METROPOLITAN COMPARES DECISION ON CONSTANTINOPLE WITH BREAKING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
RIA Novosti, 14 September 2018
The head of the Department for External Church Relations (OVTsS) of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion, compared the decision made by the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (RPTs) regarding Constantinople with a break in diplomatic relations.
On Friday, the Constantinople patriarchate reported that "within the framework of preparation for granting autocephaly to the Orthodox church in Ukraine" it appointed its own exarchs in Kiev, Archbishop of Pamphilon Daniel from the U.S.A. and Bishop of Edmonton Ilarion from Canada. Also, according to the decision of the synod, Patriarch Kirill is stopping the commemoration of Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, but eucharistic fellowship between the churches is not interrupted.
"In essence, this is a break of relations; if one takes an example from secular life, then the decision is approximately equivalent to breaking diplomatic relations," Metropolitan Ilarion said.
He said that subsequent decisions of the Russian Orthodox Church will depend on the actions of Constantinople. "If they take their black affair to its conclusion, we will completely sever eucharistic fellowship with them," Metropolitan Ilarion added.
"What will this mean? It will be that the Constantinople patriarch, who often positions himself as the head of the 300-million Orthodox population of the planet (at least he is often called that in news media) will then not be the case. At least half of the Orthodox population of the planet will not recognizes him even as the first among equals," the head of the OVTsS emphasized.
Recalling that "the perfidious and despicable plan" of Constantinople was conducted in several stages, the metropolitan assured that the response of the Russian church also will be phased. "At first a temporary cessation of prayerful commemoration of the patriarch of Constantinople and withdrawal from all those bodies where representatives of Constantinople are chairmen or co-chairmen—these are episcopal assemblies that occur in America that include canonical bishops from all countries and theological dialogues. That is, the essence is cutting off all contacts," the metropolitan explained.
He said that a full break in relations is possible only after the absence of a reaction to these steps. "At each stage (of its reaction) the church gives a person the opportunity to stop and repent," he concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 September 2018)
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