The Russian Church has left one more move in reserve against Bartholomew
The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, meeting in Minsk today, did not make a decision on declaring anathema against Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for legalizing Ukrainian schismatics, as it postponed this step in case Kyiv does receive a tomos of autocephaly.
This forecast was made by Orthodox publicist Kirill Frolov, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“The anathema should not have been imposed precisely at this meeting of the Synod. There will be a “Tomos”, and there will be an anathema,” explains the author.
“If there is a Tomos, then the anathema will not wait for 5 years, as was the case with Filaret (five years passed between his defrocking and the anathema),” Frolov also noted.
However, the publicist clarified, “even without the anathema, the attitude towards the Patriarchate of Constantinople is now the same as towards non-Orthodox people - it is now impossible to pray, receive communion, be baptized, get married and have funeral services with them.”
“Anathema is a statement of his final and irrevocable falling away from the Church, an absolute break with it. Before this, the Church awaits the repentance of the Patriarch of one Local Church who rebelled against Her,” Frolov noted.
The Russian Church has one more move in reserve against Bartholomew.