Constantinople responds to Russia's criticism of Patriarch Bartholomew

Patriarch Bartholomew in the Kremlin with the ROC Patriarch and the RF President. Photo: Kremlin Press Service

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has officially responded to harsh criticism directed at Patriarch Bartholomew by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia (SVR), which accused him of plans to displace the Russian Orthodox Church from the Baltic countries and seeking to legitimize the so-called Montenegrin Church. The Russians also called the Ecumenical Patriarch "the devil incarnate" and "the antichrist in cassock." In a press release, the Patriarchate described such accusations as “fake news” and assured that they would not affect its “ecumenical mission".

"Since 2018, when the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to grant Autocephalous status to the Church of Ukraine, the Mother Church has avoided commenting on the countless similar attacks that have come from either ecclesiastical or political centers and individuals in Russia. It does the same today," the text states.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Patriarch Bartholomew promised not to revoke the Tomos from the OCU.

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