Expert: Phanar wants to bring the Church to heel instead of autocephaly

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople

Constantinople chose to subordinate the Church in Ukraine. This was said by expert Viacheslav Pikhovshek on the air of the program "Subjective results” on September 9.

"At the moment, the Kiev Patriarchate and Poroshenko were left behind," Pikhovshek said. “They both advocated the recognition of the full independence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, and Constantinople rigidly biffed them on the nose. If Constantinople is determined to bring the Church in Ukraine to its heel, granting autocephaly looks out of place."

The expert noted that Poroshenko, responding to all the news concerning the Tomos, has not yet made any "victorious" statements in light of the appointments of the exarchs to Kiev.

"The decision of Constantinople on the Exarchate rubs the wrong way all the policies that [Petro Poroshenko] has promoted over the past months," Pikhovshek explained. “How can he now explain to his electorate that "one of the pillars of statehood”, the Church, will be brought under the control of the external power of Constantinople and, possibly, Turkey?"

According to Pikhovshek, the same situation affected the Kiev Patriarchate, which risks losing its independence.

"I’ve repeatedly quoted Filaret's words that he wants to get 'neither under the yoke of Moscow nor under the yoke of Constantinople'," the expert recalled. “It turns out that campaigning passionately for the Tomos, this religious structure also shot itself in the foot."

At the same time, according to Pikhovshek, the Kiev Patriarchate and Poroshenko continue to "feed everybody with promises" that after the Exarchate in Ukraine has been established Constantinople will give them autocephaly; however, this can happen in 5 or 500 years.

Earlier, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople appointed Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon (the U.S) and Bishop Hilarion of Edmonton (Canada) as its exarchs in Kiev "within the framework of the preparations for the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine". The ROC expressed resolute protest and deep outrage over the decision of the Constantinople Patriarchate, adding that the response to Phanar’s actions will promptly ensue.

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