Deacon Andrei Kuraev called the statement of Kirill (Gundyaev) a new salvo in the patriarchal war of thrones.
The Patriarch literally declared the following in his sermon: "Constantinople is a city that has nothing to do with the history of Russia".
Thus, the primate canceled the centuries-old dream of the Russian imperialists to conquer the city, to which Russia owes its religion and culture. The city from which Moscow itself traces its history, if we recall the famous formula of the early 16th century, written in the message of Elder Philotheus:
"Two Romes have fallen, the third is standing, and the fourth will never be".
It meant that both Rome and Constantinople were punished for their betrayal of Orthodoxy, after which Moscow took their place. If Moscow also falls into sins, then the Fourth Rome will not follow because at that time there was not a single Orthodox state anywhere in the world. This would mean the end of the world.
Let us recall that the idea of "returning" Constantinople to the fold of Orthodoxy by means of a simple military seizure was cherished by many Russian leaders, including the great Dostoevsky. He directly wrote in his Diary of a Writer, commenting on the course of the Russian-Turkish war in the 70s of the 19th century: "Our right to ancient Constantinople ..."
Moreover, for six centuries the Russian Church was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. And it was the bishops appointed by this patriarchate that kept the Russian princes from resisting the Horde yoke, since the Mongols, in opposition to the Turks, were allies of Byzantium. That is, Constantinople, even before it was captured by the Turks, played an important role in the history of Rus.
"Is it possible that the city, to which the Russian Empire was striving to conquer, for the sake of which it threw itself into wars, can be considered unrelated to its history?" - Kurayev wonders.
In addition, how can you call a city alien, which for centuries has fed literally all spheres of political, ideological and cultural life, giving Russia architectural, literary, behavioral and other role models?
In addition, there is no doubt that one of the favorite church holidays of Russian Orthodoxy - the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos from the barbarians (recall that it is believed that the Mother of God protected Constantinople from the invasion of enemies, covering the city with a canopy) - and served as a catalyst for the Baptism of Russia itself, then there is, in a religious-historical context, Constantinople has a direct relation to Russia.
In general, Kirill says things that are strange for Russian scrapers. However, his behavior is more than understandable: after all, none other than the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople blessed the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the ROC. You can't forgive that!..