The Russians retain a hostile attitude toward the Ecumenical Patriarch and will not at all agree that he take on the role of intermediary in the exchange of prisoners of war.
This opinion was expressed by the OCU Primate, Epifaniy, who spoke in an interview with Gazeta.ua.
“The thing is that after the Tomos was granted to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Russian propaganda made His Holiness the object of its attacks at all levels, including the church one.
Kiril Gundyaev and the Russian Orthodox Church as a whole, as I have already said, unilaterally severed Eucharistic communication with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Therefore, it is obvious that neither they nor the Russian government want any participation of the Ecumenical Patriarch,” said the OCU head.
They are demonstrably hostile to His Holiness and will not agree to his participation in the process of freeing prisoners in order not to recognize his significant international authority. Moreover, the Ecumenical Patriarch clearly and unequivocally supports Ukraine and openly condemns Russia. In addition, His Holiness constantly provides assistance to Ukraine, including material aid. This help is actively distributed through our charitable hub in Dnipro, which is under the care of Metropolitan Serhiy of Donetsk and Mariupol,” added the Primate of the OCU.
