“The Church of Russia emerged in the 16th century, while the Churches of the Balkans emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries. And all of them, before their autocephaly was proclaimed, were part of the jurisdiction of our Ecumenical Patriarchate
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“the ingratitude of the Church of Russia – and not only of Russia – toward the Mother Church of Constantinople, from which they received the light of the Christian faith and enlightenment continues
“According to Metropolitan Epifaniy, the Tomos granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate provides the canonical foundation for the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, irrespective of whether Moscow accepts it.
“Indeed, it was not from Moscow that we received our autocephaly. It was not Moscow that granted us the Tomos, nor did recognition of our Church’s authenticity depend upon Moscow—just as the authenticity of Paul’s apostleship did not depend upon the opinions of his opponents,” Metropolitan Epifaniy stated. “Just as Paul was called to become an apostle by the Head of the Church Himself, so we received the Tomos and the proclamation of our status as an autocephalous Local Church from the first among the Primates of the Orthodox Church—the Ecumenical Patriarch, who alone, according to the conciliar canons, possesses this authority.
“the order according to which every newly elected Orthodox primate, upon taking the helm of his Church, begins visiting the other Orthodox Churches, naturally starting with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
“the establishment of the Diocese of Boka Kotorska in Montenegro is not an issue under consideration in the Serbian Church
“The Metropolitan insisted that Moscow’s approval was not required for the establishment or recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
“Constantinople “diminished itself and itself granted them ecclesiastical independence, known as autocephaly – it weakened itself in order to serve each Orthodox people.”