R.P.Ts. SUPPOSES THAT PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW HAS DECIDED TO UNITE ALL SCHISMATICS
The Moscow patriarchate does not rule out that Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew has decided to consolidate schismatic movements throughout the world, Vladimir Legoida, the head of the synod's Department for Relations of Church with Society and News Media, declared.
On Sunday it became known that representatives of the Chernigov diocese of the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PTsU), which was created late last year with the participation of the government of the country and representatives of Constantinople, served a requiem for service personnel of the Ukrainian armed forces who have died in conflicts along with schismatics from Belorussia. One of the supporters of the PTsU posted on his Facebook page a photo and video of the joint service of the rector of the cathedral church of Chernigov, Evgeny Ord (PTsU), with the head of the unrecognized "Belorussian Autocephalous Orthodox Church," Sviatoslav Longin.
"One wonders whether this liturgical experiment was cleared with the Phanar. What is this: the excess of an actor who has taken too literally the breadth of ecclesiological views of his Constantinople vladyka or something more? For example, the intention of Patriarch Bartholomew to consolidate under his omophorion the schismatic movements throughout the world, since nothing has come for him, to put it mildly, with the strengthening of the unity of the local Orthodox churches," Legoida wrote on Monday on his Telegram channel.
In June of this year, representatives of the PTsU served along with a cleric of the schismatic "Montenegran Orthodox Church," Bishop Boris Boiovich.
Besides the 15 autocephalous local churches existing in the Orthodox world, there are also several unrecognized churches, which have proclaimed their own "autocephaly" without authorization. Besides the Kiev patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (which united earlier into the PTsU) there also are the Belorussian Orthodox Autocephalous Church, the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Montenegran Orthodox Church. Not one of the local churches of the world has recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine that was created, with the exception of the patriarchate of Constantinople. (tr. by PDS, posted 19 August 2019)
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