In our foreword to The Muscovite Schism Lurches toward Outright Heresy we noted that “the Moscow Patriarchate’s move to assume jurisdiction over Turkey’s Russian-speaking Orthodox Christians constitutes the heresy of ethnophyletism writ large;” and in our foreword to Meanwhile, in Holy Mother Russia…, “that, as go the Kremlin’s domestic and foreign policies, so goes the  Russian Orthodox Church. The almost daily escalation of the Muscovite Schism…must be understood solely through the lens of Kremlin geopolitics.” The following very brief report from Georgia serves as yet another case in point in the Kremlin’s and Moscow Patriarchate’s shared, unbridled lust for power and in the absolute pastoral and political need for the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

When will the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) break communion with Moscow to protest its chronically uncanonical, bad behaviour?

Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia

Tbilisi Warns Moscow Not to Proceed to Intrusion

The Patriarch of Georgia calls on the Patriarch of Russia to not intrude on the canonical territory of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

According to yesterday’s letter released by the Patriarchate of Georgia, Patriarch Ilia expressed his concern both about the expansionist tendencies of Russian troops in the Tskhinvali region and about the alleged intention of the Patriarchate of Russia to send priests to this region in order to minister.

“According to canon law, it is unacceptable that the clergy under our jurisdiction be sent without our permission as ministers to the military bodies and the laity place. This act is worsening the situation,” wrote in his letter Patriarch Ilia of Georgia.

This report appeared earlier today at Orthodox Times. See also the extensive Ukraine section in our Archives.

Orthodoxy in Dialogue seeks to promote the free exchange of ideas by offering a wide range of perspectives on an unlimited variety of topics. Our decision to publish implies neither our agreement nor disagreement with an author, in whole or in part.

Join the conversation on Facebook and/or Twitter, or in an article of your own or a letter to the editors.

Click here to contribute to Orthodoxy in Dialogue’s 3rd Annual Feed the Homeless on Christmas Campaign

One donor writes:

“If you cannot see Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the Chalice.”

St. John Chrysostom