The dream of Russians is to be the rulers of Orthodoxy, the head of the Church of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew, told reporters. The conversation with the patriarch was made public by the Suspilne.

“This will never happen, because the canons of the Orthodox Church and the actions of the Church over the centuries have given primacy to Constantinople … the conflict was started by Russia in 2016, when the Moscow Church and under its influence three other churches did not arrive at the Holy and Great Council in Crete.

We all prepared this Council together. By January 2016 in Geneva, when we had the last meeting of Orthodox primates, all churches and Russia were preparing this Council. And at the last moment the Russians and three more churches did not come, ”says the head of Phanar.

He also convinces that “Russia took the granting of autocephaly to the OCU as revenge for the fact that the Moscow Church at the last moment refused to come to the Council.”

“The dream of our Russian brothers is to be the masters of Orthodoxy. But this will never happen, because the canons of the Orthodox Church and the actions of the church over the centuries have given primacy to Constantinople. Constantinople will always be the first church in the system of Orthodox churches, and the sister Russian Church will be the fifth, ”said Patriarch Bartholomew.