Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos for the support and donations of the patriarchate, Greek institutions in the city and donors abroad in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, during a call on Wednesday.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios gave his blessings to Greek medical staff that are fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in a phone call on Friday with infectious disease expert and government adviser on the crisis Sotiris Tsiodras.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, which is to hold a teleconference on Wednesday under Archbishop Ieronymos, is expected to urge the government to allow services to be conducted behind closed doors for Easter in response to the spread of the coronavirus, Kathimerini understands.

The Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate issued an announcement on Wednesday suspending all public ceremonies, services and events at churches and allowing only individual prayer, in a bid to contain the coronavirus epidemic.

A senior Russian-backed bishop in Ukraine will lead a prayer walk in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, on Saturday, joining protests led by the Serbian Orthodox Church against a recently-adopted law on religious freedom.

Education Minister Niki Kerameus paid a visit to the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios on Friday and also visited the Greek Orthodox Lyceum in the Phanar (known in Greek as the Great School of the Nation), the Zappeion School, as well as the Zografeion Lyceum.

Kerameus told Vartholomaios she visited the schools in order to express the support of her ministry.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday welcomed a decision by the Church of Greece and Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa to recognize the autonomy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, during a visit to Kiev.

Greek Archbishop Ieronymos informed the Holy Synod on Friday that he has refused an invitation from Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem to attend a meeting of Orthodox leaders.
According to a statement issued by the Holy Synod, Ieronymos refused the invite because the calling of such meetings of Orthodox leaders is the sole privilege of the ecumenical patriarch based in Istanbul.

Behind words about faith, nation, and freedom often hide naked political interests and a fight for dominance in society. The ongoing feud reminds us again of how questions regarding Church and faith are so intertwined with politics and power.

Hand in glove

The Ukrainian Church is independent of the religious administration of Moscow.
In a statement after the meeting in the Moscow Patriarchate, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church stated that it could not, from now on, mention the name of Patriarch Theodore II in his prayers and participate in common prayers.