For those well acquainted with developments in ecclesiastical affairs, the recent attack by the Russian authorities against the Ecumenical Patriarch came as no surprise.
The groundwork had been laid many years ago by the Moscow Patriarchate. Patriarch Kirill was the first to direct attacks against the Ecumenical Patriarch, employing language wholly unbecoming of the Primate of an Orthodox Church.
However, it was the intensity of the current smear campaign against Patriarch Bartholomew that proved surprising. He has been accused of being an agent of the British intelligence services, branded the Antichrist, and depicted as someone who is dismantling the Body of the Church and acting in the manner of false prophets!
Within ecclesiastical circles, there is mounting concern that the Russian side will not stop here, but will push matters even further. This anxiety is compounded by attempts by the Russian authorities to factor the ecclesiastical issue into the broader framework of a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. It is precisely at this point that serious challenges begin to emerge for the Phanar.
They do not understand
It is widely acknowledged that the Americans lack a deep understanding of the delicate balances within ecclesiastical affairs. While they demonstrate a willingness to help, they do not engage with the substance of the dispute. They had shown interest in developments within the Orthodox community in Ukraine, yet were uncertain about whom to trust. They met with all sides and ultimately left.
The Russians, on the other hand, are steadily escalating their rhetoric, speaking of “persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church” under Metropolitan Onufriy. At the same time, they are exerting pressure on the West to persuade the government of Volodymyr Zelensky to withdraw the controversial law which, in effect, dismantles this specific ecclesiastical structure.
In his recent address on the Feast of Epiphany, delivered with Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv standing beside him, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew -once again- extended a hand of friendship to Metropolitan Onufriy.
More importantly, Bartholomew stressed that he condemns the excesses taking place in Ukraine “from whichever side they may originate,” while also calling on the country’s state authorities to refrain from interference in the internal affairs of the Church.
As we have repeatedly stated in this column and will state again, the Ecumenical Patriarch seeks unity among the Orthodox in Ukraine and beyond. It was precisely for this reason that he granted autocephaly seven years ago. And it now appears that he is making this position clear in every possible way.
The question, however, is who stands alongside him in this effort to counter the Russian attacks. In recent days, the Elder Metropolitan of Chalcedon has taken a clear public stance, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America has made corresponding moves, and we have also seen statements of support from the Metropolitan of Austria.
Yet the question remains: is this enough to confront a mechanism painstakingly entrenched over decades by their co-religionists in the North?
Melchizedek
Published in the newspaper “Orthodoxi Alitheia”
