Patriarch of Serbia: We did not choose the "side" of Moscow or Phanar

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. Photo: balkans.aljazeera.net

Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia said that in the issue of the pan-Orthodox crisis, the Serbian Orthodox Church does not choose the “side” of either Moscow or Constantinople, but chooses the canonical order of the Church, according to the website of the  Montenegrin-Littoral Metropolis of the SOC.

When asked by a journalist whether a return to the previous state of affairs is possible in Orthodoxy (before the crisis eventuated by the granting of the Tomos to the OCU by the Patriarchate of Constantinople – Ed.), the Patriarch replied that there is no point from which a return is impossible in the Church.

“My opinion is that belief in the existence of a point from which it is impossible to return to normal ecclesiastic life arises from the fact that the Church is not an ordinary human organization, governed by different interests and influenced by a predominantly human factor, but is one, holy, catholic and apostolic reality,” said the Primate of the Serbian Church.

At the same time, answering the question whether the position of the SOC, expressed by the phrase “neither Constantinople, nor Moscow, but the canonical order”, will be sustainable against the backdrop of the “intersection of power and influence” of the ROC and Phanar, Patriarch Porfirije stressed that “for the life of the Church it is extremely important to preserve its canonical order, the way the Church lives and operates in the world."

“Keeping this idea in our hearts, our Church did not choose the“ side ”of either Moscow or Constantinople, or any other, but always remained faithful to the canonical order and fully determined to respect this order and testify to it," said the Serbian Patriarch.

He also noted that "with faith in God, we will not regret attempts, as far as we can see, to restore the impaired canonical order, as well as attempts to restore the Eucharistic unity of the two great and important patriarchates – Constantinople and Moscow."

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that in the opinion of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, the upheavals caused by the actions of the Phanar in Ukraine in relations between the Local Churches should become a lesson "that can sober everyone up." 

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