American journalist: The Order of Archons is behind the Ukrainian schism
The American journalist George Michalopoulos called the US-based Order of the Archons of the Patriarchate of Constantinople the main ideologist of the Ukrainian schism.
George Michalopoulos, an American journalist of Greek origin, said in the film "Samosviaty" (“The Self-Consecrated”), dedicated to the church schism in Ukraine, that behind the schism in Ukraine is the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, which is also called the Archons of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was the Order of the Archons in 2018 that was the first to declare that Patriarch Bartholomew should remember the need to grant the Tomos of Ukrainian autocephaly.
“The Archons are lobbying the interests of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the US government,” Michalopoulos says. "Bartholomew has stepped up the activities of the Knights of St. Andrew the Apostle or Archons, many of whom have extensive political connections in the United States, right up to the US State Department."
The journalist sarcastically comments on the activities of the Archons, claiming that it has nothing to do with what Christian organizations usually do: “They do not contain free hospitals, free canteens, there are no shelters, nothing for orphans, there are no programmes to help ordinary people. It all comes down to supporting the Patriarchate of Constantinople."
“This year (2019 – Ed.) the Archons decided to give the order to Epiphany Dumenko, they tried to present him as a person who suffered for the Church as if he were Gandhi. But this is some kind of bad joke. Especially when you consider that it was his schismatic sect that did everything for the collapse of the canonical Church in Ukraine,” Michalopoulos commented on this event.
According to the journalist, the informal leader of the order is Protopresbyter Alex Karloutsos, whose son Mike Karloutsos heads the protocol of the US State Department. Members of the order call him among themselves "Father Alex", he has huge connections in the US establishment, exerting a tremendous influence on decision-making in Ukraine, being the main architect of the schism policy in Ukraine.
“Father Alex has extensive connections, he is an intelligent, talented, resourceful person, he is friends with both Democrats and Republicans, the White House elite. He is the eyes and ears of Patriarch Bartholomew in the United States, Catholics have a word for this – a papal nuncio. He has good connections, great influence and authority in the Greek dioceses, more than any other bishop,” continued Michalopoulos.
As a reminder, on October 19, 2019, the Patriarch Athenagoras Human Rights Prize was awarded to the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko. The website of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called says that "Metropolitan Epiphanius was an active supporter of freedom of religion and a key defender of the ecclesiastical and canonical prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate."
As the UOJ previously reported, the Primate of the ROC is convinced that the Phanar recognized the OCU under pressure from outside.
