Ecumenical Patriarch rips Russian Orthodox ‘theology of war’
September 04, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has denounced the Patriarchate of Moscow for “trying to justify an unjustifiable, unholy, unprovoked, diabolical war against a sovereign and independent country.”
In a September 1 homily, Patriarch Bartholomew also criticized the Russian Orthodox Church for the “disruption of communion” in the Orthodox world—a reference to the Russian refusal to extend communion to Orthodox churches that have, following the lead of Constantinople, recognized the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Patriarch Bartholomew called for an assembly of Orthodox prelates “to restore things.” But he made it clear that he would not allow debate on his decision to recognize the autocephalous (self-governing) status of the OCU. That decision, he said, was within the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He remarked that all of the “newer” Orthodox churches—including the Patriarchate of Moscow—had originally been granted autocephalous status by the Patriarch of Constantinople.
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