Patriarch Bartholomew: Autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church is an incontrovertible fact
According to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has nothing to do with geopolitical facts and Russia's unacceptable invasion of Ukraine. He stated this during a video speech at an event convened by the Organization for the Promotion of Greek Orthodox Culture “Aeneas” on the autocephaly of Ukraine and Russia's war against Ukraine. Bartholomew's words were published by the lrt.lt website.
As the Ecumenical Patriarch commented, the Russian Orthodox Church artificially links the war to the autocephaly of Ukraine to cover its own responsibilities and great ambitions. “Russia has deepened the gap between Ukrainians and Russians, not the autocephaly granted to the suffering Ukrainian people. Russia's reaction is brought by its attempts to impose on the Ukrainian people and the lack of a healthy church consciousness,” Bartholomew emphasized.
His All Holiness noted that the Church of Constantinople offered a helping hand to Russia in resolving the Ukrainian issue, but the efforts did not yield results because of the Russian side's faults. “The leadership of the Moscow Church is trying to impose a new ecclesiology that destroys the church order based on new data. However, they must realize that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the only guarantee of the unity of Orthodoxy. Without the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Orthodoxy will fall into the maelstrom of nationalism, isolation of self-sufficiency, and the contempt of the modern world,” said Patriarch Bartholomew.
He added that the Russian Orthodox Church continues to accuse the Ecumenical Patriarchate of tensions in Orthodox relations while “the tension is caused by Russia, as it has non-canonically entered the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, tarnishing the image of Orthodoxy in the eyes of the Christian world.”
In his video address, the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church believes that the Ecumenical Patriarchate's intervention “caused a split in Orthodoxy.” “We do not deem this true. The granting of autocephaly is a significant contribution to the unity of Orthodoxy as a practical expression of Orthodox ecclesiology and centuries-old church practice,” the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized.
According to His All Holiness, it is the actions of the Russian Orthodox Church that threaten the unity of Orthodoxy, not the Ecumenical Patriarchate's response to the request of the Ukrainian people. “Moscow does not recognize the right of Ukrainians to an autocephalous church, for it wishes to oppress them and turn Orthodoxy into a confederation of churches. Its openly arrogant and hegemonic mentality will emphasize the key role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox discourse. Ukraine's autocephaly is a fait accompli of the Church and cannot be reversed by propaganda or war. The Russian Church is ruthlessly pursuing matricide. We are all witnessing a catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine. A ceasefire must be achieved immediately,” Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized.
He called on all Orthodox Autocephalous Churches that have not yet done so to continue the process of recognizing the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine. “We call on all Orthodox Autocephalous Churches that have not yet done so to continue the process of recognition, thus expressing their support for the suffering Ukrainian people; and we call on the Russian Church to apologize for the damage it has done to Orthodoxy. Hints of a connection between the war and the granting of autocephaly are the inventions of a sick imagination to cover up the crime that is now being committed in Ukraine. The Orthodox Ukrainian people will never accept their Church being subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, which blessed the attack on their homeland,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said.
