Category: faith

Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America gave a speech at the international religious freedom summit 2021. In this speech, he criticized the Russian Orthodox Church and its relationship with the Russian government which is ironic as Archbishop Elpidophoros is one of the most important hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The relationship of the Russian Church to the Russian state is based on the concept of “symphonia”, also known as “symphony” or “synergy”.

The concept of “symphonia” came to fruition during the sixth century under the Emperor Justinian of Constantinople. “Symphonia” is the concept of Church-State partnership in which the Church and the State work together for the common good while being administered separately. Archbishop Elphidophoros appears to imply that the Russian Church is under the influence of the Russian government which is simply not true.

As a Greek Orthodox loyal to the real spiritual heritage of Constantinople (which has been betrayed by the Patriarchate) I view contemporary Russia as the modern Byzantium. Russia adopted the spiritual heritage of Constantinople in the year 988 AD when the Russians received the faith from Emperor Basil II. Today, Russia flies the double headed eagle on the imperial flag of Russia and has defended Christians in Syria who were victims of genocide.

Russia also rose to the occasion to help save Cyprus in 2004 when the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations vetoed the Annan Plan at the Security Council which the Bush administration and the Blair government of England tried to impose on the Cypriots. The Archbishop should be reminded that the Russian Orthodox Church has in the past condemned the destruction of Greek Orthodox Churches in Cyprus by the Turks. When has Patriarch Bartholomew ever condemned the destruction of Cypriot Churches by the Turks?

Archbishop Elpidophoros further proceeded to discuss the schism in Orthodoxy before a secular audience of non Orthodox Christians. He defended the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s bestowal of autocephaly on unordained and defrocked clergy in Ukraine in violation of canon law. This appeal to the secular non Orthodox world is a continuation of the unscrupulous machinations of Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros. Very few Orthodox bishops, priests and theologians agree with the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew in Ukraine.

Many of those who do such as the Archbishop of Cyprus and the Patriarch of Alexandria have been heavily bullied into reversing their original stances. Archbishop Elpidophoros has no business criticizing the Russian Church. “Symphonia” as conceived by Saint-Emperor Justinian of Constantinople defines Church-State relations in Russia and did so in modern Greece up until the rise of the Greek atheists of PASOK and Syriza.

The Russian Church is acting in accordance with the way the Church of Constantinople acted in the Byzantine Empire. “Symphonia” is Orthodox. Papism on the other hand which seems to influence the behavior of the present Patriarchate of Constantinople is not only foreign to Orthodoxy, but is heretical. Archbishop Elpidophoros espouses the notorious doctrine that the Ecumenical Patriarch is “first without equals”. The Russian Church is acting in accordance with the precedence established by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire.

The Church of Constantinople tragically is acting like the Roman Catholic Papacy by claiming total authority over the whole of the autocephalous and local Churches that make up the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Church has been calling for the convening of an ecumenical council to resolve the schism in Orthodoxy. The Patriarch of Constantinople has rejected calls for an ecumenical council.

Within Orthodoxy, ecumenical councils represent the highest form of authority. This means that only the universal church in which all the local Orthodox Churches are gathered together may make rulings that are fully binding. The Patriarchate of Constantinople has made a mockery of the conciliar tradition by claiming authority in Ukraine that it does not have and by refusing to put its case before a council in which all the Orthodox Churches are present to make a ruling.

The tradition of “symphonia” is by no means perfect. The Byzantine Empire has numerous example of Christian Emperors who lived immoral lives and engaged in the murders and mutilations of their predecessors and other opponents. Likewise, Russia today has its imperfections in the political sphere. Of course, Christians live in the world which is fallen and tainted by man’s fallen nature so no Orthodox society can claim perfection.

While the Russian Church is a partner of the Russian government through the process of “symphonia” at least the Russian government is Orthodox. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese have aligned themselves with the American State Department that over time has supported the ethnic cleansing of the Patriarchate’s own flock in Constantinople, the invasion of Cyprus, the bombing of Serbia and the destruction of Serbian Orthodoxy in Kosovo, and the destruction of Christianity in Syria and Iraq. Furthermore, the American government and the European Union have been bullying Christian countries (Orthodox and Roman Catholic) into accepting the abominations of abortion, gay marriage, and transgenderism.

The Russian Church has condemned the immoral social policies being promoted by the west. Archbishop Elpidophoros recently presided over the divine liturgy in an Episcopal Cathedral in NewYork which has actively supported the gay and transgender agenda and which displayed the pagan rainbow flags. There are those of us who consider ourselves the spiritual children of the once Great Church of Constantinople and pray that it returns to the light once again.

As things stand now, the Russian Church represents the leadership of Orthodoxy based on the fact that is is heavily active in evangelizing throughout parts of the world and is bearing witness to the gospel before the onslaught of the neo pagan agenda coming from the west. The Russian Church holds the fifth place in rank among the dyptychs of the Orthodox Church. Constantinople holds the first place.

Whereas the Russian Church is partners with an Orthodox government the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are partnered with the atheistic and pagan State Department and the anti Christian Democratic Party. Constantinople would regain leadership if it emulated the example of the Russian Church, and stopped declaring war against it.

As if Greece and Cyprus did not have enough problems with Turkey threatening both of these Hellenic states, the Synod of the Church of Greece has been threatening bishops who have refused to recognize the schismatic entity in Ukraine that calls itself “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”. The Synod of the Church of Greece accuses these bishops of breaking the unity between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Church.

This is utterly absurd. The two previous Archbishops of Athens Serapheim (1974-1998) and Christodoulos (1998-2008) both stood up to the bullying of Patriarch Bartholomew. Were these highly esteemed primates guilty of breaking the unity between the Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate? The bishops in Greece that are being bullied by the cowardly synod of Archbishop Ieronymos have listed the violations of Canon Law and Orthodox ecclesiology by Patriarch Bartholomew through his actions in invading the canonical territory of the Russian Church in Ukraine.

This is absolute madness. At a time when the territorial integrity of both Greece and Cyprus are being challenged by Turkey, the Church of Greece is being attacked by Patriarch Bartholomew who happens to be a citizen of the Turkish aggressor state. Greeks need to put aside their sentimentality regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In his newly published, “The ecclesial Crisis in Ukraine”, Metropolitan Nikiforos of the Church of Cyprus dissects the canonical violations by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine. While correctly providing evidence and citing canon law to demonstrate why Constantinople is wrong in Ukraine, his eminence bends over backwards to emphasize his love for the Church of Constantinople.

I also have a profound love for the Church and City of Constantinople, but sentimentality should not blind those of us who are Greek of the terrible wrongs that have been and continue to be perpetrated by Patriarch Bartholomew. The cowardly Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and other bishops chose to recognize the schismatic abomination in Ukraine as a “church” at the expense of the real Ukrainian Orthodox Church after Patriarch Bartholomew and American officials such as Mike Pompeo and Geoffrey Pyatt demanded they do so.

The moral standing of the Orthodox Church of Greece has fallen to its lowest standing since the era of the military dictatorship when canonical bishops were forcibly removed and replaced by unscrupulous supporters of the junta in violation of canon law. Archbishop Christodoulos recognized that young people in Greece had been alienated from the Church by those particular “bishops” that had been close to the junta.

Archbishop Christodoulos formally apologized at his enthronement in 1998 for the Church’s alienation of young people. The late Archbishop was very humble, charismatic, and pious. At the present time the European Union is bullying Hungary and Poland into fully accepting the gay and transgender ideology. Where are the voices of Archbishop Ieronymos and the synod of the Church of Greece opposing gay marriage and transgenderism?

In 2017, when the atheist Prime Minister Tsipras formally legalized gay marriage and transgender ideology, most of the bishops of the Church of Greece were silent. In the year 2000, the visionary Archbishop Christodoulos challenged the European Union and the anti Christian and anti Hellenic policies of Prime Minister Simitis. The late Archbishop called hundred of thousands of faithful Greeks out to protest in Athens and Thessaloniki against the effort to remove religion from identity cards.

The European Union went from demanding the removal of religion from identity cards to demanding the teaching of homosexuality and transgender ideology in the schools of member states of the European Union. Where are you Archbishop Christodoulos? See how your successor and his bishops remain silent as the Greek government embraces the anti Christian morality and neo pagan ideology of the Europeans? See how Archbishop Ieronymos and other bishops take orders from the American embassy in order to destroy the spiritual brotherhood between the Greeks and the Russians?

Those bishops and priests in Greece who refuse to bow to the bullying dictates of Patriarch Bartholomew are confessors to the faith and worthy examples to faithful Greeks throughout the world. May they persist and stand strong in defense of the faith of Christ and the Greek Orthodox tradition in these evil times.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has scandalized its own faithful and the rest of Orthodoxy once again. The Archbishop and several other Bishops held a service on the name day of Patriarch Bartholomew at Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York. First, Orthodox bishops and priests are not supposed to hold services in non Orthodox temples. The Orthodox Church considers itself to be the “one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”.

It is indicative once again of how the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its eparchies are moving gradually outside the mainstream of Orthodoxy. Further problems regarding this service arise from the fact that Episcopolians are really not even Christians anymore, and have not been so for many years. The Episcopalians have become well known for their dismissal of Christian dogma and biblical morality.

The Episcopolians admit women into the priesthood and the episcopacy. They also support homosexuality and gay marriage. They also support the transgender ideology. Rainbow flags that are abhorred by Orthodox Christians as well as traditionalist oriented western Christians were reportedly displayed as these Orthodox bishops entered the Cathedral.

The current Archbishop has previously marched with black lives matter, a Marxist organization that supports the eradication of the nuclear family and supports the transgender ideology. Last summer in Portland, members of black lives matter and Antifa reportedly burned bibles along with the American flag. The Archdiocese continues to be a spiritual mess but it could not have done this without the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has without remorse or regret severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It however continues maintaining friendships with western religious groups that have long disavowed the Christian faith. Ecumenism, the mover toward unity of all “Christians” has been a divisive matter for decades now within the Orthodox Church.

Certainly, a distinction should be made between Roman Catholics and traditionalist Protestant groups on the one hand, and the like of the Episcopolians on the other hand. But even with the Roman Catholics the Orthodox need to maintain a distance. Interfaith prayer between the Ecumenical Patriarch and several Popes has been very divisive and in contravention of the Church’s holy canons.

The Orthodox Church needs to do several things. Relations with the Episcopolians and other such groups need to be abolished outright. Orthodox Christians live in lands that are not Orthodox. It is permissible to maintain friendship and good relations with other Christians such as the Roman Catholics. It should be understood however that the Orthodox Church considers itself the true Church and cannot discuss unification with any other institution.

Orthodox relations with Roman Catholics and Evangelicals should be based upon common stances in opposition to the rise of the new paganism in America and Europe. The LGBT agenda is becoming an increasing threat not only because of the corruptive influence on young people, because this movement seeks the eventual abolition of freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. The louder the supporters of this movement become, the less tolerant they became for any and all religious groups who oppose their agenda.

Orthodox participation in an Episcopal temple is deplorable and the failure of Orthodox bishops to recognize the new pagan symbolism that the rainbow flag represents is indicative of how blind they have become. The Russian Orthodox Church, in contrast to the Ecumenical Patriarch recognizes what it taking place in western societies and has moved to protect its own faithful from the spiritual harm of this anti democratic movement that seeks to impose itself on everyone else. Russian Church officials have denounced this movement.

This is at least one reason why the Russian Church is being looked upon for leadership by the whole of the Orthodox world. As the Ukrainian Church crisis continues, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its exarchs continue doing things that scandalize the Orthodox world. The Russian Church has done absolutely nothing to deprive the Ecumenical Patriarch of his position as “first among equals”. His all holiness is disavowing the traditional honor bestowed on his ecclesiastical office all by himself.

Today is the anniversary of the fall of Constantinople. The Queen of the Cities fell on 29 May 1453. Constantine Dragases Paleologos fell in battle against the forces of Sultan Mehmet II. The Greek Army numbered 7,000 and the Ottoman Turks had an army of 80,000.

Despite being overwhelmed, the Greeks held out for nearly two months until they could hold out no more. The Emperor Constantine died fighting to the end. He refused all suggestions that he should leave and go into exile. He died bravely in battle accepting a martyr’s death.

At the time of the fall of the City, the Greeks had been badly divided. The previous Emperor John and the Bishops had accepted the heretical Council of Florence. They had entered into communion with the Papacy and accepted Roman Catholic doctrines in denial of Orthodoxy.

Some things never change. The Greek Orthodox Church today is in chaos owing to the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to enter into communion with schismatics in Ukraine. Bishops in Greece and Cyprus, and the Patriarchate of Alexandria have followed the lead of the Ecumenical Patriarch. At the time of the Council of Florence, the Greek speaking world was blessed to have Saint Mark of Ephesus speaking against the Union of Florence.

There are today bishops in Greece and Cyprus who have spoken against the Patriarchate’s actions in Ukraine. We should hope and pray that they will prevail and that the Greek speaking Churches will reverse their disastrous decisions. Their are some encouraging signs such as the fact that Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens wants to restore relations with the Russian Church.

Russian bishops have said that they are praying for Patriarch Bartholomew and his synod. The Russian Church has stated that it hopes for a resolution to the Ukrainian crisis. It appears that there is still a chance to under the damage of the past three years. Greek Orthodox should pray fervently for the Patriarchate to reverse its actions in Ukraine.

The Patriarchal School of Theology in Turkey remains closed. The effort to open the School of Halki was set back because of the Ukrainian issue. Turmoil caused by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Orthodoxy only serves to worsen its position in Turkey.

Greece and Cyprus face possible genocidal threats from Turkey. National unity is necessary. The Greek speaking world does not need a Church schism anymore than the Greek world needed the national schism in 1920 when Prime Minister Venizelos fell from power at the height of the Asia Minor campaign.

The Greek speaking world should reflect on this dark day of May 29 to reflect on the errors of the time and the present mistakes that need to be corrected. Greeks today should pray for the souls of Constantine Paleologos and the defenders of Constantinople who fought heroically and died in defense of the Christian faith and its Capital.

A memorial service was held in a Church in Russia for the memories of the victims of the Greek Pontian Genocide that is commemorated every year on May 19. Metropolitan Hilarion Alfayev top Church diplomat of the Russian Orthodox Church was present and said it was “a real genocide”. The presence of Metropolitan Hilarion is an expression of sympathy from the Russian Orthodox Church.

This is proof of the brotherly relations that bind the Greeks and the Russians together. Previous to the anniversary of the Greek War of Independence in March, Metropolitan Hilarion presided over a doxology in memory of the Greeks who died in the fight for Greek independence. Likewise, Patriarch Kyril of Moscow expressed words of praise for the fighters for Greek independence.

The support and good will for the Greeks by the Russians is undeniable. Does the Greek world really believe that it is in the interests of Orthodoxy or Hellenism for the schism of the Churches to continue. I am a longtime sympathizer of the Ecumenical Patriarchate but considering Constantinople’s actions in Ukraine, it is hard to support the Patriarchate.

The Churches of Constantinople and Greece have the ability to end the schism in Orthodoxy. They should do so immediately. It has been more than clear to anyone who has observed the gestures emanating from the Russian Church that Moscow is favorably disposed toward the Greeks. Athens and Constantinople must opent their eyes.

The Turkish Government continues provoking. They have now placed an electronic sign between the minarets on Hagia Sophia. This is yet further evidence that promises made by President Erdogan to preserve the Christian iconography will not be kept. The Turkish government continues to make alterations to the building of Hagia Sophia.

It is very clear that the Erdogan government is not done with Hagia Sophia. Furthermore, Ankara knows that no one is paying any more attention to Hagia Sophia. It is only a matter of time before the Christian iconography is gradually destroyed.

Bishop Irenei of Bakka, a bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church has suggested that Patriarch Bartholomew could regain the confidence of the Orthodox if he were to concede that he was misled by the Ukrainian government. This statement comes a few weeks after another statement by the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian statement had to do with the consecration of a bishop at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople.

The Russians commented that a “bishop” of the schismatic entity in Ukraine participated in the consecration of the new bishop. The Russians expressed regret that in the event that the schism between Constantinople and Moscow is healed, they will not be able to recognize the legitimacy of this new bishop. The Russian statement is a positive one as it suggests they hope for a reconciliation with Constantinople.

The Serbian statement likewise shows that perhaps the schism can be overcome if Patriarch Bartholomew were to listen to the Orthodox Churches. Opportunities for Patriarch Bartholomew to reverse himself may still exist.

The year 2020 was a horrible year. Pascha 2021 has made it possible for Christians to observe Holy Week services back in their Churches. For this we can be grateful to the crucified and risen lord for taking mercy on the whole of humanity.

There are still parts of the world (Europe, India) that are enduring lockdowns. This is a reminder that Covid has not gone away. With the grace of God however, Covid will be eradicated and humanity will regain its freedom. With the resurrection of Christ, death has been vanquished. Glory to God in the highest!

Things look much better than they did last year. Prayers should be said for the people around the world who died from covid. Prayers should also be said for the Doctors and Nurses who performed so brilliantly in emergency rooms following the outbreak of Covid last year. They bravely put their own lives at risk to help others.

We are all fortunate that the vaccines were developed much quicker that was originally expected. With the increasing number of vaccinations the quicker that life around the world will return to normal.

Christ is risen! Glory to him in the highest!

On April 10 of the Church calendar we commemorated the martyrdom of Patriarch Gregory V who was executed by hanging at the gate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the orders of the Ottoman Sultan in retaliation for the Greek War of Independence. Patriarch Gregory was a righteous martyr who gave his life for Christ and for the Greek nation. His death was a sacrifice for others.

In the aftermath of the conquest of Constantinople, the Ottoman Sultan reached an agreement with the new Patriarch Gennadios. The Patriarch was to discourage any form of revolutionary activity in return for a degree of autonomy for the Greek Orthodox Church. The agreement had many problems with it but it was as good an agreement as possible following the complete collapse of the remnant of Byzantium.

Following the Greek uprising, the Sultan in his wrath ordered the execution of the Patriarch and several other Bishops. The Patriarch Gregory was a very frail and skinny man. It took many excruciating hours for him to die. Even after death, the Sultan refused to permit his body to be removed. Furthermore, the Sultan demanded an immediate election for a successor to Gregory.

The Synod in a state of terror elected Patriarch Eugenios as his successor. The new Patriarch was forced to enter the Patriarchate through the gate in which his predecessors body was still hanging. Eventually, the Patriarchs body was dragged through the streets of Constantinople until it was thrown into the bosporus.

His remains were recovered by the Russians and a state funeral was given to the martyred Patriarch by the Russians. In 1871, the Russians gave the Patriarchs relics to Greece where they can be venerated by the faithful within the Annunciation Cathedral of Athens. The Patriarch was canonized as a Saint in 1921 on the centennial of his martyrdom.

Patriarch Gregory had become aware of plans for a Greek uprising. The Patriarch stated that he could not become involved because of his delicate position in the Ottoman Empire. But he did not reveal plans for the uprising to the Turks and it is for this reason that he was executed. Patriarch Gregory’s death also spared countless numbers of Orthodox Greeks within the Ottoman Empire from potential mass slaughter.

The Turks began organizing terror and violence against the Greeks of Constantinople, Smyrna, and Thessaloniki as retribution for the Greek uprising. The death of Gregory V helped alleviate the Sultan’s anger and the massive violence against the Greeks still within the Empire subsided. The British and the Russians both expressed anger and outrage at the execution of the Patriarch and in Russia popular opinion turned heavily against the Ottomans.

Patriarch Gregory V was a martyr and a Saint of the Church. His death served as a sacrifice in place countless men, women, and children among his flock. His execution ended what had been his third tenure on the Patriarchal throne. The Patriarch had been removed from the Patriarchate twice before for political reasons. As an Orthodox traditionalist he had spent much time on Mount Athos.

He was also known as a staunch conservative in matters of faith. His writings included criticism of the Latin faith and a defense of Orthodoxy. Patriarch Gregory was not interested in what is today called “ecumenism”. He has been criticized for excommunicating the the Greek Revolutionaries.

But in proper context, this excommunication was not considered valid or binding by the Greek Revolutionaries who understood the difficult position the Patriarch had been in. May the martyred Patriarch Gregory intervene on behalf of suffering Christians throughout the middle east today, and may he watch over the present Ecumenical Patriarch and correct him from his misdeeds.

This blog has been critical of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s recognition of pseudo-bishops in Ukraine and for creating the schism in Orthodoxy that threatens the unity of the Church. Part of the reason for this criticism is because I actually do care about the Ecumenical Patriarchate. When one sees a friend or family member do something wrong, the right thing is to attempt to correct him.

Among some Orthodox blogs, there are conspiracy theories promoting the slander that Patriarch Bartholomew was involved in the anti Erdogan Coup of 2016. These allegations have long since been disproved and they serve only to endanger the safety of the Ecumenical Patriarch. The issue of the Patriarchate’s relationship with the United States is very complex and not as simple as some critics think that it is.

Let us pretend for a few moments that Patriarch Bartholomew had not intervened in Ukraine and that all was well between Constantinople and Moscow. The Orthodox Church is conciliar in its ecclesiology. All the local Orthodox Churches acknowledge the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as “first among equals” with the first place in the diptychs of the Church. Constantinople has held the first place among the local Churches since 1054 when the Church of Rome left the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

It was at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325 AD that autocephalous Churches were created for the first time in Church history. These three Churches in their proper ranks were Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch. At the Second Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople in 381 AD, the Church of the Capital City was raised to the status of a Patriarchate and was given second place in honor after Rome because it was the City where the Emperor and the Senate presided.

Cyprus was granted autocephaly by the Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 (AD) but was not given the status of a Patriarchate. The Church of Jerusalem was given autocephaly and Patriarchal status at the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Calcedon in 451 AD. Later in Church history, the Churches of Serbia and Bulgaria were granted autocephaly and Patriarchal status.

The Russian Orthodox Church declared its own autocephaly in 1448 in the aftermath of Constantinople’s acceptance of the heretical doctrines of Rome at the Council of Florence in 1439. In 1589, the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremias II agreed to the request of Tsar Feodor of Russia to (formally) grant autocephaly to the Russian Church. The autocephaly became formally recognized in 1593 by Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.

Constantinople has always been recognized as “first among equals” a status questioned only by some critics here and there but never at the upper levels of the hierarchy of any local Orthodox Church. Constantinople has put itself at risk through its Ukrainian venture. Patriarch Kyril of Russia wrote to Patriarch Bartholomew shortly before the granting of a “tomos” to the schismatic Ukrainian entity assuring that it was not too late for Patriarch Bartholomew to reverse his decisions.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate survived the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the Patriarchate’s flock died in the Turkish orchestrated genocide of 1914 until until 1923. Another million Orthodox Greeks were ethnically cleansed by the Turks in 1923 with the help of the western powers who supported Turkish genocide for their own economic and geo strategic purposes. This is the background for the complexity of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s relations with the American State Department.

Throughout the twentieth century, the Ecumenical Patriarchate was a persecuted Church. It was nearly expelled from Turkey in 1923 and only saved because of the intervention of the great powers. Not to be confused here. The Patriarchate did not do the bidding of the great powers and was merely trying to defend itself and its flock. The great powers at the time hypocritically pressured the Patriarchate to disavow the very few rights that it had in fact possessed under the Ottoman Empire and left it in a weakened state.

There is a great deal to criticize about Patriarch Meletios Metaxakis. This is the Patriarch who created the old calendar schism among the Greek Churches and who began promoting the theory that Constantinople was more than just the “first among equals”. For this he deserves scorn and criticism that has been thrown at him.

On the other hand, Patriarch Meletios correctly defended the interests of his flock at a time when the Turks embarked on a campaign of genocide and extermination against Christians. Patriarch Meletios correctly supported the Greek campaign in Asia Minor because it was the only way for the Greek as well as the Armenian Christians to survive. Patriarch Meletios tried to to too much as Patriarch of Constantinople.

Between the period of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 and the period of the Second World War, the Ecumenical Patriarchate did not have a nice time in Turkey. The Turks had promised at Lausanne to respect the Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox population but immediately began harassing and persecuting them. The political situation of the Patriarchate is not as obvious as many seem to think it is.

Today, it is true that Patriarch Bartholomew has unwisely aligned the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the State Department. It is a mistake to say that this was always the case throughout the twentieth century. Many of Constantinople’s critics cite the elevation of former Archbishop Athenagoras to the Patriarchal throne in 1948-49. True, the American Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese flew to Constantinople in Air Force One.

Greeks viewed this not as a collusion against the Russians, but as a form of international recognition and protection for the Ecumenical Patriarchate which had been badly persecuted at the time. It should be remembered that the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its Greek Orthodox flock have been persecuted up to the present time only because they are Christians. The various Turkish and Islamic terror groups who have targeted the Ecumenical Patriarchate are not familiar with the canonical issues of Orthodoxy nor do they care about them.

In September 1955, the Turkish government of Adnan Menderes ordered a wholesale attack on the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople. A community of nearly 100,000 became homeless in a single night after their homes, businesses, and Churches were desecrated and destroyed. The State Department it should be emphasized here did not condemn the Turkish government and provided no diplomatic or moral support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate or its flock. The most that the US has ever done is to prevent the Turks form outright expelling the Patriarchate as it did in 1964 when the remaining ethnic Greeks were terrorized into fleeing their ancestral homelands.

Between 1994 and 2013 there have been more than half a dozen assassination attempts and terrorist attacks at the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Patriarch Bartholomew has been personally targeted. American support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been strictly verbal. For example, Washington has taken no action to force the Turks to open the Patriarchal seminary on the island of Halki.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has in the past five years adopted a posture of increasing authoritarianism in his stances toward the local Orthodox Churches. This was manifested at the time of the pseudo-council of Crete and more recently with the invasion of the Russian Church’s canonical territory of Ukraine. During this period it can be genuinely said a real alliance between the Church of Constantinople and the State Department came into being.

The Holy Gospel commands us to “know the truth and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32). The schism in Orthodoxy will not be resolved if distortions and false allegations are thrown around carelessly. There is no question that Constantinople is wrong for intervening in Ukraine and the blame lies with the Phanar for instigating this Church crisis. However, there is no truth to the allegations of the Patriarch colluding with any Turkish faction against another.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s existence in Turkey is complicated and by no means secure. It is unheard of for the Patriarchate to involve itself in Turkey’s domestic politics. Making such an allegation is morally reprehensible and outright false. At the same time it can be said that Patriarch Bartholomew has worsened the Patriarchate’s situation in Turkey alienating the Orthodox world because of his Ukrainian venture.

It is difficult to defend the Ecumenical Patriarchate because its actions have contributed to the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The fact that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is in fact an oppressed Church in Turkey makes its policies in Ukraine even more hideous and indefensible. The task of the Orthodox world must be to disentangle fact from falsehood and to begin the process of restoring Orthodox unity.