Patriarch Bartholomew complains about ethnophyletism within the ROC

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: orthodoxianewsagency

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople wrote a letter to Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, in which he spoke of a serious danger – ethnophyletism, which makes the Church "internally ill and exhausted in a catastrophic introversion, facing the ever-increasing deadly cancer of nationalist ideology."

He condemned the ROC for encroachment into the canonical boundaries of the Alexandrian Patriarchate and stated that the ROC hierarchs would answer to God for their grave ecclesiastical transgressions and the damage inflicted on the Alexandrian Church, particularly on the souls of thousands of new converts seeking salvation within the Orthodox Church.

The Patriarch of Constantinople accused the ROC hierarchs of the mob-like behavior and preferring racial dominance over church unity. "They obey not the humble Christ but the mighty gold," said Patriarch Bartholomew. "They shamelessly declare that they are Russians first and then Orthodox. From the old days, they altered the ecclesiastical order that was delivered to them genuinely, the vestments, even the offikia and traditions, to make it clear to everyone that they differ and excel."

The letter also addresses Russia’s war in Ukraine and the stance of the Russian Orthodox Church. “Today, they gladly bless the sacred weapons, the murderous ones, against the Orthodox Ukrainians who defend the territorial integrity of their country,” Bartholomew writes.

Concluding his letter, the head of the Constantinople Patriarchate assured Patriarch Theodore that the Alexandrian Church does not stand alone in facing these challenges.

As the UOJ reported previously, Patriarch Bartholomew, who has made repeated statements against ethnophyletism in the Church, urged Greeks to be proud of their heritage.

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