Granting autocephaly to the unrecognized so-called “Kyiv Patriarchate” will be the first step towards the collapse of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Political scientist Ruslan Bortnik said this on air on the First Cossack TV channel, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to the expert, the Russian Orthodox Church, in response to such a decision, will declare its support and recognition of a number of schismatic churches in Constantinople.
“I perceive this situation as a continuation of the conflict between the Church of Constantinople and the Russian Orthodox Church regarding the Pan-Orthodox Council. This is a resentment over the disruption of the Pan-Orthodox Council, now they are trying to return it to the Russian Orthodox Church in a political way, to put pressure on its most painful place, putting pressure on the UOC. I think that the parties will find a compromise and understanding, because I am sure that if not the Patriarch of Constantinople himself, then his entourage understands perfectly well that such a Tomos will mean a pan-Orthodox, global world war,” the political scientist said.
He also notes that the Church of Constantinople is much weaker than the Russian Orthodox Church in terms of parishioners, influence and finances, and therefore will not be able to win in a hypothetical confrontation.
“She has a lot of problems herself. Starting from the Greek unrecognized churches, ending with the Turkish Orthodox Church, unrecognized. What will happen if the Russian Orthodox Church begins to recognize all these schisms that the Church of Constantinople has? Tomorrow Tomos will begin issuing Kirill to the Turkish Orthodox Church, Greek churches and everyone else. How will this end? This will end with the defeat and collapse of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the narrowing of its influence to one quarter in modern Istanbul,” Bortnik believes.