Kremlin church propagandists ring the alarm, again. Until recently, they had been sure that no one would recognize the “political project” – this is how they refer to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine – but this time they are mad because the Bulgarian and Romanian Orthodox Churches refused to obey the dictates from Moscow in church matters.
“We are losing Bulgaria and Romania!” pro-Kremlin ideologues are now screaming out, accusing these countries of “betraying the interests of the Russian Church” only because they want to preserve the canonical connection with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and recognize the canonicality of the decision on the autocephaly of the OCU.
Moscow revisionists got hysterical after the Bulgarian and Romanian hierarchs expressed their will to maintain good relations with Constantinople. This is unacceptable for the Kremlin because it considers the entire Orthodox world to be the area of its exclusive influence.
Russia poured mud on Bulgarians and Romanians, accusing them of falling subordinate to the “Istanbul Pope” and sealing ties with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. These lame accusations are nothing more than a desperate attempt by Moscow to preserve what they believe is their “canonical monopoly”.
The Kremlin “experts” were also outraged by the five hierarchs of the Bulgarian Church co-serving the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. For those in Moscow, this became another “flagrant canonical violation”, although in fact it is a completely normal canonical practice of Eucharistic unity between local churches.
“No one from the top church leadership of the Bulgarian Patriarchate dared to express their attitude to the co-service of part of the episcopate with representatives of the OCU, which took place shortly before the Synod,” “experts” say.
As for the Romanian Church, pro-Russian forces paid attention to the invitation of Patriarch Bartholomew to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the acquisition of the status of Patriarch of the Romanian Church. The hierarchs of the OCU are supposed to arrive at the event and there will be a co-service with the clergy of the Romanian Church.
Kremlin ideologues foresee the “fall” of the two Churches over their co-service with the OCU. However, co-service with Kirill Gundyaev, who blesses the murders of Ukrainians, is no embarrassment to them.
In fact, Bulgaria and Romania act canonically, maintaining Eucharistic communication with the mother Church of Constantinople – a sincere stronghold of true Orthodoxy, free from Kremlin neo-colonialism and propaganda of criminal and sinful war. It was the Ecumenical Patriarchate that previously provided the Tomos of autocephaly to the Romanian and Bulgarian Churches.
Spiritual Front of Ukraine
