Ecumenical Patriarch uses harsh words for Russian Church: They declare themselves Russian first and Orthodox second
In the letter, which responds to a previous communication from the Patriarch of Alexandria, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasizes the grave danger posed by ethnophyletism to the Church. He states that the Church today is “internally ill and exhausted in a catastrophic introversion, facing the ever-increasing deadly cancer of nationalist ideology.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch highlights the growing disregard for ecclesiastical and ecclesiological order, noting that this issue has become evident not only within Orthodox circles but also to the international community.
Addressing the Russian Church’s encroachment into the canonical boundaries of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, Patriarch Bartholomew stresses that the hierarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate will be accountable to God for their grave ecclesiastical offenses and the damage inflicted on the Church of Alexandria, particularly on the souls of thousands of new converts seeking salvation within the Orthodox Church.
In harsh terms, the Ecumenical Patriarch describes the illegal actions of the Russian Church in Africa, accusing the Russian hierarchs of behaving like a mob and prioritizing racial dominance over ecclesiastical unity. “They obey not the humble Christ but the mighty gold,” Bartholomew asserts. He continues, “They shamelessly declare that they are Russians first and then Orthodox. From the old days, they altered the ecclesiastical order that was delivered to them genuinely, the vestments, even the offikia and traditions, to make it clear to everyone that they differ and excel.”
The letter also addresses Russia’s war in Ukraine and the stance of the Russian Orthodox Church. “Today, they gladly bless the sacred weapons, the murderous ones, against the Orthodox Ukrainians who defend the territorial integrity of their country,” Bartholomew writes.
Concluding his letter, the Ecumenical Patriarch assures the Patriarch of Alexandria that the Church of Alexandria does not stand alone in facing these challenges.
