MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/: Kiev is in talks with Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, on the relocation of Christian relics from Ukraine, Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin said in a statement.
"According to incoming information, the Kiev regime and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I are in talks on Phanar (the short name of the Constantinople Patriarchate after the Istanbul neighborhood where the patriarch’s residence is located - TASS) joining efforts to relocate Christian relics from Ukraine as they are allegedly threatened with destruction due to Russian missile strikes," says the statement, released by the SVR press service.
According to the SVR, there are plans to make the abduction of sacred relics a part of the regular church practice of sending relics to third countries for worship purposes.
During preparations for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Istanbul and during the trip itself, Bartholomew agreed with the Ukrainian authorities to make a list of items meant to be handed over "for deposit" to the churches of the Constantinople Patriarchate in the countries where it is present. "In order to legitimize the robbery, the items need to be related to the global Christian heritage or directly to the Byzantine Orthodox heritage and also be suitable for display in churches. These particularly include the holy relics of Andrew the Apostle and Great Martyr Panteleimon from Odessa’s St. Elijah's Monastery and St. Panteleimon’s Monastery, as well as the parts of the Cross of the Lord from the Koretsky Holy Trinity Convent of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Rovno Region," the SVR added.
