Serbian bishop: Phanar's intervention in Ukraine extended & deepened schism
The intervention of Patriarch Bartholomew in the church situation in Ukraine was a failure and led to the aggravation of the schism, said the Serbian bishop.
The non-canonical intervention of the Patriarch of Constantinople into the territory of the UOC extended, deepened, and spread the schism in Ukraine to almost all of Orthodoxy, said hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Irinej (Bulović) of Bačka in an interview with the Belgrade edition “Politika”.
By his actions in Ukraine, the head of Phanar "threatened the reputation and trust that he has enjoyed until recently, both in terms of position and as a person," says Bishop Irinej.
According to Vladyka, Patriarch Bartholomew can regain and even increase confidence in himself if he publicly announces that he has become a victim of disinformation by Ukrainian schismatics and manipulations by the Ukrainian authorities and refuses to recognize the OCU.
Bishop Irinej called on the head of Phanar "to make a choice worthy of the saints and great predecessors, remove every rock of resentment and every stumbling block and erase every tear caused by the pain of schism and the suffering of schismatic violence in Ukraine, and not only in Ukraine."