International Conference: Church and schisms, abuse of religion for geopolitical purposes

The Center for geostrategic studies organized 30. June 2025. the Belgrade press center International Conference entitled: "The church and schisms, the abuse of religion for geopolitical purposes“.

Dragana TrifkovicDirector General of the Center for geostrategic studies, Serbia, spoke on the topic "Patriarch Bartholomew, complicit in the attack on Orthodoxy“. Она је истакла да је Патријарх Вартоломеј I поборник и наследник идеје о уздизању Цариградске патријаршије кроз доследно уништавање помесних цркава, која потиче од патријарха Мелентија Метаксакиса. Критикујући стварање раскола у Православљу, она је напоменула да је „Прогон и страдање Украјинске православне цркве узрокован директном интервенцијом патријарха Вартоломеја, на чијим рукама је крв страдалих епископа, свештеника и верника Украјинске православне цркве“.

Photo: Dragana Trifkovic, Director General of the Center for gesotrategic studies

In the final part of the speech, Trifkovic concluded: "Bartholomew I, who wanted to gain fame as a renewer of the canonical order, and a unifier of Christians, will go down in history as an accomplice in the attack on Orthodoxy and the persecution of his one-believers. It is necessary to take the most decisive action against Bartholomew and to openly expose his anti-canonical actions, because it is obvious that he will not stop carrying out his aggressive actions.“

Dragana Trifkovic informed the public that at the request of Greece, she was banned from entering the Schengen zone for three years, which illegally violated her basic human rights and that Patriarch Bartholomew, who will have to answer before the European Court of human rights, is behind such a procedure of Greece.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church she prepared for the conference a video called".Kidnapping of the U. P. C. temples by radical nationalists", which depicted the violence of PCU members against this, the only canonically recognized church in Ukraine.

Video footage of the hijacking of UPC temples by PCU members and radical extremists

After that, the director of the Center for geostrategic studies Dragana Trifkovic read the address of His Eminence Metropolitan of Zaporizhia and Melitopol Luka entitled "Appeal to the bishops of the local Orthodox Churches“

His Eminence Metropolitan of Zaporizhia and Melitopol Luka he stated in an appeal that it was in January 2019. the patriarch of Constantinople signed a Tomos on autocephaly for the newly created organization, which he called the "Orthodox Church of Ukraine". "With one stroke of pen, the structures that the entire family of Orthodox churches, including those of Constantinople, recognized as uncanonical, were legalized. This was done against the Will and desire of millions of Orthodox Ukrainians, faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who have repeatedly asked the primate, who is in Istanbul, not to take such a step, because such actions will inevitably lead to an even greater schism in Orthodoxy in Ukraine, as well as a direct attack on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. To our great regret, the Chief of Phanar did not listen to anyone. As a result, a catastrophe broke out in the church sphere of Ukraine, which spread to the entire Orthodox Church,“ said Metropolitan Luka.

Photo: His Eminence Metropolitan of Zaporizhia and Melitopol Luka

He noted that the representatives of the UCC have repeatedly addressed Patriarch Bartholomew with a request to end the robberies of his "spiritual children" from the "Orthodox Church of Ukraine". "Since such requests made to the Primate of the Church of Constantinople have not been answered before, I invite you, dear brothers in Christ, to raise your voice in support of our church!", pointed out Metropolitan Luka.

Diogenis Valavanidisthe president of the Center for the protection of Christian identity spoke on the topic "Opening the door to the Antichrist“. In his speech, he criticized the anti-Christian discourse of the Brussels bureaucracy. "A special difficulty is created by facing reality, in which the highest political authorities of the EU (European Union), in the first place the president of the EC (European Commission) Ursula von der Leyen, convinces us that the persistence of European culture and civilization is inherited on the basis of the Talmud, which is the most famous work of Jewish literature since the first centuries.the Christian era, even today in which Christians are characterized as a "hated sect", while the description of the figure of Jesus Christ is blasphemously perverted. Unequivocally, this is the way to change the genetic code and identity card of the people of Europe,“ Valavanidis said.

Photo: Diogenis Valavanidis, president of the Center for the protection of Christian identity

He also reported to the public that the "Center for the protection of Christian identity" from Belgrade 16. May sent a renewed public appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople for the salvation of the unity of the Orthodox Church. "The appeal pointed to the overriding fact that the realization of the destruction of the unity of the Orthodox Church began with the attack on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for which the Ukrainian parliament later passed the law on the Prohibition of action, which in fact is the result of the granting of Tomos by the Patriarchate of Constantinople on autocephaly to the schismatic Orthodox Church.Ukraine," said valavanidis.

Victor Jose, Editor-in-chief of the portal of Orthodox Journalists "tradition" from Moldova spoke on the topic "Church schism in Moldova: between politics and ethnophyletism“. Josu noted that the split in Moldova began in 1992. in the year when a small group of priests from the Moldavian metropolis of the Moscow Patriarchate began to group around the Vicar Bishop of beltsky, Petru Peduraru. "Their activities were encouraged by politicians. Thus, the Moldovan Popular Front directly oversaw the process of schism. His representatives also participated in meetings of priests, in every possible way urging them to secede from the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, the Popular Front was a nationalist organization, which already advocated the unification of Moldova with Romania. The Romanian Orthodox Church was founded at the end of 2007. four dioceses were established within the so-called Bessarabian Metropolitanate, which received its assessment not only from the Moscow Patriarchate, but also from other local churches,“ Josu stressed.

Photo: Victor Josu, editor-in-chief of the portal of Orthodox Journalists "tradition" 

In the concluding part of his speech, Viktor Josu spoke about the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova, which are to be held in September this year. "If the current power is preserved as a result, a law may be passed banning the Orthodox Church of Moldova if it does not sever canonical ties with the RPC. But we understand that breaking canonical ties means entering a schism, " Josu concluded.

Goran IGIC, graduate philologist for Serbian language and literature, Orthodox publicist from Serbia spoke on the topic "The influence of Antoni Jerkov on the schisms in the canonical territory of the Serbian Orthodox Church“. He pointed out that: "Antonio Jerkov, both in the case of the Croatian Orthodox Church during the NDH period, and in the case of the Macedonian Orthodox Church after the Second World War, acted to break the territorial-canonical order of the Serbian Orthodox Church, whereby he is not of the Orthodox faith, but a Roman Catholic, who interfered in the internal Orthodox issues in one way or another.sophisticated way with the support not only of the Vatican, but also of the political authorities in Belgrade".

Photo: Goran Igić, graduate philologist for Serbian language and literature, Orthodox publicist

In the continuation of his address, Goran IGIC expressed his position that he believes that the recognition of the autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church was hasty 5. June 2022. The Serbian Orthodox Church brought under political pressure. "I do not agree with the statement made by Serbian Patriarch Porfirije at the beginning of May this year in an interview with the Russian Orthodox portal Богослов.ги" historically, in canonical terms, dioceses in the territories of present-day North Macedonia have never belonged to the Serbian Orthodox church, except in the period since 1920. by 1965/6/7. years."For the sake of truth, it should be said to the public, that the Diocese of Skopje was part of the Serbian Archdiocese of PEC at the latest in the time of King Milutin, because King Milutin transferred the capital to Skopje. Pološka or Tetovo diocese, then debar diocese, Lesnovo diocese were all part of the Serbian Orthodox Church at the time of Nemanjić“, concluded Igić.

Tatjana Stojanović, military correspondent and journalist in Russia, representative of the Eurasian Forum of journalists from Serbia, spoke on the topic "The destruction of Churches on the Russian border“. "In the course of the fighting in the border areas of Russia, especially in the Kursk region, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine invaded, Orthodox churches and monasteries were used for military purposes many times, which led to their destruction and desecration. These actions have drawn condemnation from both religious organizations and international observers.

Photo: Tatjana Stojanovic, military correspondent and journalist in Russia

The Ukrainian army, on the one hand, used churches as military facilities, on the other hand, targeted them and destroyed them. In the first case, unmanned aerial vehicles, weapons depots and medical checkpoints were deployed in the churches. The Ukrainian command was guided by the opinion that the Russian army would not strike religious objects.“

Tatyana cited the words of the American Orthodox priest Seraphim Bell, who now serves in Russia, " one of the subtexts of the coup organized by the Americans in Ukraine in 2014. the year was the use of the UPC against Russia. The first step was an attempt to separate it from the Moscow party. That didn't work. But it went out of hand to put pressure on the patriarch in Constantinople and he created the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU).“ Stojanovic concluded that the destruction and desecration of Orthodox churches by the Ukrainian army in the Russian border areas is not only a war crime, but also part of an ideological and civilizational conflict.

Tamash Sekeresh, a graduate philologist and geopolitical analyst from Bulgaria spoke on the topic "The role of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in contemporary politics in the Balkans“.

"In the contemporary context of moral decline, globalist pressure and geopolitical conflicts, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has regained its natural role as the spiritual pillar of the Bulgarian nation and a potential balancing act in the Orthodox world," Szekeresz said. He believes that "the categorical refusal to participate in the Council of Crete 2016. the year was a clear sign of the BPC's disagreement with the Papist attempts by the phanaric Patriarch Bartholomew to centralize the Orthodox world. With this, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church joined the Russian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Antiochian Church in the so-called Traditionalist Orthodox bloc.“

Photo: Tamaš Sekereš, graduate philologist and geopolitical analyst

"The election of Patriarch Daniel in 2024. in 2009, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was given a spiritual leader with a clearly expressed orthodox conservatism. The patriarch is known for his categorical statements against ecumenism and liberal theology, his support of conciliarity and canonicity as the foundation of the Orthodox hierarchy, and his moral firmness and spiritual sobriety in his public messages. It is a symbol of traditionalism without fanaticism and spiritual struggle without political servility,“ Sekeresz concluded.

Dane Čankovićpresident of the " Serbian people's movement-the choice is ours – from the Republic of Srpska spoke on the topic "Phanar those who destroy religion“. Čanković pointed out that " an increasing number of Greek media recently wrote that Patriarch Bartholomew made a big mistake by giving Tomos to Ukrainian schismatics and that now these facts are becoming a conscious and official Fanatic. Bartholomew is looking for a way to correct his mistake, which has greatly violated his authority in the international arena. Bartholomew begins to acknowledge the fact that the project to create a non-legal structure in Ukraine failed, because the Ukrainians did not justify his wishes and plans.“

Photo: Dane Čanković, president of the Serbian people's movement-the choice is ours

He believes that "the negative practice of giving Tomos to Ukrainian schismatics was attempted to be transferred to the Baltic countries , where some schismatics saw a possible chance of forming new schism structures in these countries according to the Ukrainian scenario. The current situation publicly shows the absolute correctness of the decision of the Serbian Patriarchate and Patriarch porphyry, who from the very beginning pointed to the error of Patriarch Bartholomew's decision to give the Ukrainian schismatics a Tomos on independence,“ said Čanković.

"Bartholomew, seeing the error of his decisions, which broke the unity of the Orthodox churches, is trying to correct the catastrophic situation through other local Orthodox churches and therefore seriously considers withdrawing Tomos from the Ukrainian schismatics," concluded Čanković.

Source: Center for Geostrategic Studies

Video of the conference: International Conference: Church and schisms, abuse of religion for geopolitical purposes

1. July 2025.