Patriarch Bartholomew has expressed concern that a third world war could break out over Ukraine. His concerns are valid and he is right to speak out and urge everyone to restrain themselves. The problem however is that he has no credibility.
Patriarch Bartholomew’s intervention in Ukraine effectively led to the Ecumenical Patriarchate aligning itself politically with Washington against Moscow. The Church became a political pawn in all this. As far as Russia is concerned, neither the Patriarch nor the Greek speaking world has any influence in Moscow.
Before the Ukraine crisis broke out the Greek Orthodox world had much influence in Russia. The Monasteries of Mount Athos were beloved by the Russians. When Elder Ephraim of Vatopaidi Monastery was arrested in Greece in 2011 the Russians were his biggest supporters.
Greek clerics and theologians once highly esteemed in Orthodoxy have lost their reputations because they sided with Constantinople in Ukraine. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has succeeded in conquering the Greek speaking Orthodox Churches but he has angered and alienated the rest of the Orthodox world.
The Church of Greece is now subjugated under Constantinople and falling into total ruin. The majority of bishops are afraid of challenging Patriarch Bartholomew’s un Orthodox teachings. The Church of Cyprus is divided. The Patriarchate of Alexandria is losing priests and faithful to the Russian exarchate.
Who now will listen to the Ecumenical Patriarchate? Without the Church crisis the Ecumenical Patriarch would have stood as an elder statesman of Orthodoxy. All the Orthodox respected him as being “first among equals”. Without the schism Patriarch Bartholomew could have used his office to serve as a bridge between Washington and Moscow.
This is now an impossible task with the Russians having been alienated and Orthodoxy divided for the foreseeable future. Anti war statements from the Ecumenical Patriarch are very much welcome but will fall on deaf ears in both Washington and Moscow. Moscow because of the Church schism and Washington because they have gotten what they needed from Patriarch Bartholomew and do not care what he has to say.
What a terrible situation when the world is headed for a horrific war the Orthodox Church remains divided. It is terrible to reflect that Constantinople divided the Orthodox Church.