Reactions of the Eastern Orthodox churches to the 2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism

The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate released a statement on Wednesday urging the Russian Orthodox Church and its leader, Patriarch Kirill, to end their support for Russia's war in Ukraine and cease interference in other regions, particularly Africa.

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew invited more than 50 lonely Greeks from Istanbul to celebrate Christmas together with their spiritual father in a family-like atmosphere.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, has called for a unified celebration of Easter for all Christians.

Pope Francis said on Thursday that he hopes to travel to Turkey next year to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity's first ecumenical council.

The visit to Nicaea, today located in İznik on a lake southeast of Istanbul, would come during Francis' big Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration of Christianity.

The Greek government has announced the creation of 600 new clerical positions to support the ancient patriarchates of Constantinople (in Turkey), Alexandria (in Egypt) and Jerusalem (in Israel), and the Monastery of Sinai in Egypt.

Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil raised concerns about religious discrimination in Ukraine during a meeting with American Ambassador Kenneth Merten. The Patriarch highlighted the significant factual and legal constraints imposed on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, attributing these issues to discriminatory policies by certain elements within Ukraine.

The Bulgarian Patriarch has joined an initiative by church leaders who support the Moscow Patriarchate's stance on the non-recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Alongside Patriarch Daniil, the Antiochian Patriarch John and Georgian Patriarch Ilia also participated.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania has conveyed a formal message to the newly enthroned Patriarch Daniil of Bulgaria, celebrating his election on June 30, 2024. The Romanian Orthodox Church received the news with joy, expressing confidence that Patriarch Daniil will honor the spiritual traditions of his predecessors with dedication and vigor.

The organizers of the Ukraine Peace Summit, held earlier this month in Switzerland, removed the Ecumenical Patriarchate from the list of signatories of its final statement following protests from Turkey, according to reports. 

Easter and its central message of the resurrection "serves as the motivation for the struggle against the presence of evil and its consequences in the world, acting as a powerful transformative force," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has said in his Easter encyclical.