This was announced on the Russia 24 TV channel by the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.
“By the fact that the Patriarch of Constantinople recognized the schismatics, he himself joined the schism. So church canons act. Accordingly, for us the Patriarch of Constantinople is now a schismatic, ”he said.
He noted that those decisions "which he takes" are not recognized by the ROC.
“And we can’t recognize the right that he illegally assimilated to himself, to single-handedly take appeals from local Orthodox churches, to invade the canonical territory of Orthodox churches, to rob, to create some of their structures without the knowledge of the churches. And even more so to annul those documents that more than 300 years ago testified to some kind of church reality that persisted throughout this time and still lasts, ”Hilarion added.
Earlier, in the Russian Orthodox Church, RT commented on the possibility of anathema to the Patriarch of Constantinople.
On October 15, the ROC announced the break in relations with Constantinople. This, it was claimed, was due to decisions taken regarding the church in Ukraine.
At the same time, it was later reported that the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Archdiocese of Orthodox Russian churches in Western Europe, which are part of it, continue to be in communication with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Read more about the current situation in the RT material.