DISINFO: The granting of autocephaly to Ukraine was an unlawful 'démarche' by Patriarch Bartholomew
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: vesti.ua (archived)*
  • Date of publication: February 27, 2020
  • Outlet language(s): Russian
  • Reported in: Issue 186
  • Countries / regions discussed: Ukraine, Russia
Tags:
autocephaly Orthodox Church

DISINFO: The granting of autocephaly to Ukraine was an unlawful 'démarche' by Patriarch Bartholomew

SUMMARY

The hierarchs (at a meeting in Amman) responded to the démarche of Patriarch Bartholomew, his granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This flagrant violation of canons and church law laid the foundation for a conflict dangerous for the Orthodox world.

RESPONSE

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about autocephaly and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets frequently attack the establishment of an autocephalous Ukrainian church.

Autocephaly was granted to the Ukrainian church by the Constantinople patriarchy. The final decision was made in January 2019, when all members of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate signed off the Tomos of autocephaly. The signing of the Tomos happened after months of careful preparations and considerations by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synod. In October 2018, the Holy Synod decided to revoke the letter of 1686 by which it gave the right to the Moscow patriarchy "to consecrate the ecclesiastical subordinates of Constantinople in Kyiv Metropolitanate, interpreted by the Russian Church as its transfer to Moscow."

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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