Category: faith

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias raised the issue of Hagia Sophia at a human rights council at the United Nations. Credit should be given to the Greek government for raising awareness of the Turkish government’s deplorable conversion of Saint Justinian’s Church. Except, Minister Dendias referred to Hagia Sophia in the context of culture.

Certainly, it would make sense to mention the cultural significance of Hagia Sophia. But the Minister should have also mentioned it as a source of religion and Christianity as well. Hagia Sophia was a Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch until the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453.

The Minister should also have mentioned Hagia Sophia as an important national shrine of the Greek nation as well. Can any Greek forget the men, women, and children who were butchered or taken away into slavery on the day that the Ottoman Turks entered Hagia Sophia? Greek officials must not only raise the issue of Hagia Sophia, they must stress why the Erdogan governments actions are so offensive and provocative not only against the world, but against Orthodox Greeks specifically.

The Ministry of Education in Athens has introduced a sex education program that will be taught to children from kindergarden to high school. The program reportedly will endorse transgender ideology and will portray abortion as perfectly moral. According to news reports, the nuclear family will be heavily criticized and children will be taught to challenge the teaching of their parents.

This is Greece two hundred years after the declaration of the War of Independence against the Turks. This is what is being taught to Greek children at a time when Greek populations on the islands near the coast of Turkey face possible genocide in the event of a Turkish invasion. Why are Greek children being kept ignorant of the heroic struggles of their ancestors who shed their blood in order to ensure the existence of future generations of Orthodox Greeks?

Why are Greek children not learning about the genocide of the Greek populations in Asia Minor by the Turks? Because the Greek government like most of what constitutes the western world is dominated by left wing neo-Marxist ideologues who set the agenda. This is a moral outrage.

The Greek nation suffered horrendously during the centuries of Ottoman Turkish captivity. Generations of Greek boys were abducted by the Ottomans and trained as fighters in the elite fighting force known as the Janissaries. They were forcibly taken from their families, converted to Islam, and turned into fighting machines often to be used against fellow Christians.

Hellenic populations in regions that came to be part of independent Greece survived. There were numerous other regions where large numbers of Greeks managed to survive until they were wiped out in the final wave of genocide that occurred in 1922 and 1923. The parts of the Greek world that managed to survive up to the present day did so because of their Orthodox faith and the institution of the family. Devotion to the Church and the protection of Christ ensured that Greeks would survive the Turkish horrors.

The institution of the family which has come under attack throughout the western world saved the Greek nation along with faith in Christianity. The home was a place of refuge from the Ottoman persecution and discrimination. There is a 1963 film made by Greek American Director Elia Kazan called “America America”. That film features a great scene where the father who is often humiliated by the Turks leads his family in prayer. Without the institution of the family, Greeks could not have survived the long centuries of Ottoman rule.

Greek culture and language could not have survived without the Orthodox Church which reminded the Greek people of a lost history that preceded the coming of the Turks. The divine liturgy and worship was crucial in maintaining the Greek language. The Ottomans themselves as Muslims considered all Christians to be “people of the book”, recipients of an earlier revelation.

For all their brutality and for all the horrors of Ottoman rule, the laws of the Sultan’s Empire made it possible for Christianity to survive even in the midst of persecution. Without the Christian faith, the Greek language and the memories of the pre Turkish past would have faded away. These historical facts are not appreciated by the lunatics at the Greek Ministry of education who want to do away with Christ and to impose the new twenty first century pagan agenda that has ravaged most of the western world.

Around fifteen years ago, the secular and internationalist ideologues in Greece began striking at the history of Greece under the guise of “tolerance” and political correctness. Greek textbooks for schools were to include nice comments about the Janissaries. Educated Greeks who know history are aware that the Greek and Armenian populations in Smyrna were indiscriminately hunted down, raped, tortured , and murdered without mercy by Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers. The Greek textbooks of fifteen years ago attempted to omit the mass slaughter and merely said that the Greeks left Smyrna.

At the time, Archbishop Christodoulos led a mass opposition to the falsification of history in school text books. This was the same charismatic Archbishop who in 2000 led mass demonstrations in opposition to the anti Christian policies of the Socialist Party then in power in Athens. Today, Greek Orthodoxy is led by Patriarch Bartholomew who instigates schisms in Orthodoxy in furtherance of accumulating power, and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens who has demonstrated he has no back bone to protest anything.

In fairness, it should be recalled that Greece has been under threat by the extreme right as well as the extreme left. For many years, the Neo Nazi Golden Dawn came to dominate neighborhoods in Athens where it proceeded to beat and torture migrants, and to disseminate anti semetic and racist material. Greece has been under a spiritual crisis for some time now.

Golden Dawn however has disappeared from the political scene following its failure to return to Parliament during the last elections. This leaves the extreme left as the sole threat to Christian Greece. Reasonable people can agree that adults should have the right to live as they choose and to undergo any surgery that they like. It is unconscionable however to indoctrinate children into these pagan and anti Christian lifestyles.

Orthodox Christian Greeks are obligated to stand against the Greek Ministry of education as the late Archbishop Christodoulos did. The rainbow flag is the flag of modern paganism. It is incompatible with the blue and and white flag of Greece which displays the Christian cross. Aside from being pagan, the rainbow flag has emerged as the flag of internationalism.

Internationalism is not compatible with the concept and ideals of the nation-state. Every nation is entitled to the preservation of its language, history, culture, borders, and faith. The Greek War of Independence began on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation. The destiny of Greece has been bound with the faith of Christ since the arrival of Saints Paul, Andrew, and John the theologian on Greek territory during the first century.

The imposition of LGBTQ ideology in Greek education will attempt to erase the sacred ties that exist between the Greek nation and Christ our God! This cannot be permitted. The men and women who rose up in 1821 did so in order to establish an independent Greece that would preserve Hellenism and the truth of Orthodox Christianity!

In Ukraine, signatures from politicians, journalists, academics, and ordinary faithful have been collected and sent to Patriarch Bartholomew in order to appeal to the Patriarch to meet with the Orthodox Churches to find a resolution to the schism in Ukraine. This appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch comes in anticipation of an upcoming visit to Ukraine by the Patriarch. In the meantime, Churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church are being seized by extremists who support the artificial “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”.

Meanwhile, in an interview with an Italian newspaper Patriarch Bartholomew has defended his actions in Ukraine by pointing out that the Church of Constantinople had granted autocephaly to the other local Orthodox Churches. The difference between the Ukrainian case and the cases of real autocephalous Churches lies in the fact that the Ukrainian Church is not under Constantinople and that the Synod of the Phanar has no right to grant autocephaly in this case. Patriarch Bartholomew remains completely unreasonable with his attitude of self justification.

In the cases of other Orthodox Churches, autocephaly was an accomplished fact in those local Churches before Constantinople granted them each a Tomos of autocephaly. Again, the difference between the Churches of the Balkans and Ukraine was that the former Churches were part of the Church of Constantinople, whereas the Ukrainian Church is a part of the Moscow Patriarchate. Patriarch Bartholomew is simply denying reality by refusing to listen to the various appeals and messages from most of the Orthodox primates and bishops who stand in opposition to what has been done in Ukraine.

In other developments, a member of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Holy Synod, Metropolitan Athanasios of Chalcedon, has been removed from his position. It is unclear why this hierarch has been removed.

“and I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.”

1 Timothy 2:12

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is planning to hold a webinar on “female religious leadership” featuring women from other faiths. According to the press statement from the “Orthodox Times”, a source that has been seriously compromised on other issues, “many faiths have a complex relationship with female leadership.” It is apparently being inferred that the Orthodox Church should ordain women.

During liturgical services, Orthodox Christians recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed which includes the declaration that “I believe in One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.” Orthodox means “correct belief” and “correct worship”. Orthodox was a term used to defend the Church and its truths from heresies and sects that deviated from the truth of the Holy Gospel. The statement put forward from the Orthodox Times makes mention of women in secular history who achieved great things.

This however is not relevant to the Orthodox Church. With all due respect to the guests who will appear on the Archdiocese’s webinar, what their own faiths do and teach is not relevant to the Orthodox Church. The Biblical passage cited above from Saint Paul should be enough to terminate any discussion on possibly ordaining women.

As we are aware, Saint Paul was converted to Christ on the road to Damascus when he received a vision that caused him to lose his sight and also heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him. The persecutor of Christians formerly named Saul became the Apostle Paul who embarked on an extraordinary journey to spread the Gospel and endured beatings and torture before being martyred during the first century AD. Saint Paul’s great authority was recognized by the Church when it included his many Epistles in the canon of the New Testament.

Christ himself called twelve disciples to follow him, all of whom were male. On previous occasions, advocates of a female priesthood have sarcastically said that the Apostles were all Jews as well. Yes, but when Paul and the Apostles converted the Greeks, Romans, and others to Christianity the priesthood was conferred upon men who were not Jewish. Gentiles were ordained to the priesthood while women were not, and this is an important fact.

Women were not present at the Mystical Supper and so from the very beginning the right to celebrate the eucharist was conferred upon men. There is no record of women in the earliest days of the Church protesting or feeling “excluded”. The Most Holy Theotokos, the most important woman who has ever lived enjoys great honor in the Orthodox Church because she became the “God bearer”.

Mary, the blessed Mother of God is honored in several feasts of the Church throughout the calendar year. This includes the feast of the Annunciation, the feast of the Dormition, as well as feasts including her conception, birth, and presentation in the Temple by her parents Joachim and Anna. In the Orthodox Church, we have the service of the Paraclete when we pray to the Mother of God in times of distress and difficulties and ask for her intercession on our behalf with her son and our God. The Mother of God was a creature as we all are and also being the “God bearer” she is uniquely suited to act on our behalf with her son who is God.

It is preposterous to suggest that the Orthodox Church has a “complex relationship with female leadership”. The Orthodox Church has countless female Saints which are honored and who are prayed to. Countless female Saints have been martyred and have lived lives of piety. Female Saints include Saint Catherine who with her education confounded the philosophers as well as Saint Mary of Egypt. Saint Mary was once a great sinner who by repentance and a life of devotion achieved Sainthood and is recognized during one of the Sundays of the great fast.

In addition to the long list of female Saints, the Orthodox Church has female monastics. When during the history of the Church have any female Saints or monastics ever advocated for the ordination of women? They have not. Women in the history of the Church have always spoken up against heresy.

During the iconoclastic crisis which lasted from 726 AD until 843 AD when the Emperor and the Patriarch were smashing and destroying icons, women were protecting them and venerating them. Women in the Church resisted and opposed heresy. They did not advocate for the ordination of women because such an idea would have been properly construed and condemned as a heresy.

The ordination of women is a heretical idea foreign to the faith of the Orthodox Church. It is an idea whose roots are found outside the holy scriptures, sacred tradition, the holy fathers, and Church history. It is an idea emanating from the errors of modernism.

Modernism and secularism seek to challenge the sacred and divine origins of the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church was founded by and is headed for all time by the incarnate logos and word of God Jesus Christ. The holy orders of the Orthodox Church which include the offices of bishop, priest, and deacon can be traced to the era of the New Testament Church.

The Orthodox Church has triumphed over persecution by the pagan Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Communists. The enemies of the Church have been conquered by the power of Christ. Yet, there are those secularists who would imply that the Church has been discriminating against women while simultaneously defeating her persecutors and miraculously transforming societies.

Modernism does not assist the Church in her sacred functions and divine mission. Modernism seeks to hinder the salvific mission of the Church by attempting to mix holy tradition with secularism. Modernism created problems in the Orthodox Church by changing the calendar in some local Churches and introducing ecumenism and other ideas foreign to Orthodox ecclesiology.

Advocates for the ordination of women are indifferent to the complex and unnecessary divisions that continue to plague the Orthodox Church since they were introduced in 1923. The advocates of this modern heresy have displayed a non Christian tendency for narcissism. Putting their own secular interests and ideas above and beyond Jesus Christ and holy tradition.

The Orthodox Church does not ordain women because of fidelity to the Gospel, apostolic succession, and holy tradition. Neither Christ, nor the apostles, nor the holy fathers who followed the apostles, nor the male or female Saints who have given their lives to the Lord either through martyrdom or devotion to the monastic life, or the bishops and priests who carry on their sacred work under the guidance of the holy spirit have expressed any desire to overthrow sacred tradition as certain sectarians are now doing.

What other faiths do is of no concern to the Orthodox Church. We have watched what has happened to the Episcopalians and various Protestant factions. The destructive paths they have taken by not only ordaining women, but in permitting same sex marriages, and promoting transgender ideology only demonstrates that these entities were never part of the “Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.”

The Orthodox Church adheres to holy tradition, not political correctness.

Christian morality transcends all political ideologies and political parties. Truth itself is above all theological. Theology refers to the knowledge of God. Theological truth refers to the absolute truth of the universe which was created by God.

It is good that social conservatives espouse Christian teachings on matters such as marriage, pro life, and gender. It should not be forgotten however that there are other issues of morality that need to be addressed. Racism and anti semitism are also immoral.

The Holy Gospel commands Christians to “love they neighbor as theyself”. Saint Paul wrote that in Christ, “there is neither Jew nor Greek”. Racism remains a problem in America today and Christians have a moral obligation to condemn it without embracing the unreasonable demands and stances of groups such as “Antifa”.

The Orthodox Christian faith is the antidote to the problems afflicting the western world today. The truth of the holy Gospel emanates from the divine in contrast to secular political ideologies which are man made. Supporting one political faction or another is fine as long as it is understood that political parties (even conservative ones) can never serve as a substitute for the Church of God.

Extremism of all sorts is something to be condemned. At present, the political left in America and Europe seems to be the more anti Christian. The left however does not have a monopoly on anti Christian ideology. Take for example, the Golden Dawn Party in Greece which is now thankfully nearly extinct.

Golden Dawn was an openly Neo-Nazi and racist party. Not only did it advocate Holocaust denial and racism, it was openly pro pagan and pro satanic. Some Orthodox Greeks out of ignorance voted for this party under the assumption that it was preferable to the atheistic left, when in fact it was even worse.

Recent events at the capital in Washington D.C. indicate that extremism is not confined to the left. The attack on the capital was inherently irrational and stupid, and in the end succeeded only in angering and alienating much of the American population. In fairness, extremism on the American left appears to be more established than extremism on the right which has been disavowed by conservatives.

The Holy Gospel teaches us to “know the truth and the truth shall set you free”. Orthodox Christians should attempt to see things with as much objectivity as possible. Admittedly, this blog is more suspicious of the left at this time than of the right, but that does not mean that that it is not also suspicious of the right to a certain extent, as can be seen by the behavior of rightists several weeks ago.

The problems in America and the world today are above all spiritual. Political parties cannot address spiritual issues. Only the Church can properly address the spiritual crisis that has fallen upon the world. Therefore, the Orthodox Churches in America have a unique opportunity to rise to the occasion to bear witness to Christ and to offer the message of the Gospel.

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.