Bishop Morfou admitted to "revering" Vladimir Putin at every liturgy

Bishop Neophytos of Morfou admitted to "revering" Russian President Vladimir Putin "at every liturgy." The priest shared this in a conversation with the Russian news agency TASS.

According to the clergyman, he greatly respects Vladimir Putin and considers him "close, his own person," although he has never met him. In his liturgies, Bishop Neophytos reveres the Russian leader by his name, Vladimir.

The priest does the same regarding the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, and the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, and his wife, Svetlana.

"I pray for them. Svetlana Medvedeva asked me to do so once, when we first met in Moscow, and later, when she came for a pilgrimage. And since then, fulfilling her request, I pray for these people who determine thoughts, decisions, actions, right deeds, and mistakes, shaping the history of all humanity," said the bishop.

Metropolitan Neophytos of Morfou also talked about his impression of Russian President Vladimir Putin's interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, reacted to the persecution by the Kiev authorities against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), and pointed out attempts by Western forces to establish a new world order.

"The leadership of Cyprus has decided that we belong to the West. Personally, I do not agree with this position. We have much more in common with Russians, Serbs, Romanians, and Bulgarians than with anyone from the West," the priest told TASS.

The publication also reminds that in 2020, Neophytos opposed the recognition of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, voting against the corresponding proposal at the Holy Synod of Cyprus.

It should be noted that the Bishop of Morfou is the head of one of the four metropolises located in the northern part of the island, in the TRNC. In addition to Neophytos, they include the Metropolis of Constantia and Famagusta, the Metropolis of Kyrenia, and the Bishopric of Karpasia.