On October 11, the Synod in Istanbul revoked its 1686 decree on the transfer of the Kyiv Metropolitanate to Moscow, announced the creation of its own courtyard in Kyiv, and rehabilitated the leaders of the self-proclaimed Orthodox churches in Ukraine. The UOC MP did not recognize these decisions, The Moscow Patriarchate also recognized them, and in response, at its meeting on October 15, it announced a complete severance of relations with the Church of Constantinople. This means that Orthodox believers in Russia will not be able to receive communion or participate in services in the churches of the Church of Constantinople.
The Russian Orthodox Church asked the Orthodox not to pray in the churches of the Communist Party
The Russian Orthodox Church drew tourists' attention to the importance of observing the decisions of the Synod. "For refusing to follow such prohibitions, punishments (penalties) are provided for the clergy, and for the laity - repentance at confession for disobedience to the Church," Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, secretary of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, told Interfax.
He specified where exactly the churches of the Church of Constantinople are located in popular tourist destinations. According to the priest, in Turkey these are all the active churches in Istanbul, the only active church in Antalya, and in Greece - in Crete and on the Dodecanese islands located in the southeastern part of the Aegean Sea, the largest of which is Rhodes.
Russian pilgrims also travel to Mount Athos, but this is pilgrimage, not tourism.
There will be fewer pilgrims
The general director of the Radonezh Pilgrimage Service, Yuri Minulin, told the Interfax-Tourism portal that there will be fewer Orthodox pilgrims to Greece.
"There are no consequences yet, because too little time has passed. Nevertheless, a large number of Russians, men, go to Athos – and now they are deprived of this," he said.
Yu. Minulin recalled that already in February they stopped allowing Russian priests into Greece and were not issuing visas without explanation.
"This is a political act, pressure on the Russian Orthodox Church throughout the year. Tourist groups, which usually consist of 10-50 people, have been "beheaded", they simply will not go without priests. And of course, the general unfriendly background affects pilgrimage tourism," he concluded.
Tourists will travel to the shrines
On the contrary, the company Mouzenidis Travel Russia believes that pilgrimage tourism in Greece will not lose popularity due to the break between the Russian Orthodox Church and Constantinople.
"The severance of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and Constantinople and any bans for pilgrims only concern those churches and monasteries in Greece that belong to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. There are few such places: a monastery for men on the sacred Mount Athos and isolated churches on the islands of Crete, the Dodecanese, and Rhodes. This situation will have almost no effect on pilgrimage tourism in Greece, since most of the holy places, churches, and monasteries in the country are considered part of the Church of Greece, or the Church of Greece," the tour operator's general director, Alexander Tsandekidi, told the Interfax-Tourism portal.
A. Tsandekidi added that there are no restrictions on visiting from the Holy Mountain. “A pilgrim heading to Athos can receive a diamontiroion (a special written permit to visit the Holy Mount Athos – IF) and will be received in the monastery where he plans to spend the night,” the expert added.
Will the Russian Orthodox Church open churches in Turkey?
Associate Professor of the Department of Social and Humanitarian Disciplines at RANEPA, expert in religious studies Igor Zagarin told Interfax that in response to the escalation by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Russian Orthodox Church may open churches in places where many Russian tourists go. For example, in Antalya and other popular resorts.
At the same time, according to the religious scholar, it should be taken into account that the number of followers of the Orthodox Church in Turkey is extremely limited.
According to the website of the Russian Orthodox Church, the canonical territory of Constantinople is Turkey and Greece. Turkey is home to six dioceses, 10 monasteries and 30 theological schools. Mount Athos in Greece "has virtually complete administrative independence from the throne of Constantinople and strictly preserves its internal autonomy."
There are metropolitanates and dioceses subordinate to Constantinople in the countries of Europe, South and Central America, the USA, Australia, Korea, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Singapore.
Source: tourism.interfax.ru
