By Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Panagiotis Kapodistrias
We live in an age where truth is silenced and falsehood wears a priestly robe. The desecration of the sacred has become normalized, theological integrity is distorted, and faith is transformed into an ideological vehicle. What is —and must be— shocking is the cynicism with which all these are proclaimed “in defense of Orthodoxy.” The recent attack by Russia’s SVR intelligence service against Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I is an act of spiritual insult, canonical deviation, and institutional barbarity at the very heart of the Church.
The public targeting of His All-Holiness constitutes a spiritual and ecclesiological event. Discourse shifts from commentary to responsibility. This action reveals a rupture between two visions of the Church: one rooted in synodality, freedom, and relational theology; the other driven by the logic of power, state control, and political manipulation of the sacred.
His All-Holiness himself clearly affirms: “The Ecumenical Patriarch belongs to the whole of Orthodoxy. He expresses its unity, provided that the local Patriarchates and Churches ask him to do so. This canonical responsibility defines my mission.” (ΤΑ ΝΕΑ, January 23, 2026)
This voice rises from the very heart of ecclesial consciousness. The Phanar bears the scars of the Nation’s history, the wisdom of Ecumenical experience, and the burden of the Church’s unity. The presence of Patriarch Bartholomew embodies a ministry of humility, service, and cruciform leadership. Every insult against him strikes simultaneously at the institution, the memory, and the ethos.
Archimandrite Dr. Athenagoras Soupourtzis notes with institutional clarity: “Constantinople is the New Rome, according to the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils. Moscow seeks to become a second Constantinople, without the canonical, historical, and institutional prerequisites.” (ΤΑ ΝΕΑ, January 23, 2026)
The Patriarchate of Moscow, supported by its state leadership, is pursuing a strategy of turning the Church into an instrument of state influence. Metropolitan Elder Emmanuel of Chalcedon points out: “The grace of the Holy Spirit is being displaced by geopolitical expediency. Theology is ousted by the rhetoric of secret services. Spiritual fatherhood gives way to manipulation.” (Kathimerini, 2026)
The Holy Eparchial Synod of Australia characterized the attack as “unholy, vulgar, and false,” identifying a deliberate attempt to wound the Church’s unity by undermining its highest authority. The response does not come through confrontation but through dignified silence, steadfast ministry, and the authenticity of spiritual ethos.
Metropolitan Constantine of Singapore highlights the deeper issue: “The so-called ‘Russian World’ is an ideology, not theology. The Church functions as relationship, not as tool. Faith inspires, sanctifies, guides. The Phanar disturbs because it enlightens.”
The Autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church is an act of canonical restoration. Constantinople acted as Mother Church, guided by the freedom of the people, the healing of spiritual need, and the restoration of ecclesial coherence. His All-Holiness insists: “Autocephaly was granted on ecclesiological and canonical grounds. The Ecumenical Patriarchate fulfills its role with full awareness of its responsibility toward the pleroma of the Churches.”
The Pancretan Association of Theologians expressed “full solidarity with the besieged Ecumenical Patriarchate and unequivocal rejection of any action serving political agendas through slander and insult.” In the same spirit, the Archdiocesan Council of Australia has proclaimed 2026 as the “Year of Patriarch Bartholomew,” honoring a figure of global significance.
The course of the Church is embodied in the consistency of the Phanar. The presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch remains a reference point for the Orthodox world. The freedom of the person, the authenticity of the word, and the testimony of love render the Phanar a true pillar of spirituality.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate stands throughout time as a point of reference for Orthodoxy. Its existence is founded on truth, its witness springs from ethos, its mission serves unity—without exchanges, without dependencies.
Patriarch Bartholomew walks forward as a bearer of responsibility and conviction. He labors quietly, stands firmly, and holds with integrity what others have lost. His presence reveals faith as life, authority as offering, the cross as calling. In his person converge the tradition, responsibility, and hope of Orthodoxy.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου