Metropolitan Amphilochius of Montenegro: Slogan «Independent Church to Independent Country» is anti-evangelic (VIDEO)

Metropolitan Amphilochius of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church told the UOJ correspondent, in issue of ethnophyletism, i.e. prevalence of national interests over church-wide ones, was of particular consideration at the Pan-Orthodox Council held in Crete in 2016.

«The Great Holy Council in Crete re-affirmed: the Constantinople Council of 1872, where eyhnophyletism was condemned as venom destroying the Church, upon the proposal of Patriarch Irinej our our delegation (Serbian Orthodox Church – ed.) was granted the status of the Council of ecumenical scale,» said His Eminence Amphilochius.

«What does it mean? Nobody in the Orthodox world has ever identified nation and Church, state and Church. This is a heresy, falsehood against the Church. The slogan about each independent state and nation being bound to have their own Church is per se anti-evangelic,» claimed the hierarch.

«The Church has respect for both the Ukrainian nation and Montenegrin nation. Yet the Church has a unique organisation: She is older than any state and nobody has the right to interfere into the internal structure of local autocephalous Churches. This is their prerogative,» he added.