Moscow, June 8, Interfax - PhD in History Natalya Narochnitskaya, speaking about the difficulties on the way of convening the Pan-Orthodox Council, accused the Constantinople Patriarchate as its actions can split the Orthodox world.

"At the present moment, relations among the Constantinople Patriarchate and other Orthodox Local Orthodox Churches cause serious concerns in light of the last scandalously indelicate steps of the Constantinople Patriarchate, as it persistently impose on all Orthodox Churches the soonest convention of the Pan-Orthodox Council," she writes in the article posted by the Argumenty i Fakty website on Wednesday.

According to the author, ignoring serious concerns of the Russian Church and some other Orthodox Churches with lack of preparations and coordination in the work of the Council, Constantinople "strives to confirm its right to dictate its will."

"The Moscow Patriarchate directly expressed its concerns with such developments, warned about dramatical consequences of ignoring the other Orthodox Churches' opinion. However, the Constantinople Patriarchate descends even to blackmailing and wishes to crush the will, to impose decisions that will lead to disappointment and threatens the unity of Orthodox world," she said.

Narochnitskaya points out that the Constantinople Patriarchate has a reputation of "a mediator of ecumenism and western influence, first of all, Anglo-Saxon forces," and promoted the idea of the Pan-Orthodox Council "to confirm its supremacy from 1961."

The Pan-Orthodox Council, that has not been convened for more than a thousand years and has been already prepared for more than half a century, is under question after the Bulgarian Church and the Antiochian Church [ed. note: and the Serbian, and soon the Georgian and most likely the Russian...etc. etc.] refused to participate in it.

The Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate suggested holding extraordinary pan-Orthodox pre-council conference not later than June 10. It is also noted that non-participation of at least one of the Orthodox Churches in the Council constitutes an unsurmountable obstacle to the holding of a Council and stated that the number of Churches as well as Mount Athos monasteries, made essential amendments, which are to a great extent consonant with the proposals made by the Russian Orthodox Church and "need to be thoroughly examined with the aim to find a general Orthodox consensus."

However, the Constantinople Patriarchate, responsible for coordinating the preparations for the Council, decline the suggestion to discuss the problems impeding convention of the Council and stated it would take place anyway.

Interfax-Religion