Metropolitan Hilarion: American politicians are unashamed to say that they openly interfere in interchurch relations

Recent statements of the outgoing U.S. Secretary of State testify to his direct involvement in instigating the schism in the Orthodox world, caused by the creation of a new schismatic organisation, the so-called “OCU,” in Ukraine and its “recognition” by a number of Primates. Such opinion was expressed by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, who in the Church and the World TV-programme commented on the remark by Mike Pompeo. Summing up the results of his work, the U.S. Secretary of State said that he had taken action on lots of fronts with Russia, including the front of religious freedom. According to the politician, he personally made sure that the United States of America had helped the “Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine escape Russian influence.”

“The American politicians are unashamed to say that they not only control the political elites, political leaders in other states, but also openly interfere in the inter-church politics,” Metropolitan Hilarion emphasised.

As the hierarch pointed out, Mr. Pompeo thinks that he has a right to interfere in the church affairs, although he does not occupy any position in the Orthodox Church and is not even an Orthodox Christian. His words about liberating a certain “Ukrainian metropolitan” from the Russian influence mean that the U.S. Secretary of State supported the schism.

According to the archpastor, it can even be said that “this schism was instigated by the American authorities, because for a long time now they have been cherishing a hope for Russia’s further weakening,” which, in their opinion, also means “further weakening of Orthodoxy.”

“Therefore, a political strategy was worked out, at first aimed at alienating the Ukrainian Church from the Russian Church and then alienating the Greek Orthodoxy from the Russian Orthodoxy,” Metropolitan Hilarion added, noting that, by and large, the project failed.

“If Mr. Pompeo reckons it as his diplomatic victory and with these self-congratulatory reports wants to leave the political stage, this, of course, is a matter of his conscience,” Metropolitan Hilarion said in conclusion.

DECR Communication Service

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Metropolitan Hilarion: American politicians are unashamed to say that they openly interfere in interchurch relations

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons