Furthermore, the Ukrainian Security Service has pressed charges against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, accusing him of fostering conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Consequently, he has been listed as wanted by the ministry.

Described by Ukrainian authorities as “evading interrogation services,” the Russian patriarch has been marked as “missing” since November 11. Vladimir Legoida, a spokesperson for the Moscow Patriarchate, condemned this action by Ukrainian authorities, calling it “both ridiculous and anticipated” in a statement to the Russian news agency Ria.

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to remove Metropolitan Leonid from this position. They expressed gratitude for his work and informed him that he would temporaryly remain in post in the Yerevan-Armenian Diocese.

Bishop Constantine of Zaraysk was appointed as Patriarchal Exarch of Africa replacing him.

It is recalled that Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria had sent a letter to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in which he insisted in a very strict tone that if he would not withdraw the “Exarch” Metropolitan Klin from Africa and would not lift his relevant appointment, he would proceed to his deposition.

In his letter, Patriarch Theodore pointed out once again the non-canonical in every sense of Orthodox Ecclesiology, decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Russia, regarding the establishment of an “Exarchate” in the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Alexandria.

The Patriarch of Alexandria clarified that we “tolerate” the non-existent creation of an “Exarchate”, awaiting the revocation of the decision, without imposing an ecclesiastical ransom on Metropolitan Klin.

Therefore, the Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece had made known the removal of the Metropolitan.

However, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church had declared the decision of the Patriarchate of Alexandria to remove Metropolitan Leonid of Klin as non-canonical and, therefore, invalid.

Translation: Konstantinos Menyktas

As he characteristically mentions, the actions of the Bulgarian state bodies are “an unfriendly and unfair act against the dependency of the Russian Church”, referring to an unprecedented decision in modern history by the Bulgarian authorities, while he expressed his “deep regret for the implementation of humiliating measures that discriminate against the clergy with the obvious aim of damaging the friendly relations between the fraternal peoples and fraternal Churches”.

He also noted that “the full responsibility for the suspension of the Metochion lies with those who decided to expel the head of the Metochion and its executives”, in response to a letter from the Patriarch of Bulgaria who, according to the Russian Patriarch, expressed his concern about the suspension of the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Nicholas in Sofia.

The Patriarch of Moscow also informed Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria that a new head would soon be appointed by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Moscow in order to open the gates of the Russian Μetochion as soon as possible.

Read the announcement of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

Due to the expulsion from Bulgaria of the head of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassianos Zmeyev, as well as the secretary and officer of the Metochion, which took place on September 21, 2023, under the pretext that they “pose a threat to state security,” the operation of the Metochion was temporarily suspended and the church was locked.

During the following days, many Orthodox Christians came to pray in front of the locked gates of the Russian church, residents of the Bulgarian capital left flowers and notes on the street near the sacred reverence, expressing their protest against the police actions of the Bulgarian government.

In a message to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia expressed concern. In his reply, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church pointed out the unprecedented decision of the Bulgarian authorities in modern history and expressed his deep regret for the implementation of humiliating measures that discriminate against the clergy with the obvious aim of damaging the friendly relations between the fraternal peoples and fraternal Churches.

The Patriarch described the actions of the Bulgarian state bodies as an unfriendly and unjust act towards the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church, stressing at the same time the unchanging readiness of the Patriarchate of Moscow to assist the representative of the Patriarch of Bulgaria to the Patriarchate of Moscow in his service for the benefit of the two Churches and assured of the continued support for the operation of the Metochion of the Bulgarian Church in Moscow.

Sharing the concern of Patriarch Neophyte for the temporary interruption of the holy services and the sealing of the church of St. Nicholas, expressing sympathy to his parishioners and pious residents of Sofia, who are saddened by the inability to attend church there and pray before the tomb of St. Archbishop Seraphim of Boguchari, Patriarch Kirill pointed out that the full responsibility for the suspension of the Metochion lies with those who decided to expel the head and his executives.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church informed the Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia that the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate would soon appoint a new head in order to open the gates of the Russian Metochion as soon as possible. The letter also contains a request for facilitation to the clergyman during his forthcoming establishment in Sofia.

Concluding his message, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed the conviction that the political forces behind which the enemy of the human race is hiding will not succeed in breaking the long-standing ties of love and brotherhood in Christ, which are at the foundation of the cooperation between the Russian and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches.

As Archpriest Nikolai Balashov said in a statement, “the Russian Orthodox Church welcomes any mediatory efforts aimed at developing dialogue and the establishing of a just peace in Ukraine.”

It is noteworthy that, as in of most of the announcements made by Hierarchs of the Russian Church since the beginning of the war, Father Nikolai Balashov in his statement refers to a “military conflict in Ukraine”, without condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It is also common that the Russian Church welcomes the initiative of another Church for peace in Ukraine, while it continues to bless the war and “prays” for the victory of the Russian troops over the Orthodox Ukrainians, as it is “their selfless duty”.

It is noteworthy that he refers to the Patriarch of Jerusalem as the “Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, the Primate of the most ancient of Churches which is the Mother of all the Christian Churches”, refusing, like the leadership of the Russian Church, to accept the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the Mother Church.

Besides, this is something that Patriarch Theophilos also did two days ago in his announcement of the initiative, where it was written “by the Mother of all the Churches”, meaning the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The priest of the Russian Church stresses that in the previous mediatory effort of the Patriarch of Jerusalem in Amman, Jordan, in 2020, he commented that “it was a vital step in the sphere of inter-Orthodox communication, and this step must find its continuation.”

It is worth noting that this initiative of Patriarch Theophilos was deemed as a fiasco, since despite the fact that it was billed as a “synaxis (gathering) of Primates”, only the Patriarch of Moscow, the Patriarch of Serbia and the Metropolitan of the Czech Republic showed up in Amman, as most of the Primates of the Churches refused to participate.

In a new attempt (this time indirectly) to challenge the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Father Nikolai Balashov stressed in his statement that “a key role in ensuring this discussion has many times been played by Jerusalem,” ignoring the fact that only the Ecumenical Patriarch has right and competence to convene a Pan-Orthodox Council.

Finally, he said that the Russian Church would support “these courageous endeavours”, and that the importance of dialogue between the Churches was of enormous value, “even if this dialogue is fraught with many difficulties in bringing it to fruition, while the Primates of some of the Churches have already beforehand declared that they in principle refuse to discuss the decisions made.”

Read the full statement of Fr. Nikolai Balashov below:

Advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Archpriest Nikolai Balashov commented upon the recent initiatives by His Beatitude the Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine Theophilos III, who expressed his willingness to ensure peace in Ukraine and a conciliar discussion of the problems which exist within worldwide Orthodoxy.

Several days ago, in Rome, Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos declared that the Church of Jerusalem was willing to act as mediator in overcoming the military conflict in Ukraine and in obtaining peace by means of negotiations, as well as wishing to continue dialogue aimed at averting “the danger of schism within the body of the Orthodox Church.” The Patriarch stated that he intended to do everything within his power to “heal the relationships within the Orthodox family.”

The Russian Orthodox Church welcomes any mediatory efforts aimed at developing dialogue and the establishing of a just peace in Ukraine. It is with the greatest respect that we treat the initiatives coming from the Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, the Primate of the most ancient of Churches which is the Mother of all the Christian Churches.

The Moscow Patriarchate also supports the aim of the Church of Jerusalem in enabling a conciliar discussion of the problems which have arisen within the worldwide Orthodox family. A key role in ensuring this discussion has many times been played by Jerusalem. We recall too the Amman meeting of the Primates and representatives of a number of the local Orthodox Churches which took place at the initiative of Patriarch Theophilus in 2020. It was a vital step in the sphere of inter-Orthodox communication, and this step must find its continuation. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of dialogue between the Churches, even if this dialogue is fraught with many difficulties in bringing it to fruition, while the Primates of some of the Churches have already beforehand declared that they in principle refuse to discuss the decisions made.

We value highly the labours of the Patriarch of Jerusalem in the cause of preserving, protecting and strengthening the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the Middle East in general. The Russian Orthodox Church will henceforth in whatever way possible support these courageous endeavours, which have evoked a deep response in the hearts of our compatriots, who with love and reverence honour the Holy Sepulchre and other common Christian holy sites, the guardian of which is the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

According to the DECR, these men are the head of the metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), the metochion secretary archpriest, Yevgeny Pavelchuk, and a metochion staff member.

The DECR in a statement, issued in English and Russian, points out that these measures taken by the Bulgarian authorities aim “to undermine the traditionally friendly relationship between the two sister Churches, to set fraternal nations against each other, nations who are tied together by a common history and a single faith.”

It also adds that “the expulsion of priests is an outrageous act dictated by Russophobic motives and the desire to erase the glorious pages of the common history of Bulgaria and Russia.”

The Moscow Patriarchate is convinced that “those who initiated these insulting plans will endure defeat.” “The Patriarchates of Moscow and Bulgaria will preserve their commonality that is rooted in the centuries and will never betray the historical memory of our peoples,” it pointed out.

In its statement, the DECR also referred to the Russian Church of St. Nicholas in Sophia, which over the last 100 years “has been a symbol of the spiritual unity of our fraternal peoples”.

It points out that in this church there is the tomb of the former dean of the metochion of St. Seraphim (Sobolev), who is honored by the Bulgarian and Russian Churches. “Today’s decision by the Bulgarian authorities demonstrates their disrespect for the feelings of believers who have now been denied the opportunity of visiting his tomb as a result of the cessation of the activities of the Russian metochion,” the DECR stressed.

Yesterday, the Bulgarian national security service announced the deportation of the three men, stating only the initials of their names and their nationalities. An entry ban was also imposed on them for the next five years.

The three men are accused of implementing “Russia’s hybrid strategy aimed at influencing socio-political processes in Bulgaria in favor of the Kremlin’s interests,” according to a statement from the agency.

In a post on Facebook, the Russian Embassy stressed that the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian, was among the three men.

It is worth noting that Archimandrite Vassian made the headlines (for equally negative reasons) a few days ago, when the authorities in Skopje banned him from entering the country.

According to Bulgarian media, the Russian clergyman has been coordinating all the policies of the Orthodox Church of Bulgaria regarding its ecclesiastical diplomacy. This led to a complete stagnation in its relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate regarding the full recognition of its autocephaly.

President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski in a recent interview revealed that allegedly some Metropolitans of the Ohrid Archdiocese have been cooperating with the Russian security services.

It is recalled that a few days ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia announced the expulsion of three Russian diplomats, who are accused of violating diplomatic rules. In total, 14 staff members of the Russian Embassy in Skopje have been expelled since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Metropolitan Daniel was born Ikuo Noushiro in Toyohashi, Japan on September 5, 1938.

In 1956, he embraced Orthodoxy, taking the name Judas in honor of the Apostle Judas the brother of God.

He graduated from St. Vladimir’s School of Theology in New York in 1968.

He was ordained as Deacon on November 23, 1969, and Priest on January 1, 1971. He served as Parish Priest in Nagoya (1971-1973) and Toyohashi (1973-1999).

On August 22, 1999, he became a monk at the Lavra of St. Sergius in Sergiev Posad.

On November 11, 1999, he received the office and title of Archimandrite.

On November 14, 1999, he was ordained Bishop of Kyoto in the Theophany Cathedral of Moscow.

The ordination was performed by the Patriarch Alexios II of Russia, with the presence of Metropolitan Juvenalius of Krutitsi and Kolomna, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Metropolitan Pitirim of Volokolamsk and Jurjev, Archbishop Arsenios of Istras and the Bishops, Niphon of Philippopolis (Patriarchate of Antioch), Tychon of Bronitsa, Innocent of Hersonissos, Alexios of Orechovo-Zuyevo, Savva of Krasnogorsk and Petros of Yokohamas.

On May 6, 2000, he was elected Metropolitan of Tokyo and all Japan.

Source: vema.com.au

Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest and Hungary gave his first major interview after his expulsion from Moscow and the Metropolis of Volokolamsk to the Russian network Ria Novosti.

He had previously appeared at the Synaxis of Bishops organized by the Patriarchate of Moscow, which took place last week.

There, Metropolitan Hilarion, who disappeared for more than a year, presented his almost 40-page report entitled “On the alteration of the Orthodox teaching on the Church in the actions of the hierarchy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the interventions of its representatives.”

In the interview with Ria Novosti, which is published in the Russian and Greek versions of the website of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, he refers primarily to the content of this text, which was approved by the Synaxis of Bishops.

In fact, Metropolitan Hilarion stresses that the text is a “compilation” of the positions of the Moscow Patriarchate against the “deviations from the canonical principles” observed by the Patriarchate in the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

“The idea was to explain which points the Russian Orthodox Church does not agree with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. And these points proved to be enough. This is a disagreement not only with some specific actions but also with the stance. We set out this position and presented our arguments against it. This is the purpose of the text,” he says characteristically in the interview.

Particular importance is given to the visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch to Lithuania and Estonia, with Metropolitan Hilarion referring to the… intrusion of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which has begun since 1996. He also made a special reference to the restoration of the five clergymen from Lithuania, by the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Regarding this document, Metropolitan Hilarion stressed that it will be examined by the Holy Synod at its next meeting and then by the Synod of the Hierarchy, while it will be translated into several languages and sent officially so that the other Churches have knowledge of the content.

The main issue in this document is the issue of primacy of Constantinople as an Ecumenical and authoritarian jurisdiction. “We never questioned the primacy of honor of the Patriarch of Constantinople. However, the primacy of honor is one thing and the powers beyond the boundaries of his local Church are another,” he said.

The importance of Metropolitan Hilarion’s interview lies more in the fact that he spoke to a large Russian network, after a long time and while the war in Ukraine continues.

Far from accidental can be considered his sudden “exposure” after months of “silence”. First, he was introduced to the Synaxis of Bishops and now he was interviewed by a large Russian network.

In neither case did he refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war that is raging. In the interview, he quoted the statements of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow from his presentation at the Synaxis of Bishops on the “current armed confrontation between Russia and Ukraine”, which if one reads, will assume that the head of the Russian Church prays for the victims of the armed conflict on both sides. However, the Patriarch of Moscow, at the dinner he hosted the night before the beginning of the Synaxis, appealed “to the battle for the Motherland and the Church.”

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow seems to have taken on the role of the protector of Orthodoxy -in fact, throughout the world- from those “political forces with influence in the world that are hostile not only to Russia and Orthodoxy but also to the Christian worldview as a whole”.

According to the website of the Department for External Church Relations of the Patriarchate, yesterday a “Synaxis of Bishops” (Convocation of Bishops) was held in Moscow, which was scheduled from December 2022 “for the fraternal discussion of current issues of the church life.”

The Synaxis was attended by all the eparchical and auxiliary bishops of the eparchies within Russia and their attendance was “obligatory”. Hierarchs from the eparchies in other countries attended the Synaxis, depending on whether they were able to go to Moscow.

The representative of the Patriarch of Antioch to the Patriarchal Throne of Moscow, Metropolitan Nifon of Philippopolis, the representative of the Patriarch of Serbia to the Patriarch of Moscow, Bishop Antony of Moravica, the representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the Patriarchal Throne of Moscow, Archimandrite Seraphim Shemyatovsky, the representative of the Orthodox Church in America, Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk.

In his speech during the Synaxis, the Patriarch of Moscow claimed that the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (“Patriarchate of Constantinople” as he mentions it) “have paved the way for ecclesiastical disorder and to the long-term and at present serious persecution of Orthodox Christians within Ukraine.”
In his speech, he speaks against the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Patriarch Bartholomew personally, which he describes as “instruments of the war against Orthodoxy” and that the top hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate “and her leading bishops, aided by political forces external to the Church, have now for a long time been ready to tear apart the unity of Orthodoxy, have undertaken secret negotiations and have intrigues in motion.”

He also refers to his visit to Constantinople in August 2018, when he decided to personally convey to Bartholomew the “the objective picture of the situation in Ukraine”, adding that the Ecumenical Patriarch preferred not to hear anything, and in the autumn of 2018, “in violation of the sacred canons, he intervened in Ukraine in order to ‘cancel’ the hierarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and legitimize the schism by granting an illusory autocephaly to it.”

According to the Patriarch of Moscow, the Synod of the Russian Church was “forced” to cease the commemoration of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the concelebration with his hierarchs.

Regarding the recognition of the Autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine by the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Churches of Cyprus and Greece, the Patriarch of Moscow stressed that it came after severe pressure from foreigners against the Church, using ethno-racial arguments, with blatant violations of the established synodal procedures.

Metropolitan Kyrillos also said that world political forces aim to attack not only Russia and Orthodoxy, but Christianity and that their objectives go beyond Ukraine.

“Another, and more global, aim is to tear asunder or weaken to the lim it the spiritual ties between our Eastern Slavic Orthodox world and the Orthodox community of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. And yet one more task undertaken by forces hostile to Orthodoxy is to hinder the preservation of the Christian foundations of the cradle of modern-day civilization which is Europe,” the Patriarch of Moscow pointed out.
He accused Patriarch Bartholomew and the Patriarchate of “new ecclesiology” as well as of having “initiated a schism”, which has made it extremely difficult for the Russian Church to maintain spiritual ties with a significant part of the Greek Orthodox world.

He even claims that the enemies of the Church did not fully achieve the goal they had set. Thus, he stated, “Even within the Greek Orthodox Church there are not a few courageous bishops, priests, and theologians who have refused to recognize the illegitimate actions of Constantinople, who have not entered into communion with the schismatic pseudo-ecclesiastical leaders calling themselves metropolitans and bishops.”

The appearance of the disappeared former Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk

It is worth noting that the recommendation on the preparation by the Committee of the text “on the alteration of the Orthodox Church’s teaching on the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the interventions of its representatives” came from Metropolitan Hilarion of Hungary and Budapest, who disappeared for more than a year.

We recall that the former Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and “right-hand man” of Patriarch Hilarion of Moscow, was removed from his position last June, in a decision that surprised many and since then literally “disappeared” from the ecclesiastical scene of the Russian Church. The stance of the Metropolitan at that time regarding the war in Ukraine had not gone unnoticed, mainly with the distance he kept from the position of the official Church of Russia.

This document of Metropolitan Hilarion, which was approved by the members of the Synaxis of Bishops, refers to the division of the Orthodox world, which was caused by “uncanonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the new teachings, which are spread by the Primate and his official representatives.”

In fact, as we learn from the website of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, the participants of the Synaxis pointed out that “the new doctrine of the primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople, which is presented as the earthly head of the Ecumenical Church, grants him rights and privileges that go far beyond the limits of the rights of any other Primate of the Local Orthodox Church and violate the canonical rights of the other Churches.

The violation of the basic principles on which their Orthodox ecclesiology was based for centuries now, especially by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, was the cause of the schism in ecumenical Orthodoxy,” the document states.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov declared their support for President Putin with separate statements, even called on the faithful to do the same.

In particular, on Saturday, and while the rebellion of Wagner was in full swing, a statement by Patriarch Kirill appeared on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In the announcement, Patriarch Kirill declared his support for the “head of the Russian state (i.e. President Putin) with the aim of preventing unrest in our country, calling on all hierarchs, clergy, monks and lay people to intensify their prayers for the Lord to preserve peace and unity, which are in danger.”

He also added that “today, when our brothers are fighting and dying on the fronts, selflessly fulfilling their duty, when the enemies are making every effort to destroy Russia, every effort to sow discord in the country, it is the greatest crime that has no excuse.”

It is noteworthy once again that for the head of the Russian Church, the invasion of Ukraine is a “selfless duty”, and that the Church is fully aligned with the Kremlin’s strategy.

The statement of Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov was similar. Metropolitan Tikhon, in his statement posted on the Metropolis account on the VKontakte social network, emphasized that “Russians must rally around President Putin to prevent a division that is fatal for the country and the people.”

“Preserving your faith and convictions, put aside strife and discord, no matter how important they may seem to the parties to the conflict today, and be in unity with the one whom God’s Providence has put to rule Russia,” he said in his statement, suggesting that Putin rules Russia by God’s providence.

“No matter how this person is called in history: Grand Duke, Tsar, Emperor or Chairman of the State Defense Committee and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the USSR… today, President Vladimir Putin bears this burden, cross and responsibility,” concludes in his statement.

Read the post made by Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov in Russian is below:

On June 16, 2023, the Metropolitan met with the State Secretary of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Metropolitan Anthony greeted the Cardinal on behalf of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Then, Cardinal Parolin recalled the meeting he had with the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church during his visit to Russia. During their meeting, which was held in a warm climate, the Metropolitan and the Cardinal discussed various issues related to the bilateral relations between the two churches.

Let us recall that Metropolitan Antony of Volokolamsk was present at a speech delivered by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square, and while greeting the Pope, he stayed longer in conversation with him than with others.

Metropolitan Anthony had several meetings with other Vatican officials, but it was not clear whether he would have a personal meeting with the Pope during his visit to Rome.

It is noteworthy that Cardinal Pietro Parolin insisted that there was a plan for an expedition but that it was up to the Pope to decide when to talk about it publicly.

Cardinal Parolin, who is the second most important figure in the Vatican, said he was surprised that Russian and Ukrainian officials were unaware of the plan at the time.