“I do not believe that Patriarch Bartholomew supports such a cruel state of affairs” - Robert Amsterdam

The head of the international human rights company Amsterdam & Partners LLP, Robert Amsterdam, who represents the legal interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, commented on yesterday’s statement by the Office of the President of Ukraine that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople supports the actions of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to liquidate the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Amsterdam is convinced that the head of the Phanar has become a hostage to the political intrigues of the Ukrainian authorities and does not fully realize what kind of adventure he is being drawn into. The lawyer said this in a press release on the website savetheuoc.com.

“I do not believe that His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew supports such a cruel state of affairs. I can only conclude that His Holiness has become a victim of the intrigues of the Ukrainian authorities and was not allowed to know the truth about religious freedom in Ukraine. Given his signaling role in the attack on the UOC, Viktor Yelensky is most likely to blame. He has proven himself to be a biased and unscrupulous figure who wants only the complete destruction of the UOC. Moreover, there are even those in the presidential administration who express concern about his behavior. According to the internal documents at my disposal, “the style of work of the current head of the SSERF can be characterized as outright indulgence in the interests of the OCU […]. He deliberately manipulates the facts […] and in different places offers mutually contradictory statements that his interlocutor wants to hear, only in order to get him to take concrete steps in support of the OCU. This is not a person whom His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew can trust,” — said Amsterdam.

The human rights activist added that Patriarch Bartholomew has already made a mistake once by granting the Tomos of autocephaly to the OCU, which divided the Local Churches. Now, in case of supporting the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the head of Phanar risks completely ruining his reputation and causing irreparable damage to Orthodoxy.

“His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew is at an advanced age, and I have serious concerns that he is a hostage to plans that have gotten out of hand. His decision to grant the UOC a tomos of autocephaly caused a split not only in Ukraine but also in world Orthodoxy. Since then, these schisms have only deepened and are far from being healed. If it is true that His Holiness intends to cover up the Ukrainian government’s attack on the UOC, then he runs the grave risk of becoming complicit in the violation of religious freedom in Ukraine. If he continues on this course, His Holiness will sacrifice not only his reputation but also the future unity of Eastern Orthodoxy,” — the UOC lawyer concluded.

Earlier, the Office of the President of Ukraine reported on some details of the meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with the head of Phanar, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, which took place on August 13, 2024. The President’s Office said that Patriarch Bartholomew supports the initiatives of Vladimir Zelensky “to strengthen spiritual independence.”