Piraeus, Greece, July 13, 2020
Photo: pravoslavie.ru
The Orthodox Church is currently suffering from a lack of unity between Local Churches and Orthodox countries, and this sad reality is among the reasons for the current situation with the Agia Sophia cathedral being converted into a mosque once again, believes His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus of the Greek Orthodox Church.
In particular, Met. Seraphim, one of the most outspoken and traditional of the hierarchs of the Greek Church, cited the Patriarch Bartholomew’s ill-conceived interference in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that led to the rupture in communion between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates, reports Romfea.
Local Churches and Orthodox countries are also busy “clinging to heretics” instead of uniting into a powerful Orthodox force, Met. Seraphim lamented.
“I hope it is now clear how tragic a mistake it was to grant autocephaly to schismatics and a self-ordained gathering in Ukraine at the behest of the Euro-Atlanticists, because this event destroyed the unity of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches,” His Eminence stressed.
“Honestly, I am saddened because those of us who oppose the ecumenical monster and the internationalist system are so directly justified,” Met. Seraphim said, noting that Orthodox countries have been more interested in courting the Latins for the past 100 years than in forming a powerful Orthodox alliance.
He also called upon the Greek government to immediately respond to the Turkish abuse of Agia Sophia, but not to expect “any significant support from international organizations.”
His Eminence spoke in a similar vein earlier in the month, noting that Orthodox countries continue to invest in the Western world, although the Western world continually betrays them.
Alexander Schipkov, the Deputy Head of the World Russian People’s Council and the First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Church’s Synodal Department for Relations Between the Church, Society, and the Media, voiced the same view as Met. Seraphim, saying, “The political decision of the Turkish authorities to turn the Agia Sophia into a mosque was the result of the actions of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who caused a split in world Orthodoxy.”
“I believe that the fault for this lies entirely with Patriarch Bartholomew, who caused a split in world Orthodoxy. The issuing of a false tomos to Ukrainian schismatics didn’t remain just an event within the internal life of Ukraine, but led to huge problems in the relations of the Orthodox Churches and to a significant weakening of world Orthodoxy, which Erdoğan took advantage of,” the analyst said.
