DECR MP: We received nothing but schism from Patriarch Bartholomew

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev). Photo: tatmitropolia.ru

The chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (DECR MP), Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), in the programme “Church and World” on the Russia 24 TV channel, said that the Russian Orthodox Church received nothing but schism from Patriarch Bartholomew.

“We remember very well where we got the Orthodox faith – we got it from Constantinople, but only Patriarch Bartholomew did not participate at all in this. We did not receive any Orthodox faith from him, we did not receive anything good from him – only the schism that he caused right on the canonical territory of our church,” said Metropolitan Hilarion.

“Under the guise of healing the schism, Patriarch Bartholomew legalized the schism, and now he is trying to force everyone to recognize this unlawful and anti-canonical act. We do not need such an "elder brother", who does not care about us, who does not care about Orthodox canons and Orthodox unity," added the head of the DECR MP.

As previously reported, Patriarch Bartholomew postponed his visit to Athos due to the outbreak of COVID among the monks.

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