Hierarch of Constantinople: We hold highest authority in Orthodox Church
Archbishop Elpidophoros. Photo: Orthodox Observer
Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Church of Constantinople in America said in an interview with Viche that the Ecumenical Patriarchate bears that name because it “grants canonical status to any Church, to any ecclesiastical structure.”
“And that is precisely why it is called the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We have the highest authority in the Orthodox Church. Of course, not in the same way as in the Roman Catholic Church, where the highest authority belongs to the pope, but we have an Orthodox highest authority with our own rules, in accordance with the canons of the Ecumenical Councils,” the archbishop stated.
He emphasized that “if the Ecumenical Patriarchate truly had the right to grant autocephaly and patriarchal status to the Russian Church, then that same Ecumenical Patriarchate also has the right to do so for other Local autocephalous Churches or local Churches, whenever it considers it appropriate.”
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a hierarch of Constantinople urged the UOC to begin commemorating Patriarch Bartholomew.
Read also
Clergy of Serbian and Greek Churches celebrate Divine Liturgy in Belgrade
A joint Divine Liturgy of clergy from the Serbian and Greek Churches was celebrated in the Serbian capital with the participation of pilgrims from Greece, underscoring the unity of the faith.
Wonderworking Theotokos icon honored at Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos
At Vatopedi on Mount Athos, on the feast of the Life-Giving Spring icon, the monks and clergy celebrated the Divine Liturgy and held a procession with the monastery’s wonderworking icon of the Mother of God.
St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv switches to new calendar
Starting May 1, services at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral will be celebrated according to the new calendar.
Thousands take part in March for Life in Warsaw to defend family and faith
Polish President Karol Nawrocki joined the mass procession held to mark the 1,060th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland.
Israeli soldier destroys statue of Christ in Lebanon
In the Lebanese village of Debel, an IDF serviceman smashed the face of the Savior on a crucifix with hammer blows.
Shostatsky again complains of personnel shortage in OCU
The head of the Khmelnytskyi eparchy of the OCU has once again acknowledged an acute shortage of clergy – when communities “transfer” from the UOC, priests refuse to join the OCU.