Ecumenical Patriarchate: Clergy of All Ranks Must Not Possess Weapons

ISTANBUL — The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has declared that the possession and use of weapons are incompatible with the status of an Orthodox clergyman, regardless of ecclesiastical rank. The statement was issued following the Synod’s meeting on November 2, 2026, under the presidency of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

The declaration came in response to a question raised during the session concerning whether clergy may possess or use weapons. The Synod reaffirmed the Church’s position, stating: “The possession and use of weapons for any reason are entirely incompatible with the status of an Orthodox clergyman of any rank, in accordance with the sacred canonical tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church.”

The meeting also marked the 35th anniversary of Patr. Bartholomew’s enthronement as Ecumenical Patriarch. At the beginning of the session, Metr. Joseph of Proikonnesos, the senior hierarch among the Synod’s members, congratulated the Patriarch on the anniversary.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Zelensky met with Patr. Bartholomew during his fifth visit to the Phanar.