The decision by Bishop Nektarios of Corfu to travel to Moscow and take the right hand relic of Saint Spyridon there for veneration has sparked controversy within the Orthodox Church of Greece.
The bishop’s decision to concelebrate with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has drawn criticism from church circles, which have described the move as a “coup” and questioned how he could celebrate with a patriarch who does not commemorate Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the Church of Greece.
The Moscow Patriarchate suspended Eucharistic communion with the Church of Greece in October 2019 after the latter recognized the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Since then, Kirill has not commemorated Ieronymos.
Nektarios has also faced criticism for comparing Kirill with the late Athens Archbishop Christodoulos and telling him that he “truly rightly divides the word of truth.” Critics have questioned the appropriateness of such praise for a patriarch who has supported Russia’s war in Ukraine.
During the visit, Kirill awarded Nektarios the Order of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, while the bishop presented him with the highest honorary distinction of the Metropolitan Diocese of Corfu, the Order of the Golden Cross with the Star of Saint Spyridon.
