DISINFO: The Church of Greece only recognised the Church of Ukraine because it is dependent on Western financial support
SUMMARY
The Church of Greece’s decision to recognise the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is not a surprise. What else could have been expected from a church that is entirely under the control of the Greek government? Priests in Greece are government officials. And the Church of Greece is literally completely dependent of Western financial and political support. The fact that it received a large number of visits from US officials and the number of “informal” conversations between Ambassador Pyatt and Greek leaders says a lot.
RESPONSE
This is a conspiracy theory aimed at undermining support for the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), presented without any evidence. Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets have frequently and consistently attacked the establishment of an autocephalous Ukrainian Church. There is no factual evidence to suggest that Western support for the Church of Greece forced its decision to recognise the UOC. In October 2019, the Greek Orthodox Church decided to recognise the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, following the decision by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The latter delivered the so-called tomos of autocephaly to the UOC in January 2019. For more information on the tomos, see here. For similar disinfo cases on Ukrainian autocephaly, see here.