To believe: the Russian Orthodox Church broke off relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople

The Russian Orthodox Church interrupted the Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The decision was made at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was held on October 15 in Minsk.

Фото: Depositphotos

The reasons for this include “the anticanonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, who entered into communion with dissenters in Ukraine and encroaching on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church,” writesJellyfish".

The Patriarchate of Constantinople is “the first in honor” among all local churches. The official title of Patriarch Bartholomew is as follows: the Archbishop of Constantinople — New Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarch. As a church journalist and former executive editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, Sergei Chapnin, told in an interview with Medusa, all local Orthodox churches recognize the primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople — including his right to cancel the decisions of the heads of other local churches and give independence to new departments.

“The most serious rivalry and appeals not to recognize the special status of Constantinople proceed only from Moscow,” explained Chapnin.

The rupture of eucharistic communion is perhaps the last resort in interchurch relations. The gap suggests that the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church will not be able to perform joint worship with the hierarchs and clerics of the Constantinople Patriarchate. Orthodox believers from Russia will not be able to receive communion in churches under the jurisdiction of Constantinople and participate in other sacraments. When the Eucharistic communion breaks, the patriarchs of the quarreling churches cease to remember each other for the liturgy, but the ROC made such a decision even before the complete break: Patriarch Kirill did not remember the priest of Constantinople church Bartholomew for a month. The commemoration begins immediately with the Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria.

Фото: Depositphotos

The ROC has already compiled a list of temples for tourists where it is impossible to pray. Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, secretary of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, noted that the temples of the Constantinople Patriarchate are located, in particular, in Istanbul, Antalya, Crete and Rhodes. The archpriest also recalled that "for refusing to follow this kind of prohibitions, clergy is punished (forgiveness), and for the laity - repentance at confession in disobedience to the Church."

In the Russian Orthodox Church they say that Mount Athos is now also closed to Orthodox from Russia. Patriarch Kirill’s spokesman, the priest Alexander Volkov, reminded that Mount Athos was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople "with all the consequences that this entails." Later in the department of external church relations, it was explained that breaking up relations does not mean a ban on the worship of shrines in Athos - as well as a ban on bringing shrines to Russia from there.

Mount Athos is a self-governing territory within Greece, on which 20 monasteries are located. This mountain is one of the main Orthodox shrines, which many pilgrims, including from Russia, are striving to reach. This is a popular place of pilgrimage for Russian politicians, officials and businessmen. Vladimir Putin has been here twice, in 2005 and 2016.

Фото: Depositphotos

The decision of the ROC was supported by the Belarusian and Ukrainian churches, submitting to Moscow. The chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, Hilarion, stated that the Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Onufry, “participated today in the meeting from beginning to end and, like all members of the Synod, supported his decision” joins the Belarusian Orthodox Church. In turn, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate called the decision of the Russian Orthodox Church “self-isolation in response to the legitimate decisions of the international community.”

ROC is not the first to break off relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In February 1996, the same Patriarch Bartholomew announced that the Patriarchate of Constantinople was taking under its jurisdiction the Estonian Orthodox Church. Three days later, the ROC interrupted the Eucharistic communion with Constantinople, but after a few months it was restored. Now in Estonia there are two Estonian Orthodox churches - the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Moscow Patriarchate.

Фото: Depositphotos

The conflict with Constantinople began because of Ukraine. The largest canonical Orthodox church in Ukraine is the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. Two more Orthodox churches - the UOC Kiev Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - are not dependent on anyone, but they are not recognized by anyone, they are non-canonical. After the 2014 revolution of the year and the beginning of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Kiev began to actively discuss the creation of a new, canonical Ukrainian Orthodox church, which would be autocephalous — that is, independent. The Patriarchate of Constantinople decided to provide the autocephaly of the new church, which is planned to be created on the basis of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the UAOC and the parishes of the UOC MP. The Moscow Patriarchate strongly opposes it because it does not want to lose its influence in Ukraine.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Autocephaly for Ukraine: what Constantinople really decided

Suspicious glass for Cyril: at a meeting of the patriarchs noticed a strange detail. VIDEO

Revelation of the immigrant: why our women are better than American women

Activists in the USA: what the Americans fought for and what came of it

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.