Patriarch Kirill of Moscow remains on the path of isolating the ROC from all those who have recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
As he sent Christmas greetings to the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches, he addressed only nine of the 14 (excluding the ROC) Local Churches, as well as the unrecognized Church of America.
That’s according to a report posted on the ROC website, Religion Pravda wrote.
The greeting was addressed in particular to Patriarch John X of Greater Antioch and All the East, Patriarch Theophilus III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, Catholicos-Patriarch Elijah II of All Georgia, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, Patriarch Daniel of Romania, Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria, Archbishop Anastasi of Tirana and All Albania, Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada.
Therefore the Local Churches that had recognized the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine were left out. These are the churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Cyprus, Greece, as well as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine itself.
It should be recalled that religious expert Oleksandr Yefremenko earlier penned an op-ed about the “peacekeeping” and occupation activities the ROC attempts to pursue in the Jerusalem Patriarchate. He noted that the ROC remains on the path of self-isolation. Also in Africa, the leader of the group of priests who switched to the Russian Church was found killed.
