EP acting on his own, says Moscow spokesman

(RISU) - The chief foreign spokesman of the Russian Orthodox Church has expressed some misgivings that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople will be meeting Pope Francis during the Pontiff’s visit to the Holy Land.

Metropolitan Hilarion said that because Patriarch Bartholomew had not consulted with other Orthodox leaders before scheduling his meeting with the Pope, he would be acting on his own behalf, not as a representative of the world’s Orthodox faithful. Although the Patriarch of Constantinople is traditionally recognized as the “first among equals” in the Orthodox hierarchy, the Russian Orthodox argues that he exercises that primacy only when other Orthodox patriarchs explicitly authorize him to do so. In the absence of such a mandate, Metropolitan Hilarion said, Patriarch Bartholomew will be representing only his own particular church, the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Comments

  1. TimmyMay 24, 2014 at 7:38 PM

    I thinks it's hard to argue with Metropolitan Hilarion's logic on this point, especially if we place this in the context of Apostolic Canon 34.

    ReplyDelete
  2. maximusMay 24, 2014 at 11:51 PM

    Perhaps he's acting on behalf of us in the U.S. as well.

    http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/news/2014/joint-statement-celebrating-the-meeting-of-ecumenical-patriarch-bartholomew-and-pope-francis

    I notice that this statement was signed by only one (Greek) Orthodox bishop.

    ReplyDelete
  3. trifMay 25, 2014 at 6:49 AM

    Let the Russophiles roar!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 25, 2014 at 1:47 PM

    Thank God for Russia. This extreme ecumenism is a travesty!

    ReplyDelete
  5. sashaMay 25, 2014 at 9:18 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. sashaMay 25, 2014 at 9:21 PM

    +Hilarion is right of course. After the Uniates arrested him in the Ukraine .. or was he detained??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 27, 2014 at 11:22 AM

      Please Sasha, the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine had nothing to do with Metropolitan Hilarion being detained. The Greek Catholic Church is a minority in Ukraine. Perhaps it was the good Metropolitan's political views that made the Ukrainian government, not the UGCC, detain him. But then again, anything to bash the poor Uniates, right?

      Delete

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