“The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (AEP) has called upon the Patriarchate of Moscow and His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill to end their support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as to cease all uncanonical interference in other territories that lay outside of Moscow’s patriarchal jurisdiction,” the statement read.
The Archons cited remarks from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in May 2022, where he condemned the Russian Church’s stance on the war.
“In stark contrast, in May 2022, His All-Holiness sharply criticized Kirill’s stance, saying: ‘It would not be possible for all the Churches not to condemn the violence, the war. But the Church of Russia let us down. I did not want the Church of Russia and Brother Patriarch Kirill to be this tragic exception.'”
The statement also addressed Russian interference in African Orthodox affairs, which fall under the jurisdiction of Patriarchate of Alexandria.
“In Oct. 2022, His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa and recipient of the 2022 Athenagoras Human Rights Award, briefed U.S. President Joe Biden, himself the recipient of the Athenagoras Human Rights Award in 2015, on Russia’s uncanonical intrusion into Africa,” it read.
Concluding the statement, the Archons reiterated their appeal to the Russian Church to halt all uncanonical activities for the preservation of Orthodox unity.
“The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate echo these
concerns and once again call upon the Moscow Patriarchate to end its
aggression and uncanonical activities, for the sake of the unity of the
Holy Orthodox Church and the well-being of Orthodox Christians
worldwide.”