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Strong Rebuttal from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to Moscow

Published January 13, 2026, 15:19
Strong Rebuttal from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to Moscow

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has strongly responded to accusations from the Russian intelligence service (SVR) against Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The SVR had labeled Patriarch Bartholomew as “Antichrist” and accused him of anti-Russian activity, claiming he is supported by British intelligence agencies. The Ecumenical Patriarchate expressed its sorrow over the “new Russian attack” and emphasized that since 2018, when it granted autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine, it had avoided commenting on similar attacks from Russia. It stressed that the Mother Church of Constantinople continues its ministry and ecumenical mission despite the “imaginative” and “false” information. The SVR, in its statement, accused Patriarch Bartholomew of seeking to weaken Russian Orthodoxy and create artificial structures under the control of the Phanar. It also accused him of supporting nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in the Baltic countries. The Ecumenical Patriarchate does not appear to be affected by the accusations, insisting on its ecumenical mission and its effort for dialogue and unity among the Orthodox Churches.