Bishops cannot act alone, - Exarch of Phanar in Ukraine

The hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine, Bishop Mykhailo (Anishchenko) of Komana, said that sole decision-making by certain bishops is unacceptable in Orthodoxy, as it violates the principle of conciliarity. The bishop called such situations “authoritarianism.” He said this during the round table “Modern Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Destroying Myths for the Sake of Reconciliation of the Orthodox in Ukraine.”

«The fact is that bishops never act alone. This is how we come to authoritarianism. Bishops do not decide without the church, they must look at the reception of people, the reception of the church. Therefore, bishops who act like this: “right now we will do better, because we have gathered here and decided,” I have questions about their ecclesiology, about their consciousness,» — said the Phanar hierarch.

It is worth noting that the hierarchs of the Local Orthodox Churches have repeatedly accused Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople that it was his sole decision to grant the Tomos and legalize Ukrainian schismatics that led to a serious crisis in world Orthodoxy. For example, recently, the hierarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus, called for the convening of a Pan-Orthodox Council to resolve the Ukrainian church crisis. The hierarch noted that the church situation in Ukraine has seriously shaken pan-Orthodox unity, which needs to be restored together.