EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). After his failed speech in the Greek Parliament (where he failed to make a serious call for peace in Lebanon, Iran, or Gaza, and even mention the persecution of Christians in Syria and around the globe), Bartholomew proceeded to accuse the Moscow Patriarchate once again of the Schism, which was totally his own doing See the news below).
Constantinople violated the canonical territory. Ukraine had long been recognized as falling under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate since the 1686 transfer of the Kyiv Metropolis.
Recognition of schismatics. Bartholomew restored previously defrocked or anathematized Ukrainian church leaders (especially Filaret Denysenko and groups outside canonical communion) without proper repentance or pan-Orthodox consensus.
Creation of the OCU caused the rupture. Before Constantinople granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), communion among the Orthodox Churches still formally existed. Moscow’s break in communion is framed as a reaction to Constantinople’s actions, not the original cause.
Bartholomew acted unilaterally. Many bishops and Churches (including the wisest of the late AB anastasios of Alb ania) requested a pan-Orthodox council or broader consultation on Ukraine, but Constantinople proceeded alone.
Claims of expanded authority (“first without equals”). Bartholomew has promoted an interpretation of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s primacy that exceeds traditional “first among equals.”
Finally, the most important of all – geopolitical pressure on Constantinople, in order to advance the now failed Western plans to split Russia and grab its wealth.
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Patriarch Bartholomew accuses Russian Church of undermining Orthodox unity
Speaking in Athens at the forum “Diachrony and Universality,” the primate of the Constantinople Church blamed Moscow for the divisions within the Orthodox world.
Patriarch Bartholomew placed responsibility for the disruption of Orthodox unity on the Russian Orthodox Church during a meeting with Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas at the presidential residence on May 7, 2026. The statement was reported by UOJ in Greece.
According to the patriarch, “ethnophyletism was revived after the collapse of the communist regime, where it had prevailed.”
“This ethnophyletism, condemned as a heresy in 1872 by the Great Synod convened at the Phanar, continues to divide Orthodoxy to this day,” the Constantinople primate said. “The curse of ethnophyletism has penetrated the body of the Orthodox Church and torments contemporary Orthodoxy. Unfortunately, our Slavic brothers, led by the Most Holy Church of Russia, are chiefly responsible for destroying pan-Orthodox unity.”
He also expressed confidence that “in the future we will continue to enjoy the unwavering support of the Greek state and every Greek government, so that we may freely carry out the universal mission of our Patriarchate.”
As previously reported by the UOJ, Patriarch Bartholomew had stated that 30 hierarchs of the UOC would join the OCU.
Which of the autocephalous churches have broken communion with the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Patriarch of Alexandria, the Archbishop of Greece, and the Archbishop of Cyprus? It’s only Russia.
Joseph,
Which of the Patriarchs wrote letters to Moscow in 1992 and 1997 with his named signed on those letters, assuring Moscow that:
1) Philaret and the others in his “gang” were legitimately deposed Schismatics, and
2) Kiev was the jurisdiction of Moscow…
Why did that same Patriarch decide after 27 years of tenure to:
A) reverse his position on Philaret by “legitimizing” them and issuing a “tomos” to Epiphanios, and
B) utilize Emmanuel’s “analysis” of why Kiev was “not” Moscow’s jurisdiction?
Doesn’t “let your yes mean yes” apply to Patriarchs? Since when does “yes” = “no”? Yes CANNOT equal No, according to the laws of Logic, that they used to teach us in Middle School
So, based on the above, when do you believe that the Patriarch of Constantinople was a liar? between 1991 and 2017, or after 2017, as he prepared the way for the “tomos”?
Either way, the flipflop means that “A” is true and “B” is false (a LIE)…So it appears that the Patriarch either lied before or after 2017, because you can’t have two opposite positions both be true, according to the laws of Logic. And a lying Patriarch is illegitimate and should be deposed…But at a minimum, it is clear that the Patriarchate of Moscow had no choice but to cease Communion with a “lying Patriarch”, especially when the lie includes “boundaries of jurisdiction”…Given that almost all autocephalous Churches (including Alexandria) went on record BEFORE the tomos was issued urging Constantinople NOT to issue it, AND if you recall even Theodoros of Alexandria flew to concelebrate with Ounoufry in a show of support (in the weeks BEFORE the tomos was issued)…Given Constantinople’s brazen disregard for the opinion of the other autocephalous Churches, there did not seem to be any other Canonical recourse for Moscow but to cease Communion with Constantinople.
So Joseph, what’s your point? This was clearly a natural consequence of Constantinople’s “unbrotherly behavior” against a sister Church and a “brother Patriarch”…
Markos, not being in communion with the OCU is one thing, but breaking communion with anyone who simply concelebrates with the OCU is another matter entirely. It is only the Russian Church that is doing this, and there is no consistent theological justification for doing so.
The Patriarch of Bulgaria, the Patriarch of Romania, the current Archbishop of Albania, the Archbishop of Macedonia and even the Metropolitan of North America’s OCA have all concelebrated with the EP, and they have all done this while not being in communion with the OCU.
Likewise, the Russian Church could also restore relations with the EP, Alexandria, Greece, and Cyprus, and still not be in communion with the OCU. Instead, what we have witnessed is a clear “my way or the highway” pressure tactic that has blacklisted anyone who concelebrates with the OCU and has threatened anyone else who even considers doing so.
Your statement that there is “no consistent theological justification” is simply false. There are clear Canons (very ancient ones) that stipulate ceasing communion with those who “pray together with” heretics. There is an Apostolic Canon that forbids meddling of one bishop in the territory of another bishop. There is a clear definition of Heresy, Schism, and Illegal Congregation offered in St. Basil’s 188th letter, and Philaret and his gang violated all 3 categories when you include the images circulating of Uniate clergy in common prayer with the Illegal Congregation, etc…
From the moment that Bartholomew signed his name twice, once in 1992 and again in 1997 affirming that Philaret and his gang were legitimately deposed by Moscow, AND that Kiev was Moscow’s jurisdiction, Bartholomew’s reversal starting in 2017 and culminating in the issuance of the tomos to Epiphanios in 2019 constitute violations of those aforementioned Canons…
Constantinople has decided to carve a path that fits the Uniate narrative, but which also serves the interest of global secular “overlords”. According to the Canons, Moscow (and many others) could have (and perhaps should have) ceased Communion with Constantinople 15 years earlier, when Benedict was reciting the Lord’s Prayer during divine Liturgy in the Phanar….had they put their foot down then, perhaps we wouldn’t be in this worse mess today…
Also, the statement that Moscow is exhibiting “my way or the highway” behavior is hypocritical, because it is Bartholomew who provoked and continued on the “tomos” path, even though almost EVERY autocephalous Church urged him NOT to issue it… So it’s actually Bartholomew who is carving the “my way or the highway” policy, and dragging many weak bishops (lackies) with him, including unfortunately some primates of Autocephalous Churches…
The Patriarch of Alexandria (good ol’ boy Patriarchal “vassal” hailing from Crete) started commemorating only after (mysteriously) the Greek government reminded him that he needs money from the Greek Government to continue his operations…
The last 2 Archbishops of Cyprus are NOT the ones that the people elected, so that’s a different debate about legitimacy altogether.
Athens ….well…we all know the fiasco of of Ieronymos reading a prepared statement to the media even though the Synod had not officially voted on recognizing Epiphanios…
So what you have referenced above is the fact that the Schism has been transplanted by Bartholomew’s “lackies” to other Autocephalous Churches, whose Synods have NOT unanimously voted…Moscow is therefore totally within its rights to identify those bishops who concelebrate with Epiphanios and those who do not, FULLY DOCUMENTING THE EXTENT OF THE SCHISM…
Conclusion: All roads (highways) lead to Constantinople on this mess (Bartholomew’s way), not Moscow…that’s how it is…
Markos, well stated!
Markos, neither the former Kievan Patriarchate nor the OCU has been accused of dogmatic heresy. So the “praying with heretics” charge is not applicable. The charge of “a bishop meddling in the territory of another bishop” has been addressed by the EP, first of all by granting autocephaly to Poland in 1924. Did anyone object to that? The Polish tomos then specified that Russia did not have canonical jurisdiction over parts of what is now Ukraine, because Moscow’s incorporation of the Kiev Metropolis was non-canonical. However, Constantinople was mostly willing to overlook this “non-canonicity”, that is until war broke out between Russia and Ukraine.
It was a result of this war that led Constantinople to change course and declare the 1686 “Act” null and void by revoking it in 2018. By doing so, Constantinople reclaimed the right to restore an exarchate, end the schism of those who only insisted on autocephaly in Ukraine, and finally grant them autocephaly.
As a result, the OCU is not considered schismatic among all Orthodox churches. So the charge of praying with schismatics is debatable. Remember, it was not that long ago that ROCOR used to be considered schismatic by most of the local Orthodox churches, and perhaps at times it only retained communion with the Serbian and Jerusalem patriarchates. There was a time when praying with ROCOR could get Orthodox clergy suspended or even deposed. The end of that schism, the 2007 reunion with Moscow, was an agreement that made no mention of “repentance” by either side.
Joseph,
Your legalistic, Protestant-influenced propaganda is not a valid Orthodox perspective, or an accurate representation of the facts, sorry. Take it all back to your Vatican Uniate friends…I’m sure they’ll agree with you all day.
It is a hallucination to believe that a man (Philaret) who self-declares himself a “Patriarch of Kiev” and continues to “serve” in an illegal congregation, after being deposed for enjoying concubines and offspring is NOT guilty of heresy, especially when it is known he and his “pseudo-clergy” hung out with and prayed with the Uniates on multiple documented occasions…and by the way, in 1970 when he was in the Metropolitan of Kiev (as a KGB plant), and he signed his name on the “tomos” for the OCA in the USA, I’ll reverse the question to you now, and ask why didn’t the Patriarchate of Constantinople cease Communion with OCA and restore Communion with ROCOR 50 years ago? OCA are still flaunting the “tomos” signed by this guy Philaret (on their website), who Bartholomew acknolwedged with his signature in 1992 and 1997 was a legitimately deposed schismatic (heretic)…isn’t that sufficient enough for your legalistic, twisted mindset to comprehend?
As for the irrelevant Poland example…
First off, We’ve said it before, anything under Communist Russia (aka 1924, and even Philaret later one) is not exactly the best example of legitimacy and precedent, given the way the Commies took over the Moscow Patriarchate and installed their “plants”…why would the atheist Communists who took over the Moscow Patriarchate after the Bolshevik revolution care to protest under a Stalin regime? Don’t you understand historical context?
Also, perhaps you don’t comprehend what was written in the response above, so I’ll have to explain it with more detail…when Bartholomew signed two letters (which you conveniently avoid to mention in your twisted narrative / responses), he specifically acknowledged that Philaret and his gang were LEGITIMATELY deposed (and by extension constituted an illegal congregation)…the multiple images available documenting their close ties with the Uniates in the Ukraine (including common prayer services) are sufficient to document the association with Heretics.
Also, the 1686 “act” argument is a load of B.S., from the moment that Bartholomew himself agreed and signed in 1992 and 1997 that Kiev was Moscow’s jurisdiction…you still haven’t answered…was Bartholomew a liar in 1992 & 1997 or in 2018? And if he’s a liar, he shouldn’t be Patriarch, shouldn’t he? Don’t the scriptural words “let your yes mean yes” apply to Patriarchs these day?
And why are you also ignoring everything that we have said before about the historical precedent for any “tomos”, that it traditionally ALWAYS included the phrase “to be approved by a future Pan-Orthodox Synod” in order for it to be valid? Even in the absence of a Pan-Orthodox Synod, when there is Pan-Orthodox consensus to accept a new jursdiction, things are generally fine…this did NOT happen with Epiphanios and the Ukraine…in fact it was the exact opposite that happened. So, why do you insist on trying to justify a “Papal Patriarchate” that is “supreme” or in Elpidophoros’ twisted mindset “first without equals”? Are you on someone’s payroll that we should know of?
Constantinople created a terrible Schism…this fact can’t be legitimized or justified in any which way, no matter what you or anyone else try to twist here…period. Do us a favor and go back to the Vatican and its Uniates, with all your like-minded Phanariot friends (including treasonous Λατινοφρονες wolves in sheepskin bishops / clergy), and stay there… The rest of us choose remain Orthodox, and won’t accept the Uniate playbook and systematic fragmentation & absorption of the Orthodox Church into the Vatican’s sphere of influence that is being aggressively perpetrated.
And Joseph, WHY exactly did Russia break communion with Constantinople, Alexandria, Greece, and Cyprus? WE all know the answer, but YOU apparently do not. PLEASE keep us entertained with your silly comments!
Isn’t ethnophyletism the sin of stressing that salvation is connected to ethnicity? If so, I don’t see that in any of the Russian churches in the diaspora. In Greek churches, by contrast, it’s rampant. I’m not the only person who’s been told that I can’t be Orthodox if I’m not Greek. So perhaps Patriarch Bartholomew should clean his own house first.
I would tell Black Bart to go to hell. Be he seems to be accomplishing that all on his own.
Joseph it is telling that only 3 of the world’s 15 autocephalous Orthodox Churches have followed Black Bart in recognizing the Kiev Coven. And they amount to less than 2% of world Orthodoxy. The EP is being used as a tool by Satanic influences to harm our Church.
…and to that we should add that: Many hierarchs and priests in both Greece and Cyprus do not commemorate the schismatics OCU! So the reality is closer to less than 1%! Mount Athos also for the most part do not recognize the legitimacy of the schismatic structure that Bart created. All this is very telling, but Joseph chooses blindness and propaganda over truth!
There are Evangelical Christian Zionists in every US public and private sector. And there are Muslim Zionists in the leadership position of KSA, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, Syria and Kuwait. What make you think their are no Orthodox Zionist like Bartholomew and Mistotakis! Look , Biden is a self proclaimed Irish Catholic Zionist , which Netanyahue publically acknowledged , when at a White House Meetng .. declared.. “The Jewish people of Israel thank , my “Irish Catholic Zionist President Joe Biden for his support of Israel ..
So, will Christians vote for the now acknowledge Republican and Democratic Neo Nazi Zionist ruling parties in the next election knowing that they will be voting to continue to fund and support Zionism thruout America and the world and the Zionist States of the Ukraine and Israel , and continued endless wars against Russia , Iran , and China with the forseeable outcome Nuclear devastation! And will Orthodox Christians of the world continue to support Bartholomew and Epidophoros know that they are not Christian , but Zionist collaborators with Zelensky, Netanyahue and Trump ?