Russian intelligence claims Ecumenical Patriarch seeks influence over Georgian Church
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has issued a statement following the election of a new Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, claiming that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is seeking to bring the Georgian Orthodox Church under his influence and is lobbying for Metropolitans Abraham (Garmelia) and Grigol (Berbichashvili) as candidates for the patriarchal throne.
“According to information received by the SVR, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew continues to pursue what it describes as a ‘treacherous’ line aimed at splitting global Orthodoxy, guided by the principle of ‘divide and rule’. This time, he is said to be seeking to bring the Georgian Orthodox Church under his influence, taking advantage of the death of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II.
The Patriarch of Constantinople is allegedly looking to promote a representative of the Georgian Church to the vacant post on whom he could rely. Among the candidates, Bartholomew is said to be considering Metropolitan Abraham (Garmelia) of Western Europe and Metropolitan Grigol (Berbichashvili) of Poti and Khobi, presenting them within his inner circle as the most suitable figures to carry out his will,” the Russian intelligence statement said.
The SVR accuses the Ecumenical Patriarch of interfering in the internal affairs of the Georgian Orthodox Church and claims that Bartholomew has acted in a similar way in Ukraine, Serbia and the Baltic states.
“In church circles, it is noted that a lust for power has become a constant companion of the Constantinople-based schismatic. Through his actions, Bartholomew is once again replacing ‘primacy of honour’ with ‘primacy of power’, interfering in the internal affairs of yet another Church—one of the oldest, the Georgian Orthodox Church. It is clear that, as in the cases of Ukraine, Serbia and the Baltic states, he has forgotten the second rule of the Second Ecumenical Council: ‘Bishops must not extend their authority to churches beyond their own jurisdiction…’,” the SVR said in a statement released by its press service.
Metropolitan Abraham of Western Europe is 77 years old and, under the Statute of the Georgian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, is not eligible to take part in the patriarchal election. According to the statute, a candidate for Catholicos-Patriarch must be at least 40 and no older than 70.
Election of a new Patriarch of Georgia
