Vartholomaios condemns ‘unprovoked attack’ on Ukraine

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, warning that the confrontation could descend into a full-scale world war.

A statement from the Istanbul-based patriarchate on Thursday said that Vartholomaios “condemns Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, an independent and sovereign state of Europe, the encroachment on human rights and the brutal violence against fellow human beings, including civilians.”

It said that the patriarch prays that the leaders in Moscow “will come to understand the tragic repercussions of their decisions and actions which could even spark an international military conflict.”

Vartholomaios, it added, is pleading with all state leaders, European institutions and international organizations to join efforts “for a peaceful settlement of the crisis on the basis of sincere dialogue.”