Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus in his interview with politis.com.cy said that “the Russian Church put Russian Metropolitans everywhere”, orthodoxtimes informed.

“Wherever Russia had borders, it expanded. And the Russian Church, in the days of the Soviet Union, put Russian Metropolitans everywhere. They don’t consider the Patriarchate of Constantinople Ecumenical because they give importance to population. Until the 17th century, everyone was under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The first autocephaly was given to the Church of Russia. Russia as a great country was pressing on and poor Constantinople was under the boot of the Muslim.”

He notes that he had once asked the Ecumenical Patriarch whether, when the Tomoi of Autocephaly were issued, they also defined borders, and he had answered in the affirmative.

Referring to his succession, he said that he would prefer a successor who would be elected after the cooperation of the Metropolitans, and someone who would have an opinion on the national issue. “If we do not have an Archbishop who has an opinion on the national issue, I am afraid we will lose Cyprus,” he said.

Earlier it was noted Constantinople’s claims to “special rights and privileges” were not accepted by the Local Orthodox Churches not only now but historically.