Only Constantinople has this right, OCU comments on Moscow initiative of Patriarch Theophilus III

The OCU believes that Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem does not have the authority to convene Pan-Orthodox meetings, as this is within the competence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya), spokesperson for the OCU, wrote about it on Facebook.

On the Moscow initiative of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem

1. Only the Ecumenical Patriarch, and no one else, has the right to convene pan-Orthodox conferences and the Synaxis (assemblies) of the Primates, the hierarch noted.

2. The place and time of the announcement of the initiative (in Moscow after the meeting with Putin and the presentation of the Russian prize) do not allow to recognize it as an independent action. It is obvious to everyone that the reason for the initiative is the desire of the Russian Patriarch. In this way, he tries to suspend the process of recognizing the autocephaly of the OCU and to strengthen the contradictions between those Churches that have communion with the OCU and those that do not yet have it. So, for the Moscow Patriarch it is not about the unity of Orthodoxy, but about strengthening the division provoked by them.

The fact that the initiative is actually Moscow, is confirmed by the instant positive reaction from the official representatives of the ROC, Legoyda and Fr. Nikolai Balashov.

3. As of 2013, the Patriarchate of Antioch and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem are in dispute over issues of jurisdiction in Qatar. In 2015, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch announced the complete breakup of Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. So far, this issue has not been resolved in any way and no progress in this direction has been noticed. Is Moscow able to offer both Patriarchates a solution that they will not be able to refuse? Very doubtful, because for both of them it is a matter of principle.

Yesterday, November 21, in Moscow during the award ceremony Of the Fund for the unity of Orthodox peoples, Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem expressed his readiness to make available to the Primates of the Orthodox Churches the residence of the Patriarchate in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for dialogue on preserving the unity of the Orthodox Church.