The Kiev rhetoric of Patriarch Bartholomew shows that he is worried about the criticism of the non-canonical invasion of the Patriarchate of Constantinople into Ukrainian affairs, which comes from hierarchs, theologians and historians of many Churches. This was stated by Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“Autocephaly (church independence) of the so-called“ OCU ”, made up of representatives of schismatic groups, was allegedly granted completely legally. The alleged “privileges” of the See of Constantinople, allegedly giving it the right to make individual decisions with respect to other Orthodox Local Churches, are also supposedly completely legal and canonical.

Constantinople allegedly did not change anything in traditional Orthodox ecclesiology (teaching about the Church); on the contrary, it is changed by those who do not agree today to submit to the never-erroneous “spiritual leader of 250 (or 300) million Orthodox Christians around the world”, as the “green patriarch” likes to call himself. At least I liked it before; now it is already clear to everyone that the majority of Orthodox Christians do not consider Patriarch Bartholomew their spiritual leader after the schismatic deed committed by him.

The Kiev rhetoric of Patriarch Bartholomew shows that His Holiness is worried about the criticism of the non-canonical invasion of the Patriarchate of Constantinople into Ukrainian affairs, which is heard from the hierarchs, theologians and historians of many Orthodox churches,” said Archpriest Nikolai Balashov.