Archons: The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church attacked the privileges of our Patriarchate
The Archons of the Phanar stated that the Russian Orthodox Church is waging a systematic “disinformation war” against Constantinople.
The Archons of Constantinople published a text in which they accused Moscow of a systematic attack on the status of the Phanar. In the authors’ view, Russia is using organized disinformation and influence campaigns against Patriarch Bartholomew.
The main target of the archons’ criticism was Patriarch Kirill’s speech at the Reception House of the Russian Foreign Ministry in April 2026. They called this speech a “non-canonical attack on the special responsibilities of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.”
The archons claim that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s theses about a “foreign teaching” are a “flagrant denial of the Church’s established canonical procedure.” As an argument, they cite the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which, in their interpretation, granted Constantinople the right to hear appeals from clerics of other metropolises.
Representatives of the Phanar are convinced that the words of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church are part of a “carefully designed system” of disinformation intended to “weaken and ultimately destroy our Holy Mother Church of Constantinople” for the sake of “Russia’s global political ambitions.”
According to the archons, proof of the information attack is the broad media coverage of Patriarch Kirill’s speech, pointing to the significant attention this speech received from the TASS agency.
An additional argument in favor of the “information war” version for the archons was the January statement by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. In it, the intelligence service criticized Patriarch Bartholomew, accusing him of the “dismemberment of Orthodox Ukraine.” The Phanariots emphasized that this text spread in more than 1,800 publications within a week.
The archons also accused Moscow of “violating the canonical order” because of the Russian Orthodox Church’s activities in Africa. They called the creation of an exarchate there a “hybrid influence operation” disguised as pastoral care. In conclusion, the archons stated that they do not have “sophisticated propaganda tools,” but they will oppose Russia’s actions with the “power of truth.”
As the UOJ reported, an archon of Constantinople proposed convening a Council of Primates.
