Important interview from Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon with the “Le Point” magazine
The war in Ukraine, as well as the actions of Pope Francis, is referred to, among other things, by His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, in an interview with the French magazine “Le Point”, entitled “Zelenskyy is resisting in the name of freedom, we must support him.”
The magazine’s journalist introduces Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, noting that he works directly with His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, is considered the man for difficult missions, and that, having negotiated the independence of the Ukrainian Church in Kyic in 2018, his testimony is valuable for the current situation.
Referring to the issue of Ukraine, Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon states, among other things, that everyone wants peace, but this peace, in order to be true and lasting, must be just. Referring to President Zelenskyy and the peace negotiations, he wonders to what extent “the democratically elected president of a country, whose future depends on a peace agreement, can be exempt from the peace negotiations? Can we change borders like we change clothes? Can we replace the principles of law with the law of arms?” He himself, as he says, had the opportunity to meet President Zelenskyy many times. “I am not Ukrainian, I do not vote in Ukraine, but I am convinced that he embodies the voice of his people, that he is fighting for his homeland and resisting in the name of freedom, for them and for us. We must support him.”
Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon also prays, as he states, for a speedy recovery of Pope Francis, awaiting him – as planned for May – in Constantinople, to commemorate together with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.
Making a brief historical review of the council in question, he refers to the differentiation in the calculation of the date of Easter for Eastern and Western Christians, revealing that, last June, when he visited Rome for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, at the end of the divine service, Pope Francis had told him that “a great surprise is expected next year”, with him realising that he was counting on the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea to announce his intention to end this divergence that so disturbs Christian sentiment.
The entire interview with Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, in French: HERE.
Source: fosfanariou.gr
