarch Bartholomew also calls on Metropolitan Onufriy to take part in the Unification Council and in the election of the Primate of the new Ukrainian Church. The Metropolitan is allowed to stand as a candidate for the office of the Primate of a new Church.
“For this reason, in the spirit of peace and love, we are asking you, our eminent Brother, after taking into consideration and reviewing our canonical acts in the spirit of historical truth and sound ecclesiology - to answer this challenge and to harmonize with the tradition of your precious predecessors of Sylvester, the successor the glorious Petro Mohyla, and the rest of the Kyiv Metropolitans, Dionysius, Joseph, Anthony, supporting the noble Ukrainian people and their pious nation, following the decisions of the Mother Church; and we are asking you, immediately and in the spirit of consent and unity, to participate, together with your hierarchy, in the future constituent council of the united Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the election processes to determine its Primate. Your Eminence is certainly allowed to stand as a candidate for this position. We also ask you and your hierarchy to be in communion with the former Metropolitan of Kyiv Filaret and the former Archbishop of Lviv Makariy and others with them, as they were fully restored by us in the episcopal rank, but not in their offices and titles, because of our positive decision on the appeals the requests that they have repeatedly submitted to us, as the Divine and Holy Canon 9 and 17 of the Holy Fathers of Chalcedon clearly and wisely proclaim. There is no need to repeat that the examination of appeals petitions is not a “legitimization of the splits,” but there is a chance to cure them, as in the case of the split that torments the beloved Ukrainian people for three decades,” Ecumenical Patriarch wrote.
