It does not matter to Patriarch Bartholomew whether there will be church unity in Ukraine or not, it is important for him to show who has not just the primacy of honor, but the primacy of power in the Orthodox world. Bishop of Belgorod Sylvester (Stoychev), rector of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary, announced this on the air of the Pershy Nezalezhny TV channel.

“Of course, this (granting Tomos, – ed.) Is more conducive to the disunity of Ukraine. <…> For Patriarch Bartholomew Ukraine, the Ukrainian church issue is only an opportunity and a way to declare to the entire Orthodox world about his allegedly weighty powers. By and large, for Patriarch Bartholomew it didn’t matter whether there was unity or not, it was only important to show who is the boss in the Orthodox world, who has not just the primacy of honor, but the primacy of power.

And all the other consequences, they have already remained outside the framework of the global interests of Patriarch Bartholomew. It is clear that the previous Ukrainian government had its own calculations from the Tomos, but we are all witnesses to the fact that in such calculations they lost,” he said.