Patriarch Bartholomew: I did not take money from Poroshenko, only sweets

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko “from the great joy that the country managed to achieve autocephaly” sent lots of sweets and chocolate from the Roshen factory to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.  That was Patriarch Bartholomew’s response to bribery charges for granting autocephaly to Ukraine, reports ORTHODOXIA.INFO.

“Although the Russian Church accuses me of taking money for this autocephaly; in fact, I did not receive money, but a lot of candies and chocolate from Poroshenko’s factory,” the patriarch said at a meeting with the children who came to congratulate him and sing carols.
 

Earlier, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko admitted that for him autocephaly is “an organic part of a meaningful and verified strategy aimed at final decolonization”. According to many experts, the creation of the OCU is part of the election campaign of the current president. The head of the newly formed Church Epiphany has already voiced in a telephone conversation with the Russian prankers, who called him on behalf of European Council deputy David McAllister, that he sees only Petro Poroshenko as the President of Ukraine.

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