Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew / Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made a videotaped intervention at the evening organized by the Organization for the Promotion of Greek and Orthodox Culture “PERPETUAL”, yesterday afternoon, at the Officers' Club, on the topic of Ukrainian Autocephaly and Russia's war against Ukraine.
The Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that there is no relationship, direct or indirect, the granting of the Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has to do with geopolitical facts and with the unacceptable invasion of Russia in Ukraine.
As His Holiness stated, the war is artificially connected by the Church of Russia with the Ukrainian Autocephaly to cover its responsibilities and its great ambitions. “It was this that deepened the gap between Ukrainians and Russians and not the Ukrainian Autocephaly that was given to the trying Ukrainian people. Russia's reaction stems from an attempt to impose on the Ukrainian people and from the absence of a healthy ecclesiastical conscience”, write down.
indeed, pointed out that the Church of Constantinople gave a helping hand to Russia to solve the Ukrainian, but the efforts were fruitless, at the fault of the Russian side, which however does not admit it.
“The leadership of the Moscow Church is trying to impose a new ecclesiology, which overturns the ecclesiastical order on the basis of new data. But he must understand that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the only guarantee for the unity of Orthodoxy. Without the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Orthodoxy will fall into the vortex of nationalisms, in the introversion of self-sufficiency, in contempt of the modern world”, he stated. And he added that the Church of Russia still accuses the Ecumenical Patriarchate of being responsible for tensions in Orthodox relations, while “she is what creates the tensions, the one that illegally entered the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, tarnishing the image of Orthodoxy in the eyes of the Christian world”.
The Ecumenical Patriarch, Moreover, stressed that the leadership of the Church of Russia considers that the intervention of the Ecumenical Patriarchate created a schism in Orthodoxy. “For us this is not true. The granting of the Autocephalous is a substantial contribution to the unity of Orthodoxy as a practical expression of Orthodox ecclesiology and long-standing ecclesiastical practice. It is the actions of the Church of Russia that threaten the unity of Orthodoxy and not the response of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the request of the Ukrainian people”, underlined.
indeed, stated that it is the Church of Russia that has papal claims, not the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “Moscow does not recognize the right of Ukrainians to have an Autocephalous Church, because he wants to oppress them, she wants to turn Orthodoxy into a confederation of Churches to have a say. Its overtly arrogant and hegemonic mentality will highlight the pivotal role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Orthodox discourse.
Ukrainian Autocephaly is an accomplished ecclesiastical fact and no propaganda and no war can cancel it. The Church of Russia ruthlessly pursues matricide. We are all witnesses to the catastrophe unfolding on Ukrainian soil. A ceasefire must be reached immediately”, the Ecumenical Patriarch pointed out and invited those Orthodox Autocephalous Churches that have not already done so to proceed with the recognition of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine:
“We invite all Orthodox Autocephalous Churches that have not yet done so to proceed with the recognition, thus showing their support for the trying Ukrainian people and for the Church of Russia to apologize for the suffering it has caused Orthodoxy.
The insinuations about the connection of the war with the granted Autocephalus are figments of a morbid imagination to cover up the crime being committed in Ukraine today.
The Orthodox Ukrainian people will never accept that their church continues to be under the Moscow Patriarchate which blessed the invasion of their homeland”, he noted emphatically.