Russian Foreign Office: Head of Phanar is a tool to attack Orthodoxy

Sergei Lavrov. Photo: rbc.ru

On May 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the Novoe Znanie marathon that Patriarch Bartholomew is an instrument in the hands of those who attack Orthodoxy, reports IA REGNUM.

According to Lavrov, Washington is trying to split the unity of Orthodox peoples and Churches, and "an attack is underway against Orthodoxy, not only against the Russian Orthodox Church, but also against Orthodoxy in general."

The diplomat is sure that the Patriarch of Constantinople is being leveraged to this end: “The person is absolutely dependent. It is now clear that he is an instrument in the hands of those who want to undermine the position of Orthodoxy."

Mr. Lavrov noted that in Russia the state does not interfere in the affairs of the Church. At the same time, he assured that the state "will not allow other countries to interfere in the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church," and also "will protect Orthodox fellow believers from other states."

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to Sergei Lavrov, the mission of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople is to bury the influence of Orthodoxy in the world at the behest of the United States.

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