WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2021) The behavior of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople represents a big problem for holding an Pan-Orthodox Council that would include all Orthodox churches throughout the world, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) told Sputnik.
"Holding such council is a good thing, but the Constantinople Patriarchate has its own idea about what does Orthodox unity mean. That is the big problem for all Orthodox churches," Metropolitan Hilarion said.
The Greek Orthodox Church holds the idea that the Constantinople patriarch is in charge of the Orthodoxy, Hilarion noted.
Ten out of fourteen generally acknowledged local Orthodox churches participated in the previous Pan-Orthodox Council organized in Greece in 2016. The Russian, Antioch, Georgian and Bulgarian churches refrained from participating in the meeting.
Relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Constantinople Patriarchate deteriorated after the creation of so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church initiated by Ukraine's then-President Petro Poroshenko and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.
The new church was granted autocephaly, the status of an autonomous Christian church.
