The Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III called on the primates of all Orthodox churches in the world to hold a meeting in the capital of Jordan to discuss issues of maintaining pan-Orthodox unity. He made this statement on November 21 at the awards ceremony of the International Public Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Peoples in Moscow.

“We are opening the doors of our house in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to hold a brotherly meeting in love in order to witness to the Church and the world the unity of the Orthodox Church and our Orthodox faith,” said Theophil III.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem also expressed his concern about “the current difficulties that overshadow the life of the Church”, as well as the threats looming over the Orthodox world that arose due to “sad divisions”.

“We stand before God, and we have no other way but to make every effort to protect our unity,” he emphasized.

  • Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow
  • RIA News
  • © Natalya Seliverstova

The Moscow Patriarchate has already commented on the initiative of Feofil III to hold a pan-Orthodox meeting in Amman.

“I want to believe that the patriarch of the historically oldest department of the entire Orthodox Church, the main department in those places where it is located, will become a guarantor and witness of the unity of Orthodoxy, will be able to overcome the consequences of lawless actions against the Ukrainian church,” said the deputy bishop of the Moscow Patriarchate Zelenogradsky Savva (Tutunov).

During the visit of Theophilus III to Moscow, he and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill performed the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In his speech, Patriarch Kirill recalled that now both churches "have a special responsibility" not only for themselves, "but for the fate of world Orthodoxy, which faces the most difficult challenges."

On November 20, Theophilus III and Cyril met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. The head of state noted that fraternal communion between the patriarchs "strengthens the relationship between believers."

The Jerusalem Orthodox Church is considered the oldest, and the canonical territory of the Jerusalem Patriarchate is Jordan, in whose territory Theophilus III proposed to hold a meeting.

Ukrainian split

According to Roman Lunkin, head of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the proposal of Theophil III is of great importance in the context of conflicts and contradictions that have developed in the church world.

“For the first time at the pan-Orthodox level, the current conflict situation will be discussed. This is important, since last year, when the conflict between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople was brewing over the provision of the last autocephaly to Ukrainian schismatics, there was talk of a pan-Orthodox cathedral. But the Patriarch of Bartholomew of Constantinople did not respond to these calls. Therefore, the meeting proposed by the Jerusalem patriarch is the only opportunity for the Orthodox world to discuss complex issues. It is now impossible to assemble a Council of Orthodox churches because of the position of Constantinople, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University.

“A meeting of the Orthodox churches is needed, since a split has really occurred in the Orthodox world. The Orthodox Church, which preserved unity in spite of all the contradictions and difficulties, has now lost this unity as a result of the actions of the Patriarch of Constantinople, ”explained the interlocutor of RT.

  • Petro Poroshenko
  • Reuters
  • © Valentyn Ogirenko

Recall that at the end of 2018, with the administration of the then President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and the Patriarch of Bartholomew of Constantinople, the so-called unification council was held in Kiev, in which representatives of two schismatic structures - the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) and the UOC-KP took part.

The Cathedral decided to create the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU), the head of which was the former bishop of the UOC-KP Epiphanius (Dumenko), who received the title of Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine.

Moreover, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the largest in number of parishioners and the only canonical in the country, ignored this event.

Earlier, the UAOC and the UOC-KP leaders appealed to Constantinople with a request to grant autocephaly to the new Ukrainian church, which was planned to be created from non-canonical structures. An active lobbyist of this idea was Petro Poroshenko, who proclaimed as his campaign slogan the slogan “Army, Move, Vira” (“Army, Language, Faith”).

Bartholomew’s decision to provide PCU with autocephaly did not meet with understanding in the Orthodox world.

According to the doctor of church history, candidate of historical sciences priest Oleksandr Mazyrin, Ukrainian history exposed the problem of ambitions of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who made the decision on autocephaly alone, thus placing himself above the rest of the Orthodox patriarchs.

“He exposed a problem of a special scale and revealed such distortions of ecclesiology by Phanar that are difficult to qualify as heresy,” Mazyrin noted in an article for the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Of the fifteen Orthodox churches, the decision of Patriarch Bartholomew was supported, with the exception of Phanar himself (the Patriarch of Constantinople), only two: the Greek and Alexandrian Orthodox churches.

For its part, the Russian Orthodox Church stopped the Eucharistic communion with the head of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Jerome of Athens. A similar decision was made with respect to the Alexandrian patriarch: his name is no longer remembered when the patriarchal services are held in the Russian Orthodox Church. The breakdown of Eucharistic communion also occurred with the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.

"Realize the fatalities"

According to experts, Orthodox hierarchs who supported Constantinople are unlikely to arrive at a meeting in Amman announced by Theophilus III.

“Most likely, this idea will not be approved by the initiators of the split, led by the Patriarch of Constantinople,” Shapovalov said.

According to the expert, the church conflict is reflected in the political sphere, despite the fact that in most Christian countries religion is separated from the state at the constitutional level.

“The church conflict is reflected in political life, in political activity. Contradictions between church communities and hierarchs lead to complications in relations between states. At the same time, inter-church dialogue, the formation of a consensus position on issues on which there are contradictions, will contribute to the rapprochement of political systems of various states, ”Shapovalov added.

  • Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
  • © Official site of the Jerusalem Patriarchate

At the same time, the expert drew attention to the fact that Jordan was chosen as a meeting place for a reason: in recent years, the Middle East has become a dangerous place for Orthodox communities, there have even been cases of genocide of the Orthodox population by terrorist structures.

“The election of Amman as a platform for inter-church dialogue is not only symbolic, since it is a holy land, but also deeply important from the point of view of political realities. Russia, including the Russian Orthodox Church, is making serious efforts to help Orthodox communities in the Middle East, ”said Shapovalov.

According to Roman Silantyev, a member of the Expert Council on State Religious Expertise under the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, the idea of ​​holding a meeting of Orthodox patriarchs in Jordan is a little late and today will not bring the necessary effect.

“The Alexandrian and Hellenic patriarchs have already recognized the Ukrainian PCU, now they are unlikely to back down, so as not to lose face. The initiative to hold such a meeting is good, but it is unlikely to have a practical effect. However, it’s better to openly discuss the split than to create the appearance of agreement that is no longer there, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

A different point of view is held by Roman Lunkin. In his opinion, the very fact of such a meeting will become one of the great victories of church diplomacy and the Russian Orthodox Church.

“Sooner or later, supporters of the Patriarchate of Constantinople will realize the destructive approach of Bartholomew, who took on the role of ruler of the Orthodox world, arbiter of the fate of different peoples. This is not a gospel position, ”the expert summed up.