Phanar head: Those calling ecumenism as heresy break unity of the Church

Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Gordon

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople is convinced that those who “under the pretext” of defending true Orthodoxy call ecumenism heresy violate the unity of the Orthodox Church. He said this in an interview with the Italian Avvenire newspaper .

In particular, according to him, in today's Orthodox world "there are various groups that demonstrate an extreme anti-ecumenical spirit and characterize ecumenism as a "pan-heresy".

“The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, held in Crete in 2016, condemned all those who violate the unity of the Church (Relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of Christendom, § 22) “under the pretext of preserving or presumably protecting true Orthodoxy,” said the head of Phanar, answering the question about the ongoing "resistance on the path to complete unity" within the Orthodox Church.

As reported by the UOJ, Patriarch Bartholomew said he had never been an advocate of the "introversion" of Orthodoxy, and the path to Christian unity is a central theme of his relationship with the head of the RCC.

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