Category: faith

Categories
faith

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.

Categories
faith

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!

Categories
faith

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!
Categories
faith

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.

Categories
faith

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.

Categories
faith

The Kiev Caves Lavra

The Zelensky government in Ukraine with the backing of Ukrainian fascists is attempting to expel two hundred umonks from the famous Kiev Caves Lavra. This policy has been condemned by Pope Francis and the World Council of Churches. Guess who is not condemning this blatant violation of human rights and religious freedom?

Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Elpidophoros, and the Churches of Greece and Cyprus. The Greek speaking Churches have been paralyzed since the Ecumenical Patriarch started all this in 2018 by recognizing the fake Church in Ukraine. The silence of Greek Orthodoxy to this brutal repression is shameful and deplorable.

The Ukrainian government is fascist to the core. The war itself is generally immoral as sympathy should be for the people on both sides who are suffering. It should not be forgotten that Ukraine has not only been repressing the canonical Church, it has violated the rights of the Russian minority.

The war needs to end and Zelinsky needs to be resign in favor of a democratic government. His Allie’s have been Neo Nazis. The fanatics who have been seizing Churches are not devout and have no intention of worshipping in them. The Ukrainian Church is under attack merely for being under the Moscow Patriarchate.

In America, groups like the Ku klux klan adopted an anti Roman Catholic position because Catholics looked to the Pope of Rome for spiritual leadership. The Monks of the Lavra are the victims of bigots and fascists such as them.

It is a pity that Orthodox Greeks are standing on the sidelines with indifference.

Categories
faith

The Scandal Widens

The Washington Post and Forbes magazine ran news items on the “gay” baptisms that have triggered so much anger in the greater Orthodox world. In addition, the story was posted on the website for ABC News. This incident easily eclipses any other controversy involving Archbishop Elpidophoros and that is saying a good deal about how bad this is.

Archbishop Elpidophoros appears to have acted unilaterally. This is in contrast to Metropolitan Antonios of Glyfada who upon learning that the “parents” of the children that had been baptized were both men stated that he would have asked for the holy synod of the Church of Greece to convene in order to rule on the matter before proceeding with the baptisms. It is beyond doubt that the Archbishop misled Metropolitan Antonios.

So far the aforementioned news reports have reported what has happened and have made no commentary on the matter. It would not be surprising if the secular media began making judgements against the Orthodox Church as it is very clear the media is very supportive of the LGBT agenda. On the one hand, the Orthodox Church could take the opportunity to be in the spotlight in order to proclaim the truth of the gospel and to teach America why LGBT is sinful.

On the other hand, the Orthodox Church could become a target of never ending hostility and hatred like the Roman Catholics and Evangelicals have. Whatever the case, this entire affair has been horribly mishandled. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has been plagued by scandals for many years and is clearly not up to the task of preaching the gospel to Americans.

Archbishop Elpidophoros has not only brought the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate further disgrace, he has dragged the Church of Greece into this mess. Not a single word of apology or explanation from Archbishop Elpidophoros to Metropolitan Antonios of Glyfada or the holy synod of the Church of Greece.

In addition, there are the two children who received holy baptism. None of this is their fault. It is most lamentable that their baptisms are going to be associated with the nefarious actions of both the Archbishop and the “family” and other adults involved in this matter.

Regarding the adults involved in this matter. They deserve a certain degree of sympathy for the humiliation they may feel, but not for the choices they have made. It is clear these people are unchurched otherwise how could any of them have gone on social media to celebrate a Greek Orthodox “gay baptism”? Archbishop Elpidophoros is to blame for all hurt feelings and embarrassment in this matter and should have made it clear the Orthodox Church does not permit same sex marriages. The issue of the surrogate mother is further evidence of the Archbishop’s failure to provide moral and spiritual guidance.

The first step in cleaning up this mess is to depose Archbishop Elpidophoros. The opportunity is at hand for the Ecumenical Patriarch to be a spiritual leader by removing the Archbishop and to clarify for good measure before the whole world what the Orthodox Church actually teaches. The Ecumenical Patriarch must clean house.

There is still Ukraine and the schism, but for now all Orthodox Churches are watching to see what Patriarch Bartholomew and the holy synod of Constantinople are going to do in the aftermath of the scandalous behavior of Archbishop Elpidophoros.

Categories
faith

Stopped He Must Be

Syriza leader (and former Greek Prime Minister) Alexis Tsipras has praised the baptisms of the two children of a homosexual couple by Archbishop Elpidophoros. Tsipras is an atheist and that is his business and his right. There is something irritating in Tsipras calling critics of the Archbishop “right wing”.

What secularists do not understand is that this is not a political issue. It is a spiritual issue with serious repercussions for the future. Saint Paul considered same sex relationships sinful as can be seen by his Epistle to the Romans. The law of Moses in the Old Testament likewise criticizes homosexuality.

The Orthodox Church is not a political party or a club. It’s leader is Jesus Christ. Its moral teachings are not reversible. This is the point that Tsipras and the attendees of the aforementioned baptism do not understand. God is real and protects the Church from persecution and keeps it on track despite the fact that it is filled with sinners (both heterosexual and homosexual) and some terrible bishops and priests.

What has created anger are the expressed views of family and others at the baptism that the first “gay Greek Orthodox baptism” took place. These people do not understand the Orthodox Church. It is well provocative for them to push this agenda on the Church.

Alexis Tsipras is way out of order in commenting on Church matters. Tsipras is not only not Orthodox, he is not even a real Greek. He is a Marxist and an internationalist and his tenure as Prime Minister was a disaster for Greece. No one wants to hear from him.

Archbishop Elpidophoros is of course to blame for this whole matter. Tsipras and the others are ignorant. The Archbishop has no excuse for his deplorable actions. This is a sorry situation created by a narcissistic man who happens to be an Archbishop.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece will be meeting on Monday to discuss the matter. Criticism of the baptism and the family should be tempered by Christian mercy. Same sex relationships can never be recognized but the Church should make an effort to explain its teachings (which Archbishop Elpidophoros neglected to do) in a gentle manner to all those involved.

The Synod should also impose a lifetime ban on Archbishop Elpidophoros. The Archbishop should be barred from ever serving within the Church of Greece again. The Greek Churches have a special responsibility for stopping Archbishop Elpidophoros. Stopped he must be.

On the bright side, there are two babies who were baptized and are members of the Orthodox Church. This itself should be a source of rejoicing despite the sinister things done before and after the baptism.

Categories
faith

Betraying The Orthodox Church

Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has baptized the children of a Greek homosexual couple in Greece. Many people would argue that the children being baptized is good despite the life styles of the “parents”. That sentiment is well intended but misguided.

The problem lies with the fact that the “couple” do not intend to live a Christian lifestyle and the children are going to be exposed to a life (and more accurately a political movement) that is anti Christian. That makes the decision of the Archbishop to proceed with these baptisms deplorable. The “parents”, godparents, and others who attended the baptisms (wealthy Greeks the type who I suspect support the Greek left) did not celebrate the reception of these boys into the Church.

They celebrated the idea that the Greek Orthodox Church is becoming “modern” and adapting to the new pagan social agenda. The holy sacrament of baptism seems to have been overshadowed by the celebration of LGBT ideology. It is interesting to see that these baptisms did not occur under the auspices of a bishop of the Church of Greece. Greek Bishops remain traditionalist despite the heavy pressure and bullying that they have endured from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in recent years.

Archbishop Elpidophoros has a disregard for Orthodoxy. Upon being elected Archbishop in 2019 he had a poor reputation owing to his view that the Ecumenical Patriarch was “first without equals”. His views on Orthodox ecclesiology advocate the overthrow of the conciliar tradition which holds that only an ecumenical council in which ALL Orthodox Churches participate has authority in Orthodoxy. He has made horrendous blunders such as marching with the Marxist black lives matter whose members burned Bibles and advocate the defunding of the Police.

He also attended the Turkish gala at the Turkish consulate last year in which the leader of the Turkish occupation of Cyprus was present. It is clear that this man has no business being either an Archbishop or serving in the priesthood. His betrayals of Orthodoxy continue unabated.

He must be deposed.

Categories
faith

The Ecclesiastical Situation in Ukraine

A few weeks ago the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow) held a council in which the bishops declared their Church independent of Moscow. What this means remains unclear as they are not formally seeking autocephaly and they have enjoined a status of autonomy for thirty years in which they govern themselves while remaining formally under the Moscow Patriarchate.

It is clear that the war has made it difficult for the Ukrainian Church to remain under Moscow. In addition, there is renewed persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the Ukrainian authorities. That persecution began long before the war.

What is most unclear is the situation in world Orthodoxy. There is no question that the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s intervention in Ukraine remans wrong canonically and morally. There is no change on that front.

What has changed is the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Church. It is very unclear what the future holds regarding the Ukrainian Church or how it will affect the schism between Constantinople and Moscow. Whether this is good or bad remains to be seen.

There have been reports that the Ukrainian Church (the real one) was interested in talks with Constantinople’s “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”. The fake bishops of that entity ruled out the possibility of their bishops and priests being ordained properly. So, there is no resolution to the local schism in Ukraine while the canonical Church seems to be uncertain about its own relations with Moscow.

One can only pray that this mess is resolved in accordance with the Canons.