Bartholomew lifted the anathema from Filaret under US pressure - Patriarch Kirill
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople lifted the anathema from the “Kyiv Patriarch” Filaret (Denisenko) and recognized his schismatic church (OCU) in 2018 under pressure from the United States.
Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill stated this in an interview with the Spas TV channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Phanar (Patriarchate of Constantinople - ed.) committed not a mistake, but a crime. I say this with bitterness. From other people's thoughts and other people's words, the Patriarch of Constantinople did what he did. It is no coincidence that I emphasize that from strangers, because I have information indicating that Patriarch Bartholomew was under strong pressure from a powerful political force associated with one of the superpowers.
His situation in Turkey is very difficult. We always pray for the Patriarch of Constantinople, understanding that it is not easy for him to carry out his patriarchal service. I don’t want to teach my fellow man anything, but at some point, perhaps, you need to gain the strength to say no to the most powerful forces. I think that Patriarch Bartholomew did not say this and got involved in this conflict (in Ukraine - ed.),” Kirill said.
He believes that the main goal of the scam with the creation of the OCU was to split world Orthodoxy.
“The logic of those who stood behind Patriarch Bartholomew and inspired this conflict is to tear Orthodox Russia away from Orthodox brothers and sisters in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. According to these strategists, Orthodoxy played too large a role in the formation of a spiritual and cultural community. Without breaking Orthodox ties, it was impossible to destroy the spiritual community by external factors. The idea is simple: to tear the Russian Church away from the Orthodox in Greece, the Arab world, and the Middle East so that Orthodoxy becomes weaker. Attempts will continue,” the patriarch said.
He is sure that the punishment of the Patriarch of Constantinople followed almost immediately.
“I don’t want to utter any criticism towards my fellow Constantinople, but undoubtedly, everything that happened later in Constantinople (Istanbul) testified to God’s punishment. Patriarch Bartholomew led the schismatics into the Kyiv shrine - Sophia of Kyiv and lost Sophia of Constantinople. It became a mosque. I would like people to think about what happened. It was difficult to imagine a more obvious consequence emanating from God's Providence. The consequences came immediately because the sin was too great,” Kirill said.
He believes that Russian Orthodox Christians should remember Bartholomew together in personal prayers, despite the fact that he is not commemorated in services.
“So that the crisis in Orthodoxy, imposed from the outside, passes quickly. The Russian Church is ready to go its part of the way in order to achieve this goal,” Kirill concluded.
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