ISTANBUL (AP) 鈥 The top figure in Eastern Orthodox Christianity on Sunday declared that 鈥淯kraine鈥檚 sovereignty is not up for debate, nor can it be negotiated under the guise of diplomacy,鈥 as he celebrated Mass in Istanbul on the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is considered the 鈥渇irst among equals鈥 in Eastern Orthodoxy, said any future peace agreement 鈥渕ust include Ukraine as an equal participant.鈥 He praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his 鈥渢ireless effort鈥 to defend the country鈥檚 independence.
Most Ukrainians identify as Orthodox Christians, though the country remains split between an independent church based in Kyiv and another aligned with Moscow.
Bartholomew, who has consistently shown support for Ukraine since the war began, recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as independent from Moscow in 2019 鈥 a move that prompted Russian Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox Church to sever contact.
鈥淣o force can extinguish the spirit of the people who refuse to be broken,鈥 Bartholomew said in his sermon at a Mass attended by relatives and friends of Ukrainian soldiers who are missing or believed to be held in Russian captivity. 鈥淣o nation has the right to force its will upon another, and no power can erase a people鈥檚 history.鈥
The service drew tears from the participating Ukrainians. Among them was Tetiana Tantsiura, whose husband Oleg Naradko, a soldier in Ukraine鈥檚 115th Mechanized Brigade, went missing in action in July 2022.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to talk about,鈥 Tantsiura told the Associated Press, 鈥淗e disappeared July 2022. Until this time, the current year, I don鈥檛 know anything. I only hope that he is alive, and he will return in Ukraine.鈥
Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to justify the invasion of Ukraine in part as a defense of the Moscow-oriented Orthodox Church, leaders of both Ukrainian Orthodox factions 鈥 and the country鈥檚 significant Catholic minority 鈥 have strongly condemned the war.
Ukraine鈥檚 consul general to Istanbul, Nedilskyi Roman, thanked the patriarch for his 鈥減ersonal and spiritual鈥 support to Ukraine.
鈥淵our prayers have given us the strength to stand and fight the insidious enemy for 3 years. Thank you for your personal and spiritual support to millions of Ukrainians around the world who were forced to leave their homes to save the lives of their children," Roman said.
