The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I accused the Russian Orthodox Church on Friday of playing politics and using the Orthodox flock to put pressure on the Greek Orthodox Church, according to greekreporter.com. Addressing the 4th Panhellenic Conference on Pilgrimage Tours in Arta, western Greece, Bartholomew referred to the ongoing row among the Orthodox world over the issue of the Ukranian Church’s Autocephaly (Independence) from the Patriarchate of Moscow. Bartholomew noted that ”an Orthodox Autocephalous Church is using the piety and the sacred desire of its faithful flock as a means of exerting financial pressure on the Church of Greece and the Greek people because of the official recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.” The Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the recent decision of the Church of Greece to recognize the independence of the Ukranian Church. The dispute started a few years ago, when the Church of Ukraine, then part of the Patriarchate of Moscow, asked for its independence. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which is responsible for these matters, granted the Church of Ukraine its Autocephaly, sparking strong reactions in Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church, which does not recognize the new status of the Church in Kyiv. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Pvasiliadis Let's block ads! (Why?)