The Greek-language pro-Russian media outlet Romfea has once again been exposed for disinformation on church issues. In their latest stunt, the platform claimed that honorary patriarch Filaret had appointed schismatic Auxentius (Marines) to the position of “patriarchal exarch in Athens, tasked to engage with the Ukrainian diaspora in Greece.”
The relevant article was published on Romfea on January 25, containing a screenshot of a document issued by the UCO-KP, the organization that has long been liquidated. However, the document has no mention whatsoever of Filaret “appointing” anyone to become an “exarch” in Greece and neither does it address the issue of relations with the diaspora in Greece or Athens in particular.
The website of the liquidated UOC-KP, as well as the document published by Romfea, states that the UOC-KP Council changed the title of Auxentius from “Metropolitan of Aegina” to “Metropolitan of Chersonesos and Volnovakha.” There is nothing about him becoming “patriarchal exarch in Greece.” However, this did not prevent the ROC’s propaganda resources and their wannabe experts, such as Cyrpus-based asset Voznesensky, from claiming an “OCU invasion of Greece,” referring to the Romfea piece.
However, lies just don’t end there. It should be noted that none of the bishops ordained by Filaret are OCU bishops as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine considers them illegitimately ordained. Earlier, the OCU banned honorary Patriarch Filaret from performing any episcopal ordinations without the consent of the OCU Synod and noted that such “bishops” would not be admitted to the OCU clergy in the future. Therefore, the OCU could “invade Greece” only in the ill fantasies of Russian experts. Thus, a new portion of lies, based on even more lies, was poured out on the Greek-speaking audiences in order to discredit the OCU and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
It should be recalled that we earlier wrote of Filaret joining the effort to fabricate fake news targeting the OCU.