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The Patriarch And The Archbishop Continue On Their Path Of Destruction

Alexander Belya is a defrocked priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. His precise offenses remain unclear but the fact remains that he is no longer a priest as a result of being laicized by the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Patriarch Bartholomew early on moved to consecrate him a bishop in the Patriarchate’s Slavic vicariate.

Last year, the Orthodox bishops who are part of the episcopal assembly protested the decision of the Patriarch and Archbishop Elpidophoros to receive and elevate the former priest. The decision was reversed in order to preserve the Episcopal Assembly which unifies Orthodoxy in America. Now, the Archbishop is insisting on elevating Mr. Belya again.

The bishops of the Episcopal Assembly have threatened to withdraw which would leave only Constantinople’s bishops as members. The Russians withdrew from the assembly after Patriarch Bartholomew started the Ukrainian crisis five years ago. Now, Orthodox unity could take an even bigger hit because of the arrogance and insatiable hunger for power by both Patriarch and Archbishop.

Both Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros need to be deposed.

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The Latest From The Schism

Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria has written a letter of protest to Patriarch Porphyrios of Serbia. The Serbian Patriarch has publicly condemned the ongoing persecution of Metropolitan Pavel, Abot of the Kiev Caves Lavra. The Patriarch of Alexandria says that the Serbian Patriarch should condemn the Russian Church’s entry into Africa.

Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria is a hypocrite and he symbolizes the genuine hypocrisy of all those who recognized the fake Church in Ukraine. This Patriarch originally supported the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church when the schism began in 2018. One year later, without explanation Alexandria entered into communion with the fake “church” in Ukraine.

One hundred and two African priests protested the Patriarch’s decision and they were pretty much told to shut up. As a result, these priests asked to be received into the Russian Church in order to remain fully canonical. The Russian Church originally said no while hoping Alexandria would reverse its decision.

After a year when Alexandria failed to change course, the Russians received the African priests and entered Africa. For this, Patriarch Theodore has himself and Patriarch Bartholomew to blame. The Serbian Patriarch has condemned the violent persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Theodore claims his Patriarchate is suffering from the Russian presence in Africa. This is a self serving and hypocritical Patriarch. The Ukrainian Church is enduring violent persecution and legal prosecutions.

Nobody is interfering with the Patriarchate of Alexandria and there is no persecution against this Patriarchate. Patriarch Theodore needs to be deposed as he is responsible for the ecclesiastical chaos in Africa. The Russian Church had severed communion with Alexandria which is why they entered Africa.

If the Churches of Alexandria and Moscow were in full communion, the Russian Church would never have set foot in Africa. Patriarch Theodore caused the cessation of communion between the Churches when he entered into communion with the fake entity in Ukraine.

Alexandria is paying the price for this fateful decision and for becoming an accessory to the violent persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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The State Of The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese

Earlier this year, a Russian Orthodox player for the Philadelphia Flyers was widely condemned by ESPN and various pro LGBT groups for refusing to wear the rainbow on his uniform. In the past, various Evangelical and other Christians in professional sports have refused to display the rainbow. The first commandment teaches us to have no gods except the true God who for Christians is the holy Trinity.

We are commanded to reject idols or to make offerings to pagan gods. Church history is full of martyrs and saints who confessed their faith in Christ at the expense of their lives. The rainbow has now become an idol where Christians are being told to wear it, even if it conflicts with their faith. This is not only a violation of religious freedom, but a violation of the right to freedom of conscience.

Much is happening as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is preparing to serve a liturgy in an Episcipal Cathedral on June 10. The Episcopalians were woke long before there was any such thing as woke. Gay marriage and transgenderism were embraced by this sect decades ago. The Episcopalians have not been Christians for a long time.

Yet, Archbishop Elpidophoros will serve the liturgy in an Episcopalian Cathedral which are full of rainbow flags, oblivious to the growing Anti Christian hatred being espoused by the LGBT movement. It should be stated that the Archbishop and the Patriarch have refused to condemn the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. But the Archbishop will serve liturgy in a “church” that is in effect a pagan temple.

Meanwhile, the LA Dodgers have embraced an infamous group of drag queens that openly desecrate the cross and have profaned Christ and the Mother of God in unspeakable ways. They will honor them on June 16. The political establishment in California has embraced this notorious group. No one on the political left had condemned the anti Catholic group or the blasphemous activities it engages in.

This says everything about the Archbishop and the pathetic state of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Those who serve at the Atchdiocese in New York are out of touch with reality and with their own faithful. No wonder the faithful are leaving. The Archdiocese is complicit in scandal after scandal and is completely indifferent to the moral crisis in the country and society in which they live.

The LGBT movement has established an influence over the schools, the medical profession, and many politicians including the President. Teenage girls have been persuaded they are “trans”. They have gotten mastectomies and others have has hysterectomies. This is known because conservative media such as National Review and others such as journalist Abigail Shrier have reported on the horrific crimes being perpetrated against children.

What does Christ tell us to do?Are Christians to join the new pagans as the Archbishop seems to be doing? The LGBT movement is gaining strength and its hostility to ALL Christians is unmistakable. Tragically, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is morally and spiritually bankrupt at a time when the Church must raise its voice.

Today, the Roman Catholics and the Evangelicals. Does anyone think Orthodox Christians won’t come under similar attack? In 1965, Archbishop Iakovos stuck his neck out and went to Alabama to March with Martin Luther King. Contrast the two Archbishops.

This blogger had no desire to get involved in the cultural wars. But considering the rising hostility to the Christian faith and the grooming and mutilation of children, protests must be made.

Unfortunately, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese will not lead. Archbishop Elpidophoros must be deposed. That is a necessary first step in preparing for the tough challenges ahead.

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The Archbishop’s Speech

Archbishop Elpidophoros gave an address to the American intelligence community. In that address he accused the Russian Church of weaponizing the Orthodox Church. This from a bishop who received the approval of the American Ambassador in Athens after being elected Archbishop. There is no shortage of reasons why we should be disturbed by this.

The Archbishop said nothing about the persecution of the Ukrainian Church. This is the speech of a politician, not of an Archbishop. The Greek media in Greece remain silent regarding the blatant politicization of not only the Patriarchate and the Archdiocese of America, but of the church of Greece itself. American officials blatantly intervene in the affairs of the Greek Churches.

The late Archbishop Christodoulos was criticized for public stances that were not political in a partisan way. The hierarchs of Constantinople, Greece, and the Greek Archdiocese of America are political in a very problematic way. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt lobbied Bishops of Greece to recognize Ukraine’s pseudo Church.

The late Archbishop Iakovos of America was excoriated in Greece for nonexistent offenses. Yet, Archbishop Elpidophoros who has ties with the US foreign policy establishment receives no criticism for very real offenses that conflict with his role as a spiritual leader. These are difficult times for Greece and Cyprus and one would think the Greek media would be interested in the growing American influence over the Greek Churches.

It is further to be noticed that the Archbishop did not mention Greece or Cyprus in his speech. The Archbishop and the Archdiocese he leads talk about Greece among the community but when it comes to speaking up about Turkish threats to invade the Greek islands, the Archbishop has nothing to say. How about a statement on the Churches of Cyprus that Turkey has destroyed?

The increased politicization (radicalization) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Archdiocese should be cause for alarm for those of us who love the Patriarchate and Hellenism. Yet, few Greeks have taken notice of the disturbing exploitation of the Greek Churches by the enemies of Christianity. The Archbishop’s criticisms of the Russian Church are hypocritical in the extreme.

It is true that Patriarch Kyril of Moscow has made some reckless statements regarding the Ukrainian war. Statements that should be criticized. But it is not true that the Russian Church is serving as the Russian government’s instrument.

The Russian Church’s relationship with the state is no different than the relationship that existed between Church and State in Byzantium or modern Greece. The concept of “symphonia” defined Church State relations in Byzantium and this relationship was adopted by Russia alongside the double headed eagle and Orthodoxy itself.

Archbishop Elpidophoros and others like him condemn Russia because they do not recognize the Byzantine heritage. Archbishop Elpidophoros and yes, Patriarch Bartholomew are followers of the Western European heritage which destroyed Byzantium after the Fourth Crusade.

Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros and their increasing power is foreign to the Orthodox Church and the conciliar tradition which placed limits on the authority of Patriarchs and Bishops. Their policies must be challenged. After the Council of Florence in 1439, the people of Constantinople did not hesitate from protesting and opposing the Patriarch and the Bishops.

Archbishop Elpidophoros is notorious for his writings which suggest the Ecumencal Patriarch has unlimited authority in Orthodoxy. His ideas are very radical and his actions as Archbishop are disturbing and problematic.


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Greece And Orthodoxy

Archbishop Makarios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia stated that if Greeks lose the Greek language they will lose their faith.This blogger has written extensively on Hellenism and Orthodoxy over the years, including three books. Yes, the Greek language is important but the Archbishop misses some bigger points.

At the present time, the Greek Churches are in a state of chaos owing to the schism with the Russian Church and the persecution of the Ukrainian Church. The Greek Churches are in a state of crisis because of these developments. Patriarch Bartholomew has effectively invited the American government into the affairs of his own Patriarchate, the Church of Greece, and Mount Athos.

The issue of the Greek language is not the problem afflicting Greek Orthodoxy today. It is the lack of independence for the Churches of Greece and Cyprus that is the real problem. Greeks do not need lectures from bishops serving a Patriarch who is a Turkish citizen and collaborated with the State Department at the expense of Orthodox ecclesiology.

Constantinople is unquestionably the center of the Hellenic world and Greek Orthodoxy. But that does not mean bestowing approval and blindly following the unacceptable actions of Patriarch Bartholomew. Patriarch Bartholomew’s ecclesiastical crimes are steadily growing.

Does anyone believe the Greek language in Greece or Cyprus is threatened? In America and Australia it makes good sense for English to be used in the Divine Liturgy. The language of the people is the language of the Church. This does not take away the beauty of Greek in the Divine Liturgy but circumstances dictate that the faithful should understand the liturgy.

When Saints Cyril and Methodios during the ninth century proceeded to convert the Slavs, they translated the gospel and the liturgy into Cyrillic. The Church is commanded by Christ to evangelize and to spread the message of salvation It is not meant to be confined.

From a Hellenic standpoint, there are pressing matters to attend to. This means that Greece and Cyprus must be defended in the event of Turkish invasions. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and its overseas bishops have nothing to contribute to these efforts. The inter Orthodox crisis over the Patriarch’s meddling in Ukraine has stirred up divisions among Greeks when unity is needed.

The Ecumenical Patruarchate and its eparchys abroad such as the Archdiocese of America need to be removed from matters pertaining to Greece and Cyprus.

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The Ecumenical Patriarchate And Turkey

Last November, a Turkish Admiral demanded a crackdown on the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Admiral was seeking to revive allegations by Turkish ultranationalists and jihadists in previous years that the Patriarchate’s diplomatic activities were directed against Turkey. This should be a serious concern considering how low Patriarch Bartholomew’s reputation in Orthodoxy has sunk.

The US Commission on international religious freedom for 2022 has a section on Turkey. It mentions the closure of Halki but not Hagia Sophia of Constantinople or the Churches of occupied Cyprus. The State Department has been documenting Halki for decades.

At the present, Ukrainian officials are cracking down hard on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Bishops are being arrested and Churchgoers attending the legitimate Churches are being harassed by mobs. Patriarch Bartholomew is complicit in the persecution of the Ukrainian Church which is why his problems in Turkey are bound to fall on deaf ears in the Orthodox world.

In Christianity, the door is always open for repentance. Patriarch Bartholomew can do the right thing. He needs to abandon his claims to Ukraine and disavow all he had done in Ukraine over the past five years. Otherwise, he is going to bring about the Patriarchate’s demise.

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His Memory Be Eternal!

On Monday April 10, one of the Saints that is commemorated on the calendar of the Orthodox Church is Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople. Patriarch Gregory served as Ecumenical Patriarch on at least three different occasions. He was deposed the first two times, but his last tenure on the Patriarchal throne ended with his execution. 

He was executed at the gate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the Sunday of Pascha. He was held responsible by the Ottoman Sultan for the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence. Formally, the Patriarch renounced the Greek uprising. Unofficially however, he had known about plans for an uprising but remained silent. He took the position that he could not be formally involved but did nothing to betray the Greek cause either. 

After the Greek uprising, a campaign of terror was undertaken against the Greek Orthodox populations of Constantinople, Smyrna, and Thessaloniki. The martyrdom of the Patriarch seemed to have exhausted the rage of the Sultan and the policies against the Greeks in those cities was relaxed. The Patriarch gave his life for the protection of his flock.

His execution angered both the Russian and British governments. The Russians were angry that an Orthodox Patriarch was put to death and the anti Greek terror campaign in the Ottoman Empire hardened Russian attitudes to the Turks. The British recognized that the execution of one of Christendom’s most prominent spiritual leaders was a horrendous crime and could not ignore it. 

The Patriarch suffered considerably. Along with several bishops he was hanged. The gate where he was hanged from at the Patriarchate has remained closed up to the present day. A former Mayor of Constantinople that was elected in 1994 named Recep Erdogan had vowed that he would visit the Patriarchate and the gate would be opened just for him. International pressure forced him to back down. 

The Patriarch Gregory V was weak and frail. He was hanging for hours before he died. His body was subsequently degraded and dragged through the streets of Constantinople. His body was thrown into the bosporus was eventually found and taken to Odessa where he received an official State funeral at the expense of the Russian Empire. In 1871, the relics of the Patriarch were sent to Athens where they have remained in the Annunciation Cathedral to be venerated by faithful Orthodox Greeks. 

Patriarch Gregory V is an example of a spiritual shepherd. His life was lost so his faithful left behind in the Ottoman Empire would be spared. On the one hundredth anniversary of his martyrdom in 1921, the Patriarch Gregory was officially recognized as a Saint by the Greek Orthodox Church. This was when the Greeks were fighting for the liberation of Asia Minor and it was hoped the Greek Army would be inspired by the Saint from Constantinople. 

It should be noted that the Russians gave the Patriarch a state funeral. There is no reason why the Ecumenical Patriarchate should not have brotherly spiritual relations with the Russian Church. Greeks and Russians share so much including the Saints. Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory V was an Orthodox traditionalist and one of the best Patriarchs to serve in the post Byzantine era. The present occupant of the Ecumenical Patriarchate should emulate his example and his bravery.

In this case, bravery would be to reverse what has been done in Ukraine over the past five years. This necessitates condemning the oppression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Let us remember Patriarch Gregory V! His memory be eternal!

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His Memory Be Eternal!

  • On Monday April 10, one of the Saints that is commemorated on the calendar of the Orthodox Church is Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople. Patriarch Gregory served as Ecumenical Patriarch on at least three different occasions. He was deposed the first two times, but his last tenure on the Patriarchal throne ended with his execution. 
  • He was executed at the gate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the Sunday of Pascha. He was held responsible by the Ottoman Sultan for the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence. Formally, the Patriarch renounced the Greek uprising. Unofficially however, he had known about plans for an uprising but remained silent. He took the position that he could not be formally involved but did nothing to betray the Greek cause either. 
  • After the Greek uprising, a campaign of terror was undertaken against the Greek Orthodox populations of Constantinople, Smyrna, and Thessaloniki. The martyrdom of the Patriarch seemed to have exhausted the rage of the Sultan and the policies against the Greeks in those cities was relaxed. The Patriarch gave his life for the protection of his flock.
  • His execution angered both the Russian and British governments. The Russians were angry that an Orthodox Patriarch was put to death and the anti Greek terror campaign in the Ottoman Empire hardened Russian attitudes to the Turks. The British recognized that the execution of one of Christendom’smost prominent spiritual leaders was a horrendous crime and could not ignore it. 
  • The Patriarch suffered considerably. Along with several bishops he was hanged. The gate where he was hanged from at the Patriarchate has remained closed up to the present day. A former Mayor of Constantinople that was elected in 1994 named Recep Erdogan had vowed that he would visit the Patriarchate and the gate would be opened just for him. International pressure forced him to back down. 
  • The Patriarch Gregory V was weak and frail. He was hanging for hours before he died. His body was subsequently degraded and dragged through the streets of Constantinople. His body was thrown into the bosporus was eventually found and taken to Odessa where he received an official State funeral at the expense of the Russian Empire. In 1871, the relics of the Patriarch were sent to Athens where they have remained in the Annunciation Cathedral to be venerated by faithful Orthodox Greeks. 
  • Patriarch Gregory V is an example of a spiritual shepherd. His life was lost so his faithful left behind in the Ottoman Empire would be spared. On the one hundredth anniversary of his martyrdom in 1921, the Patriarch Gregory was officially recognized as a Saint by the Greek Orthodox Church. This was when 
  • the Greeks were fighting for the liberation of Asia Minor and it was hoped the Greek Army would be inspired by the Saint from Constantinople. 
  • It should be noted that the Russians gave the Patriarch a state funeral. There is no reason why the Ecumenical Patriarchate should not have brotherly spiritual relations with the Russian Church. Greeks and Russians share so much including the Saints. Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory V was an Orthodox traditionalist and one of the best Patriarchs to serve in the post Byzantine era. The present occupant of the Ecumenical Patriarchate should emulate 
  • his example and his bravery.
  • In this case, bravery would be to reverse what has been done in Ukraine over the past five years. This necessitates condemning the oppression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Let us remember Patriarch Gregory V! His memory be eternal!
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Hagia Sophia Diaries 30

Last December it was reported that Hagia Sophia suffered even more damage. The Imperial Gate under the mosaics of Saints Constantine and Justinian was damaged last year, but in December it was discovered the gate suffered more damage. Hagia Sophia appears to suffer from the ignorance of those responsible for the Great Church’s upkeep.

President Erdogan took Hagia Sophia from the ministry of culture which did a good job preserving the Church, and gave it to the clerics who are completely indifferent to both the Christian origins of Hagia Sophia and the historical significance of the Church. The upcoming Turkish elections will be significant.

Will Hagia Sophia be restored as a museum in a post Erdogan government? This remains to be seen.

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On the Convening Of A Council

Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has again called for the convening of a council to resolve the schism in Orthodoxy. The Archbishop had called for the convening of a council from the time the crisis in the Church began. There is however a serious risk in convening a council now.

There have been very serious developments since Patriarch Bartholomew intervened in Ukraine. Bishops in Greece and Cyprus have entered into communion with the fake entity in Ukraine. The Patriarchate of Alexandria recognized the fake entity.

The Russian Church broke communion with some bishops (including the primates) in Greece and Cyprus. It has broken off communion entirely with the Alexandrian Patriarchate. Unlike Constantinople which did not break communion with Moscow (after Moscow broke communion with Constantinople), Alexandria has broken communion with Moscow.

There is therefore a full rupture in communion between Alexandria and Moscow. This happened after the Russian Church established a presence in the territory of Africa after Alexandria refused to reverse its recognition of the fake church in Ukraine. Then there is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Would the convening of a council change anything for the better at this time? A council at this point might have the opposite effect of what the Archbishop hopes will happen. As long as the war in Ukraine continues, anti Russian sentiment will continue and the State Department will not relinquish its grip over the Greek speaking Churches.

The best course of action is to wait for the war to end and international tensions to ease. A council can only be effective if political interests do not intrude. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union tried to use the Russian Church for its own goals.

The US is doing likewise with the Greek Churches today. A successful council convening under the guidance of the Holy Spirit must happen. But when the time is right.

During the iconoclastic controversy, it took sixty years before the Church fathers gathered at Nicea to discern the truth. Even after that, iconoclasm made comeback and it was not until another fifty six years that the truth prevailed against the iconoclasts.

Saint Athanasius struggled against the Arian heresy for decades even after the first Ecumenical council of 325 AD. There need be no rush to convene a Council. We do not need to risk a repetition of the debacle that occurred at Crete in 2016.