ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE APPOINTS ITS OWN EXARCHS IN KIEV FOR PREPARING GRANT OF AUTOCEPHALY
Patriarch Bartholomew appointed Archbishop of Panphilon Daniel from the U.S.A. and Bishop of Edmonton Ilarion from Canada exarchs of the ecumenical patriarchate in Kiev, within the context of preparation for granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the head of the information department of the UPTs of the Kiev Patriarchate, Archbishop Evstraty, reported.
"Within the context of preparation for granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the ecumenical patriarchate appointed its own exarchs in Kiev, His Eminence Archbishop of Pamphilon Daniel from the United States and His Eminence Bishop of Edmonton Ilarion from Canada, who both serve Ukrainian Orthodox believers in their own countries within the ecumenical patriarchate," the archbishop wrote on his page in the social network Facebook on Friday, citing the general secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
According to the report of the press service of the Kiev patriarchate, the UPTsKP welcomes this decision of the ecumenical patriarchate and it expects fruitful cooperation with the new exarchs.
The most reverend vladykas, in 2015, served as personal representatives of the ecumenical patriarchate during negotiations for unification of the Orthodox churches in Ukraine. The vladykas also have frequently been delegated by the ecumenical patriarch for representing the Constantinople Mother-Church at solemn events in Ukraine; the last time in July of this year during the celebration of the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Rus-Ukraine.
The UPTsKP explains that the appointment of exarchs does not signify the establishment of a new church jurisdiction in the form of an exarchate. The functions of an exarch in this case may be compared with the functions of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. (tr. by PDS, posted 7 September 2018)
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