On the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I once again spoke about Ukraine, with Coptic Pope Tawadros II at his side.
This is not the first time that Bartholomew has referred to the Ukrainian people and to the war launched by Russia now four full years ago—and it will likely not be the last.
This time, the Ecumenical Patriarch made particular reference to the consequences and risks of this devastating war, especially regarding nuclear safety, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
He spoke of a “wound in the memory of humanity and a stern reminder that creation, entrusted to us by God, must never be subjected to reckless neglect nor turned into an instrument of destruction.”
Noting that the consequences of the disaster remain to this day, he stressed that “forty years later, this wound has not fully healed. The ongoing conflict has caused immeasurable suffering to the Ukrainian people,” while attacks on nuclear facilities heighten concerns about safety—not only for the country, but for all of Europe and the world.
The Ecumenical Patriarch did not take sides, did not refer to opposing parties, and did not assign blame. Rather, he reminded those directly involved of the pain caused forty years ago—whose effects are still visible today—and sounded the alarm about how catastrophic the consequences of a similar event would be today.
Patriarch of Moscow, the Baltic States, and Lavrov
Particular interest was also drawn by the address of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who appeared alongside Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. While there was no obvious occasion, he nevertheless found an opportunity to once again criticize Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Patriarch Kirill once again placed responsibility on Bartholomew for developments in Ukraine. At the same time, adopting rhetoric used by Russian intelligence services against the Ecumenical Patriarch, he also held him accountable for developments affecting structures of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Baltic States and Moldova.
The reality is that the governments of most Baltic countries moved quickly after the outbreak of the war, beginning to scrutinize the role of Russian Church structures within their territories. It appears they did not view favorably the overall activity of Russian churches in their countries, particularly at a time when the rhetoric of the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate can hardly be described as peaceful.
It is a fact that, four years after the war and seven years after the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the situation within Orthodoxy can hardly be described as optimistic.
“Melchisedek”
