Religious Tourism

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, centre, is introduced to officials by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, right, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, prior to their meeting at the Patriarchate in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. Bartholomew I is currently debating whether to accept a Ukrainian bid to tear that country’s church from its association with Russia, a potential split fuelled by the armed conflict between Ukrainian military forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

A senior official in the Orthodox Church says “there’s no going backwards” in granting Ukrainian clerics full ecclesiastic independence from the Russian Orthodox Church to which they have been tied to for hundreds of years, reported National Post

However, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, who is part of a committee dealing with the Ukrainian question, told The Associated Press that the final step of the procedure has yet to be reached.

His comments came as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I welcomed Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in Istanbul on Friday.

Президент України Петро Порошенко провів зустріч зі Вселенським патріархом Варфоломієм І

Ukraine’s president has launched a campaign to persuade Bartholomew, seen by many as the first among equals of Orthodox leaders, to accept Ukraine’s request.

Ukrainian politicians see a declaration, known as a “Tomos of Autocephaly,” as a key step in consolidating their country’s national identity.

Президент України просить Томос у патріарха Варфоломія І

Russian religious leaders see it as an attack on Orthodox unity and are fighting to stop it.

“Today, the Ecumenical Patriarch repeated in person, in this meeting of the two primates, that the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is reached and we are not going backwards,” Emmanuel said. “So we are following this decision, we are implementing the decision.”

Вселенський Патріархат розпочинає процедури, необхідні для надання автокефалії Українській Православній Церкві.

He added: “We have not reached the end of the procedure. The Tomos, which is the decision that is issued, is at the last stage of this implementation. But we have still some work to do and this is what the Ecumenical Patriarchate is co-ordinating.”

Earlier this week, The Associated Press reported on a Russian digital espionage campaign targeting Bartholomew’s top aides in the midst of the religious tussle between Kyiv and Moscow over the religious future of Ukraine.

The AP found that the same hackers charged with intervening in the 2016 U.S. presidential election also spent years trying to eavesdrop on Bartholomew’s entourage.

The granting of the “Tomos of Autocephaly” would be a momentous step, eroding the power and prestige of the Moscow Patriarchate, which has positioned itself as a leading player within the global Orthodox community.