Archimandrite Kyrylo (Hovorun) has stated that the condemnation of the Moscow Patriarchate at the level of Ecumenical Orthodoxy remains unlikely.
In his comments to the Spiritual Front of Ukraine, the theologian justified his opinion by the lack of consensus among the Churches, which is due, among other things, to the powerful influence of the Russian Federation.
The theologian emphasized that the Moscow Patriarchate still has many allies among local churches. As an example of such a local church, he cited the Patriarchate of Antioch, which as a member of the Pentarchy would hardly have voted to condemn the Russian Orthodox Church.
“In world Orthodoxy, as in the UN, there is no single view on the war in Ukraine. On the one hand, there is the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which, like Western nations, understands absolutely clearly what is happening and supports Ukraine. And there are Churches that do not see this war in the same way. They see it as a war of the West against Russia, as an attempt to destroy Orthodoxy…” Archimandrite Kyrylo stated.
In his opinion, the ecclesiastical diplomacy of the aggressor state remains quite powerful. In addition, it has much more resources, therefore it is more efficient. For the Russian Federation and the Moscow Patriarchate, powerful levers of influence over other local churches remain in place. OCU should work more in this direction of the information war with Russia, the theologian believes.
