Category: faith

In a recent interview, Patriarch Kyril of Moscow stated that Patriarch Bartholomew recognized the schismatic “church” faction in Ukraine because of pressure from “powerful political forces”. It remains a mystery why the local Orthodox Churches have refrained from confronting the American government through their embassies in their respective capitals? At this point, the primates and bishops of all Orthodox Churches should begin raising awareness among their flocks as to what has transpired.

All Orthodox Churches should publicly denounce the State Department and its intrusive policies in Church affairs. It is time to break the silence of the past two years. Patriarch Bartholomew has been justifiably criticized from throughout the Orthodox world. This criticism along with appeals from some Orthodox primates to the Ecumenical Patriarch to convene a council has failed to achieve anything.

There have been reports over the past year indicating that the Orthodox primates in Georgia, Serbia, and elsewhere have been visited by American diplomats who asked them recognize the fake “church” in Ukraine. To their credit, these Churches have refused to establish communion with the fake “bishops” of Ukraine. One wishes the Archbishops of Athens and Nicosia, along with the holy kinot of Mount Athos had followed the examples of the Georgian and Serbian Churches.

The inter Orthodox fighting has produced nothing. Patriarch Bartholomew has refused to listen to reason and the reality is that he is simply not free. Making appeals to the Ecumenical Patriarch to convene a council has failed because Patriarch Bartholomew is under pressure from the American government. Therefore, the defenders of Orthodoxy need to redirect their criticism to those “powerful political forces” that instigated this entire crisis.

A council should be convened in a similar way as that which was convened by the Patriarch of Jerusalem last year. This time, the subject of the council should address the American problem. It is very clear that a resolution to the ecclesiastical crisis in Ukraine will not be forthcoming until secular political interests have removed themselves from the spiritual and canonical life of the Orthodox Church.

A council should be convened to discuss very simply the involvement of secular interests in the Church and how the free Orthodox Churches should react to the encroachments of the secular world into the spiritual domain. The council could be convened once again under the Patriarch of Jerusalem or it could be convened under the presidency of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia.

It does not really matter under whose presidency such a council occurs as long as it convenes and addresses the destructive intrusion into Church life of the secular powers. This does not have to be a formal council with binding decisions as it will not be dealing with either dogmatic, doctrinal, or canonical issues. The restoration of the application of canonical law and norms in Ukraine is a long way off and will have to be dealt with sometime in the future.

Last year’s council in Jordan was not binding but it was productive in the sense that several local Churches took a step forward in discussing the crisis. The next step should be for the local Churches to discuss and to condemn the secular intrusions into the spiritual life of the Church of Christ. As the Churches of Constantinople and Greece are presently not free, they should not be expected to attend such a council.

In any case, the synods of the free Churches should gather among themselves to coordinate protests among the faithful in their own countries and to ask their own governments to protect religious freedom before their local Churches follow the path of the Churches of Constantinople, Greece, and Alexandria. It is time for Orthodoxy to shake off the blows that have been inflicted upon it since 2018 and begin the process of defending the faith.

The above suggestions may not sound like much but at the very least it is time to address the origin of the whole Ukrainian crisis. This is a much needed first step on the road to restore Orthodox unity. The work of the State Department in attempting to influence the Church as if it were a political party or non governmental organization is an outrage and a a violation of religious freedom.

The Orthodox Church must react toward Washington as if the State Department were actually closing closing Churches and suppressing the freedom of Orthodox Christians. What it has done by fomenting schism in the Church and targeting the Russian Church and its daughter Church in Ukraine is just as evil as more open and more direct forms of persecution.

The free Orthodox Churches must go beyond criticizing Washington in interviews. They must begin discussing ways of uniting with one another to resist the ongoing efforts to drag more local Churches into recognizing the schismatics and must openly confront the evil.

Only when the State Department has withdrawn from its meddling in the Churches will peace and unity be restored in the Orthodox Church. Perhaps the Ecumenical Patriarch and the others who have recognized the schismatics will repent?

The Orthodox Church of Greece is confronting the Greek Government over the complex issue of closing Churches for the impending feast of the theophany on January 6. Closing Churches is always a painful matter but in the middle of a worldwide pandemic the Church needs to consider the matter of permitting large numbers of people to congregate in Church. The Bishops of the Church of Greece need to be more flexible with the government and need to consider the expertise of doctors and scientists.

This is absolutely the wrong time for the Church of Greece to confront the Greek government. Back in 2017, when the Tsipras government legalized gay marriage and introduced legislation favoring transgenderism, the Bishops barely protested. Of course, Church services must continue but under the circumstances it is understandable if the Church is not filled with faithful.

The possibility of the spread of covid 19 from one individual to another necessitates that steps be taken to prevent large numbers of people from congregating. Some sort of compromise could be reached such as ensuring only a certain number of people be permitted to attend Church services and all should be required to wear a mask.

It is ironic that the Bishops of Greece have taken a hard line stance now. The possibility of closed Churches is a temporary phenomenon and with scientists predicting the end of the pandemic at some point during 2021 (possibly by fall) this situation will be rectified. The Bishops of the Church of Greece have ironically abandoned their ecclesiastical responsibilities for over a year now and are suddenly presuming to take positions on matters of public health which are the domain of secular authorities and scientists. The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece should be more preoccupied with the ongoing schism within universal Orthodoxy over the Ukrainian affair which threatens the unity of the Orthodox Church over the long run. The Ukrainian schism preceded the pandemic and appears likely to remain a problem when the pandemic disappears.

American officials such as outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and “Ambassador” Geoffrey Pyatt have intervened blatantly in the internal ecclesiastical affairs of the Churches of Constantinople and Greece by urging them to recognize the pseudo-church in Ukraine that consists of hierarchs and priests who were either defrocked or never ordained and consecrated by the canonical Orthodox Church. American officials have made a mockery of Orthodox ecclesiology and canon law and the Bishops of the Orthodox Church of Greece failed to stop them.

The Bishops of the Orthodox Church of Greece should have erupted in anger and rebellion in 2019 when American officials approached them and asked them to recognize the Ukrainian pseudo-church. The Bishops of Greece need to focus on spiritual affairs and to get their house in order. Certainly, it is wise to maintain a healthy distrust of the motives of the Greek government but faced with the reality of the pandemic it is not unreasonable for the Church to make certain non dogmatic concessions in the interest of public health.

The Bishops present confrontation with the government cannot hide the fact that they failed to defend Orthodoxy at a time when it truly mattered and allowed the secular interests of the State Department to intrude into the sacred affairs of the holy Church of Jesus Christ!

The Orthodox Church of Greece should work with the Mitsotakis government in the Justinian tradition of “symphonia” (meaning synergy or harmony). “Symphonia” refers to the traditional alliance between Church and State that was formalized under the Emperor-Saint Justinian of Constantinople during the sixth century. The present Greek government is preferable to both PASOK and Syriza both of which would have been pursuing very aggressive anti Church and anti Christian policies had they been in power at the present time.

The Bishops of the Church of Greece should proceed with prudence and wisdom, and above all with faith. All Orthodox Christians have faith that the healing power of Jesus Christ will end the pandemic! In the meantime, the Church should witness to Christ to both the faithful and to its enemies through fidelity to sacred worship and holy tradition within the present realities that this fallen world finds itself in.

Throughout history, the holy Church of God has always had enemies. This remains unchanged up to the present day. The Bishops of the Church of Greece should respect the opinions of those in the secular sphere such as doctors and concentrate on spiritual matters such as the great spiritual crisis which has created a terrible schism in Orthodoxy.

Mercifully, the year from hell is finally over. The year that brought us the coronavirus, the murder of George Floyd and riots throughout the country, and the victory of Joe Biden in the Presidential election is gone! The year that saw Hagia Sophia and the great Chora Church of our Savior in Constantinople become Mosques is gone!

May the light emanating from the birth of the most glorious King of Israel in Bethlehem shine brightly in the new year! May the incarnate logos that was born of woman and dwelt among men heal the world of the afflictions of disease, madness, and extremism. Glory to Jesus Christ our King and our God, vanquisher of death and disease!

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/12/27/last-byzantine-greeks-facing-extinction-in-islamist-led-turkey/

The article in the link above about the last Greeks of Constantinople is very good. This is what the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Greece should be focusing on. Very sadly, the Greek Orthodox world has been led to disaster as a result of the collaboration of Patriarch Bartholomew and some Bishops in Greece with the State Department.

Patriarch Bartholomew had one major challenge confronting him when he was enthroned as Ecumenical Patriarch in November 1991. That was to save the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its remaining flock in Constantinople and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos. For a long time it appeared that Patriarch Bartholomew was in fact proceeding to revive the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

A major Pan Orthodox synaxis was held in Constantinople in March 1992 that was unprecedented. Patriarch Bartholomew showed a good deal of courage in surviving nearly a dozen assassination attempts or bomb attacks at the Patriarchate. It can still be said that he faced down Turkish-Islamic terrorism with great bravery.

Alas, with the convening of the problematic pseudo-council of Crete and the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s intervention in Ukraine much damage was done to Constantinople’s prestige in addition to the damage done to Orthodox unity. The plight of the Greek communities in Constantinople and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos is tragic. Quite noticeable is the fact that the Patriarch’s allies have done nothing to alleviate their plight.

The theological school of Halki remains closed and Hagia Sophia and the Chora Church of the Savior are being used as Mosques. The Greek speaking Churches need to end the crisis in Orthodoxy. Any Greek who believes that the Ecumenical Patriarchate ended the schism in Ukraine is deluded. Constantinople has in fact contributed to the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Church and created a major schism throughout the universal Church.

As an old admirer of the Great Church of Constantinople I am now a profound critic of the Patriarchate and its policies. What the Patriarch needs is criticism and opposition and not blind obedience. This is the Orthodox way. In earlier centuries, the spiritual children of the Church of Constantinople criticized and rebuked their Patriarchs when they strayed from the truth as occurred during the iconoclastic crisis and after the convening of the false Council of Florence. The Patriarchate has an important function to play but not the function Patriarch Bartholomew wants it to play.

The Patriarch has the responsibility to protect itself, its important shrines that remain in Constantinople, and its remaining flock. The Patriarchate cannot fulfill these aspirations if it is defying the precepts of Orthodox ecclesiology and inventing a non existent role for itself and claiming to be “first without equals” in the worlds Eastern Orthodox hierarchy.

American “Ambassador” to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt delivered an outrageous attack on the Russian Orthodox Church in which he claims the Russian Church is intimidating other Orthodox Churches into not recognizing the fake “church” that Patriarch Bartholomew recognized in Ukraine. This outrageous statement reveals hard truths. American officials in Greece do not serve in a diplomatic capacity, they serve as defacto Governors.

Pyatt has absolutely no business commenting on Church affairs. There is one Ukrainian Orthodox Church and it is led by the pious Metropolitan Onuphry and his Synod. This is a Church facing persecution as a result of the unholy collusion between Washington, Kiev, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is legitimate because it possesses apostolicity, canonicity, and catholicity. Unlike the monstrosity that calls itself the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and is a blasphemous parody of Orthodoxy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church can claim to be a part of the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”.

Pyatt proceeded to praise Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Praise from such a source does not give credit to either hierarch. It does suggest that the Greek Orthodox world is under the imposition of a foreign yoke that can be seen as the successor of the Frankish yoke that conquered Constantinople and much of the Greek speaking world in the thirteenth century. It also suggests that Orthodox Greeks need changes in ecclesiastical leadership very badly.

Any Orthodox hierarchs who need the endorsement of secular officials are unworthy of the sacred offices that they hold. The same can be said for those hierarchs in Greece, Cyprus, and Alexandria who have sold out Christ by colluding with foreigners who serve as the defacto rulers of Greece and who interfere with the holy Church of Jesus Christ! Orthodoxy has been hit hard over the past two years with the advent of the Ukrainian schism.

The honor and prestige of the Greek speaking world within Orthodoxy has been badly damaged. This honor can only be restored when the Greek Churches liberate themselves from secularism and from the evil of western officials who use the Church of Christ for political purposes. One fondly recalls the blessed memory of Archbishop Christodoulos (1998-2008) of Athens who never failed to condemn moral injustices and who defended the Church of Greece against its enemies, who spoke in defense of Cyprus, and who condemned Washington’s wars of aggression.

How far the Church of Greece has fallen under the cowardly Archbishop Ieronymos II. How far the Greek Orthodox world in general has fallen in two years! In the midst of darkness there is still light. There are hierarchs, priests, monastics, theologians, and lay people in Greece and Cyprus who are outspoken in their opposition to the Patriarch and their own bishops. The struggle may take time but the people of God will ultimately prevail in the Greek Orthodox world and those who use the Church of Christ for political purposes will face judgement.

Ukrainian Orthodox Christians have begun holding protests in Kiev against Patriarch Bartholomew. They have many legitimate reasons to protest. Patriarch Bartholomew transgressed Canon Law by intervening in the canonical territory of the Russian Church, by attempting to restore defrocked and disgraced bishops that were anathematized by the Moscow Patriarchate, and establishing communion with a group of laypeople masquerading as bishops and priests.

As a result of this intervention in Ukraine, violence has increased against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The people of God in Ukraine have legitimate grievances against Patriarch Bartholomew and are right to protest. It is rather sad to see how the Patriarch has estranged and offended Orthodox Christians not only in Ukraine but throughout the world.

There was a time when one might have hoped that Orthodox Christians worldwide might have demonstrated on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its difficulties in Turkey. That is a scenario that has long faded into fantasy. No Orthodox Christian outside the Greek speaking world cares about the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate not long ago was an oppressed Church in Constantinople. The key word being “was”. The Patriarchate has now become so entangled with the State Department’s anti Russian foreign policy it is impossible for anyone to look past the devastation that has been wrought on Orthodoxy over the past two years.

The oppressed has become the oppressor. Patriarch Bartholomew is complicit in the persecution of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and the schism between the Greek and non Greek Churches. He is also responsible for the divisions that have broken out among the Churches of Greece, Cyprus, and the Monastics on Mount Athos. It is important also to note that Patriarch Bartholomew’s extremism did not begin in Ukraine.

There were signs from time to time that Patriarch Bartholomew was interested wholly and entirely in power. When four Russian Monks on Mount Athos in 1992 refused to commemorate the Patriarch in the liturgy, they were brutally expelled from the Holy Mountain. During the 1990’s, the would be Turkish Pope used the Greek Police as his own personal enforcers to attempt to drive out the dissenting Monks of Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos.

In 2006, Patriarch Bartholomew sent a group of Monks to forcibly evict the brotherhood of Monks that was already residing within the Esphigmenou Monastery. This resulted in an appalling and scandalous brawl between the two groups of Monks. The Monks protested Patriarch Bartholomew’s pro ecumenist policies by refusing to commemorate him during the divine liturgy. The same Greek government that eagerly embraced the atheism and secularism of the European Union by trying to remove Orthodoxy from public schools had no problem putting its Police force at the disposal of the Patriarch.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has reverted back to the Ottoman era. Perhaps this is appropriately so considering that President Erdogan seeks a restoration of the Ottoman Empire. During the Ottoman era, there was a rivalry between the Greek and Slavic Monks on Mount Athos. These old wounds have been reopened as a result of Patriarch Bartholomew’s intervention in Ukraine and his alliance with Washington.

It is very hard to envision any of this resulting in a happy ending the longer the Church crisis drags on. If there be any illusions about Patriarch Bartholomew at this point, one has only to look at the scandals and financial mess that is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Orthodox Christians everywhere should support the Ukrainian protesters in Kiev who are defending the faith against their own wicked government and its accomplices at the Phanar and in Washington.

Patriarch Irenaios of the Serbian Orthodox Church passed away from Covid 19. His memory be eternal! In addition, the primates of the Orthodox Churches of Greece and Albania have both been hospitalized after coming down with covid 19. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to both of them.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate for me was always worthy of admiration and reverence as an ecclesiastical institution. I am reminded of Steven Runciman’s classic “The Great Church in Captivity” about the Patriarchate’s history under the rule of the Ottoman Empire from the fall of Constantinople to the Greek War of Independence. Runciman, a legendary historian of Byzantium wrote about the Patriarchate with a good deal of sympathy.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate survived the fall of Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire. It has appeared to have survived the demise of the Turkish Republic which was a greater threat to its existence than the Ottoman Empire ever was. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has survived much political hardship and persecution but its demise appears to be on the horizon as a result of the policies of its current Patriarch rather than as a result of Turkish oppression and brutality.

This is a profound shame. The Eastern Orthodox Church recognizes the Ecumenical Patriarch as “first among equals” and considers the Patriarchate to have a “primacy of honor”. This is not an insignificant status. Indeed, Constantinople could have done much good for the whole of Orthodoxy had its leadership been content with the recognized status that it holds.

The primary focus of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been itself rather than the interests of Orthodoxy in general. The Ecumenical Patriarch could have been the statesman of Orthodoxy but chose instead to become a partisan figure putting forward claims on the territorial rights of autocephalous Churches that are not substantiated by canon law or Orthodox ecclesiology. The present Ecumenical Patriarch in the early years of his Patriarchy achieved some good things.

In March 1992, he convened a historic synaxis or gathering of Orthodox Patriarchs and primates at the Ecumenical Patriarchate that was truly historic. Less than a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Patriarchs worked together to produce a statement criticizing the Vatican for its missionary activities in Russia and other freed Orthodox countries and for supporting the Unia in Ukraine and Rumania.

The statement released stated that Orthodox dialogue with the Vatican was being limited strictly to discussions over the Uniates that were seen by Orthodoxy as a threat. It was a wonderful statement achieved through the traditional method of conciliarity. This Patriarchal reign that started with promise appears to eventually in tragedy.

Patriarch Bartholomew’s goal was to secure the existence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate after its near extinction as a result of the Turkish sponsored genocide and ethnic cleansing of the twentieth century. Patriarch Bartholomew’s primary achievement has been to upgrade the status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from a nearly forgotten ancient Church facing severe restrictions to an internationally recognized Church that enjoys diplomatic status and protection.

This remains an impressive accomplishment. The problem regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been that it thinks only in terms of itself. For example, the Patriarchate believes its interests are the interests of Orthodoxy and vice versa when this is clearly not the case. Each autocephalous Orthodox Church is inseparable from the rest and must act in accordance with the tradition of conciliarity and not independently or above the desired will of the body of local Churches.

Constantinople has adopted an authoritarian streak that is not compatible with Orthodox tradition. This ethos has led Constantinople to make fatal errors in its relations with the Russian Orthodox Church which it sees as a rival rather than as a sister Church. While the Ecumenical Patriarchate has achieved diplomatic recognition from the western world as a counter to Turkish oppression and discrimination, this has led Constantinople to align itself with extremist political interests in Washington that are anti Russian.

This collusion with the west against the Russians has tragically placed the Ecumenical Patriarchate against the greater interests of Orthodoxy. Russia is the largest Orthodox country in the world that has been targeted by western liberals and others because it is a Christian country that espouses sacred values. Constantinople should have praised the miraculous building of Churches and Cathedrals throughout Russia and should have recognized that contemporary Russia is the carrier of the great spiritual tradition of Constantinople.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s intervention in Ukraine has done enormous damage to Orthodox unity. The damage was not limited to Ukraine but was carried over into the Churches of Greece and Alexandria which have become severely compromised, and onto Mount Athos itself which has become divided. Constantinople’s actions are truly lamentable.

The Ukrainian crisis has been recounted in greater depth on this blog. Needless to say, the longer this crisis continues the less likely that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will recover its reputation and prestige. The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s disastrous handling of affairs in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has further damaged its reputation and prestige.

There are certain Greek elements that have endorsed each and every disastrous decision made by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. These cheerleaders are contributing to the eventual ruin of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.