Speaking to Serbian media, Metropolitan Irinej of Backa called the prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate into question in a vigorous way.
In an interview with the Serbian magazine “Печат” (Pečat) on December 27, the bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church said, “We recognize all the powers of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which are in line with the centuries-old canonical order of the Orthodox Church, but we do not recognize the subsequent additional ‘special rights’, which are powers and privileges deviating from the canons.”
Metropolitan Irinej referred to the synodal system, by which the Churches are governed, and not to an isolated absoluteized First, which is characteristic of papacy.
“The organization of the Orthodox Church is founded on synodality and not on the isolated absoluteized First, which shows the temptation of papacy.”
Metropolitan of Backa said, “We recognize the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople as the First Orthodox Church and its honorable primate, who holds the honorary primacy among the Orthodox bishops.” He also emphasized that “the first exists, but in the synod of all Orthodox bishops, never outside or above this synod.”