Patriarch Kirill condemned the doctrine of the special primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople

Patriarch Kirill, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, has officially rejected the doctrine of the preeminent authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople in the Orthodox world, calling such claims «sinful» and contrary to Church law. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized that this concept is imposed on Orthodoxy from the outside and violates the canonical structure of the Church.

According to TASS, the relevant statement was made on April 22, 2026 in the Reception House of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Patriarch Kirill emphasized that attempts to present one of the hierarchs as having exclusive authority over the entire Orthodox oikoumenea are unacceptable. «Unfortunately, a doctrine alien to Orthodoxy about the special authority of my fellow Patriarch of Constantinople is still being imposed from outside,» the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted.

Recall that on October 24 in Bucharest, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople made a statement in which he explained the nature of autocephaly and emphasized the hierarchical interdependence in the Orthodox Church. While appreciating the position of the Romanian Church, he warned against «dangerous tendencies» presenting autocephaly as complete self-sufficiency and denying «the special role of the See of Constantinople as Mother Church.»