DECR MP Chairman: Patriarch Bartholomew lost his canonical consciousness

The recognition of Ukrainian schismatics and self-ordained persons by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople indicates that he has completely lost his canonical consciousness, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk said in the Church and Peace program, the DECR MP official website reported.

Commenting on the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church that the head of Phanar no longer has the right to call himself the leader of Orthodoxy, the hierarch of the ROC said that the legitimacy of the current bishops who serve in the Church is based solely on the fact of apostolic succession, viz. the continuous chain of ordinations. At the same time, the Patriarch of Constantinople recognized the Ukrainian schismatics, whose hierarchy is completely illegitimate. “The so-called ‘hierarchy’ of one of the branches of the Ukrainian schism originated from two adventurers – a fugitive deacon posing as a bishop and a defrocked bishop. Patriarch Bartholomew recognized these impostors as bishops,” said Metropolitan Hilarion.

In addition, according to the hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, by his sole decision the head of Phanar somehow abolished the multimillion-strong Ukrainian Orthodox Church and “transferred” all its rights to the new structure he had created – the OCU. Now with the help of loyal authorities Patriarch Bartholomew is trying to ensure that the property of the canonical Church be transferred to this structure. “All these acts are so illegal, so much insane, as His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said, that they testify to the fact that Patriarch Bartholomew has completely lost his canonical consciousness. Moreover, he has lost the idea that he must act coherently with other Local Churches,” summed up Metropolitan Hilarion.

As the UOJ reported, the Russian Orthodox Church said that Bartholomew had no right to call himself the leader of Orthodoxy.