Disputes about the Due Model of the Eastern Orthodox Church as a Reflection of the Problem of Supreme Power in World Orthodoxy

The article examines the problem of supreme power in the Eastern Orthodox Church. This problem is not new, but it is becoming more and more pressing in the light of the recent events that took place in Ukraine and are related to the granting of a tomos to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Russian Orthodox Church regarded the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarch as an invasion of someone else's canonical territory, which led to a conflict in which other local churches are gradually being involved. The roots of this confrontation are in the mismatch of ideas about the due model of structure of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Today, there are two such models, and the fundamental difference between them lies in the different vision of the subject exercising power on a pan-Orthodox scale. The model of "sovereign autocephaly" is based on the idea of the equality of all autocephalous churches, each of which has full authority within its canonical territory. The other model, which can be called the model of "autocephaly with limited sovereignty", is based on the idea of the coordinating and governing role of Constantinople within the Eastern Orthodox Church. At first glance, the reasons for the conflict between Orthodox churches are of a religious nature and relate exclusively to issues of church law. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that the above-mentioned conflict has not only a religious but also a political dimension. Ultimately, the struggle goes on not only to maintain influence in Ukraine and leadership in the Orthodox world, but also to maintain own importance in world politics. The redrawing of the borders of the Orthodox world, initiated by the Ecumenical Patriarch, has already led to serious political consequences. Bartholomew actively cooperates with the secular authorities of those states that need their “own” church. This cooperation turns out to be mutually beneficial: the former legally realizes his power ambitions, the latter solve their domestic political and geopolitical tasks by using the religious factor. Disputes about the due model of the Eastern Orthodox Church are a reflection of the problem of supreme power in world Orthodoxy, on the solution of which will depend not only the very existence of Eastern Orthodoxy in the current format, but also the further development of political events in those states that are directly related to the activities of local Orthodox Churches.

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