MEMBER OF SYNODAL COMMISSION OF RUSSIAN CHURCH CALLS REPORT OF PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW AT COUNCIL IN ISTANBUL HERETICAL
Interfax-Religiia, 6 September 2018
A member of the synod's biblical and theological commission of the Moscow patriarchate, Archpriest Andrei Novikov, called "heresy" the speech by Patriarch Bartholomew at the Synaxis (council) in Istanbul, where he spoke of exclusive rights of the Constantinople church to resolve problems of the Orthodox world.
"All these statements: that without the Constantinople patriarchate all other local churches are 'sheep without a shepherd,' that Constantinople possesses a certain exclusivity, that it represents its own ethos or nation of Orthodoxy, that it has special rights of supreme jurisdiction over the whole church and guarantees its unity—all of this repeats the Roman Catholic views of the role of a pope in the church, and this is absolute and pure heresy," the priest declared on Thursday to an Interfax-Religiia correspondent.
On the whole, according to the representative of the theological commission, in this speech of Patriarch Bartholomew are collected what different theologians of Constantinople have said earlier, also.
"This is a trend which has existed since the Middle Ages, but was especially intensified in the 20th century, acquiring hypertrophied forms—a trend toward so-called 'eastern papism,'" Father Andrei said.
However, he added, whereas previously such discussions occurred at the level of the opinion of individual hierarchs, now this is a speech at the Synaxis, an assembly of all bishops of Constantinople, and "nobody protested" it; that is, the point of view voiced by the patriarch has become conciliar.
In the opinion of the representative of the biblical and theological commission, "it will be very difficult in the future" for the Moscow patriarchate "to remain in communion with people who are actually trying to impose a Roman Catholic model on the Orthodox church. It contradicts the way Jesus Christ created the church."
At the same time, the priest noted especially that, in contrast with the Roman Catholic Church, where this is presented as the primacy of the pope and it still was approved by a Catholic ecumenical council, in Istanbul "there is no need for this—here simply at a meeting of the hierarchs of Constantinople, representing 3 percent of the Orthodox of the earth, things are proclaimed as if they are obligatory for the entire Orthodox world."
"This is simply outright mockery of the whole church. It is simply impossible to tolerate this, just as it is impossible to exist with this while remaining a united church," Father Andrei summed up. (tr. by PDS, posted 6 September 2018)
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