“instead of assisting Patriarch Theodore and his collaborators in their missionary work among the peoples of Africa, the Russian Orthodox Church has chosen to act in competition with them
Similar quotes
“Through these remarks, Metropolitan Epifaniy also aligned his criticism with the position of the Patriarchate of Alexandria regarding the activities of the Russian Church in Africa, describing its representatives there as “Russian ecclesiastical usurpers.”
“zealous followers of the Russian Patriarchate act in the same way as the opponents of the Apostle Paul did
“the Orthodox Russian Federation turned against its Orthodox neighbor
““The fact that, instead of imposing strict demands upon the followers of Russian Pharisaism in Ukraine, we demonstrate humility and call them to fraternal dialogue, mutual understanding and unity—rather than judging them according to the canons, as the Patriarchate of Alexandria has done with similar Russian ecclesiastical usurpers in Africa—does not mean that we lack the right to act in this way,” he said. “Our conciliatory approach must not be interpreted by anyone as supposed evidence that we do not possess this right or that we ourselves harbour doubts about it.
“ingratitude of the Church of Russia toward the Mother Church of Constantinople, from which they received the light of the Christian faith and civilization
“All these events remind us to some extent of our own time, in which the zealous followers of the Russian Patriarchate act in the same way as the opponents of the Apostle Paul,” he said. “They accuse us, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, because we did not receive recognition from them or according to rules they invented. They interpret our humility and patience towards the continued existence in Ukraine of a jurisdiction subordinate to Moscow, as well as our calls for dialogue and ecclesiastical peace, as supposed evidence of our weakness and their own correctness.
“the ingratitude of the Church of Russia – and not only of Russia – toward the Mother Church of Constantinople, from which they received the light of the Christian faith and enlightenment continues
“The Ecumenical Patriarchate has never been a spectator of the course of human affairs