Month: March 2021

Categories
political

The Russians on Greek Independence Day

Metropolitan Hilarion Alfayev the top Church diplomat of the Russian Orthodox Church presided at a doxology in commemoration of Greek Independence Day. The doxology at a Russian Monastery was held for the remembrance of the souls of the Greeks who died fighting the Turks. Furthermore, Patriarch Kyril of Moscow and all Russia sent messages of congratulations to the Greek President on the two hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the Greek Revolution.

Furthermore, Metropolitan Onuphry the spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church likewise congratulated the Greeks on the anniversary of Greek Independence. Both the Russian Patriarch and the Ukrainian Metropolitan recalled the oppression of the Greeks under Turkish role and the bravery of the Greeks who fought for their freedom. These expressions of congratulations are indicative of the brotherly attitude toward the Greeks by both the Russians and Ukrainians.

Incidentally, there has been no noticeable statement regarding Greek Independence from Patriarch Bartholomew. The recognition of the pseudo bishops of Ukraine by the Churches of Constantinople and Greece is a mark of shame on the part of the Greek speaking Orthodox world. The brotherly statements of both the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox leaders should compel the Church of Greece in particular to withdraw its recognition of the Ukrainian schismatics.

There has been nothing but devastation to Orthodoxy in general and the Greek speaking world from the recognition of the Ukrainian pseudo bishops. Patriarch Bartholomew cares nothing about the damage to Orthodoxy. He also does not care about the Greek speaking Orthodox world either. Patriarch Bartholomew undertook his anti Russian actions under the cover of the Greek flag.

At the end of the day he is the enabler of the continued American domination of both Greek political and ecclesiastical affairs. It will take some time for Constantinople to reverse its errors in Ukraine. If the Patriarchate even survives. The State Department sees the Ecumenical Patriarchate as an instrument in which to attack the Russians for the time being. Washington will not do anything to help the Patriarchate in its position in Turkey over the long term.

While it does not seem that the Church of Greece will reverse its position on Ukraine now, there is a much better chance of the Athens synod reversing its stances than that of Constantinople. The day of March 25, 2021 was a glorious day when the world recognized the Greek heroism that started two hundred years ago.

It is a shame that the Greek anniversary occurred under the shadow of the schism within Orthodoxy. The Greek speaking world must remember the example of Saint Mark of Ephesus who realized that the preservation of Constantinople would matter for little or nothing if the Greek Orthodox repudiated the faith of Christ as was done by the hierarchy at the Council of Florence.

Greece today confronts many difficult problems. Fidelity to the faith of Christ and those of the holy fathers is the surest way of both enduring and confronting the difficulties that the Greeks face today. The bishops of Greece should look to the examples of both Saint Mark of Ephesus as well as Patriarch Gregory V who was martyred after the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence.

Patriarch Gregory V was an Orthodox traditionalist much like Saint Mark. It should also be remembered the legendary General Kolokotronis was a staunch Russophile and the leader of the Russian Party in Greece. Greece’s first President was John Capodistrias who had served as Russian Foreign Minister.

There is much that the Greeks and the Russians have in common spiritually, historically, and politically. The Russian expressions of congratulations toward the Greeks even as the Greek Churches have caused the Russian Church great pain is demonstrative of the realities of Greek-Russian brotherhood.

Categories
history

Long Live Greece!!!

It was two hundred years ago today (technically the anniversary will be in thirteen days as the Julian Calendar was in use then) that the Greeks rose up to claim their place in the world. A free and independent Greece came to be because of the long and bloody struggles and sacrifices of the heroic Greek freedom fighters. Those sacrifices are remembered by the nations of the world on this day!

World leaders arrived in Athens for the festivities. Covid 19 could not disrupt the festivities. Greece was today the center of the world. Prime Minister Mitsotakis performed very well before his distinguished guests. The Greek Prime Minister has the potential for greatness.

The spirit of defiance that led to the heroic uprising of March 25 lives again with the policies and alliances formed by Prime Minister Mitsotakis. Two hundred years ago, the Greeks fought against the tyrannical rule of the Ottoman Empire. Today, Turkey is led by a President who vows to restore the Ottoman Empire.

Greece has seen successes and failures over the past two hundred years. The Greek State expanded from 1821 until 1947 when the Dodecanese islands became part of Greece. The effort to liberate Cyprus failed when Turkish aggressors invaded and occupied that Hellenic island in 1974. The Greeks of Northern Epirus remain under persecution in Albania.

The Turkish Government today openly covets the Greek islands. Greece again faces a tyrant with genocidal ambitions. The Greeks must take inspiration from the heroes of 1821 such as Theodore Kolokotronis and Laskalina Baboulidis, but above all they must take inspiration from God!

Orthodoxy sustained the Greek people throughout the centuries of Ottoman rule. The faith of Christ bestows strength upon those who struggle but keep the faith. It is not an accident of history that Archbishop Germanos raised the standard of revolt. The Archbishop of Patra is the spiritual father of modern Greece.

On Easter Sunday, Patriarch Gregory V was hanged at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in retaliation for the Greek uprising against the Turks. The Patriarch had known about the uprising that was being planned, and while he distanced himself from it he did not reveal the plans of the Greeks to the Turks. For this reason, he forfeited his life.

The Greeks today have much to be proud of and to celebrate. The future of Greece depends on the national consciousness and the remembrance of what the founders fought and died for. Concepts such as independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity keep a nation-state functioning.

Long live Greece on the day of the feast of the Annunciation when the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she was chosen to become the Mother of God. May the Most Holy Theotokos (Mother of God) watch over the Greek nation and guide them into the arms of her Son. May Christ watch over and protect the Greek nation from all threats spiritual as well as from the menace of external invaders.

Long Live Greece on this day of March 25, 2021

Categories
faith

The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s position in Turkey

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.

Categories
political

Romanian Church desecrated and its implications

An Orthodox Church in Romania was desecrated with the symbols of Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and the LGBTQ movement. The front walls of the entrance of the Church were desecrated along with the icons that appear on the front walls. The desecration of the Church fully exposes the lunacy of these three groups.

First of all, it is unclear why a chapter of Black Lives Matter is needed in Romania. Romanians have nothing to do with the murder of George Floyd or the racial problems in America. The followers of these movements are simply incapable of logic or reason which is why they have committed what can only be construed as a hate crime.

The leaders of the American Black Lives Matter have openly admitted that they are a Marxist organization. This makes the desecration of the Church even more repugnant. The Romanian Orthodox Church suffered under communist rule for nearly forty five years before communism fell. Marxist radicals never really change or reform.

The stupidity of the desecration of the Church can also be seen by the fact that all chapters of Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and the LGBTQ movements everywhere will continue to anger and offend people. A movement that is based on outraging people cannot succeed. A perfect example of this is the Golden Party in Greece, the Neo-Nazi movement that found limited success in Greece and proceeded to promote Holocaust denial and anti semitism inside the Greek Parliament. Eventually, this party lost all support and is nearly extinct.

Serious political movements tend to engage society and promote discussions. Black Lives Matter and Antifa promote the lethal ideology of Marxism-Leninism but lack the necessary organization and sophistication that the real Bolsheviks in Russia had that enabled them to come to power. At this point they are a caricature of the real thing.

In any case, Christianity is deeply engrained in Orthodox countries and the Romanian people are not likely to be amused or pleased with the desecration of Churches. Black Lives Matter and Antifa are morally and intellectually bankrupt with no ability to understand any perspective that is not their own.

The LGBTQ movement has been far more successful in America and Europe and appears to be a greater concern for Christians. This movement is in a strong position to emerge as the real persecutor of the Church. A far worse persecution than desecrating Churches (horrible as those actions are).

The LGBTQ movement has been able to win over political and legislative support throughout the western world supporting the indoctrination of children into trans ideology and suggesting that employers and others who refuse to go along with this nefarious agenda are discriminating. The desecration of the Romanian Church comes less than a decade after the attack on the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow by the notorious “Pussy riot”.

The extreme left has declared war on Christianity. In this they are supported by western governments and officials, and the worlds media. The desecration of the Romanian Church is a warning to all Christians everywhere.

Categories
Letters

Response to the Orthodox Times

Greetings and wishing those at the Orthodox Times a blessed Lent, 


My name is Theodore Karakostas. I am under the omophorion of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. I happen to be opposed to the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine. Just as the faithful of the Church of Constantinople in the eighth century were opposed to the iconoclastic Emperors and Patriarchs, and just as the faithful sons and daughters of the Church of Constantinople opposed the signing of the Union of Florence in 1439, I oppose the uncanonical actions of the Church of Constantinople in Ukraine. 


In the May 16 commentary, Ms(rs) Efthimiou launched a severe attack on the Russian Orthodox Church and even upon the person of his beautitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem. The unofficial council that convened in Amman, Jordan last year was a necessary first step to resolve the schism in Orthodoxy that was created by the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s unilateral actions in Ukraine. In the aftermath of the Ukrainian schism, both Patriarch John of Antioch and Archbishop Anastasios of Albania wrote to the Ecumenical Patriarch asking him to convene a council. His holiness Patriarch Bartholomew refused to do so.


At the present time, the Churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onuphry are being seized and faithful of the canonical Ukrainian Church are being beaten and subject to acts of violence. The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s collusion with the State Department in a common antiRussian policy is scandalous and harmful not only to the whole of Orthodoxy, but to the Great Church of Constantinople itself. I for one am particularly angry that American officials have stuck their anti Christian noses in the affairs of the holy Church of Jesus Christ.


The Orthodox Church does not have a Pope. Patriarch Bartholomew’s claims of total authority over the Orthodox Church is inconsistent with the conciliar and synodical tradition of the Orthodox Church. It should be remembered the notorious heretic Nestorius was once Patriarch of Constantinople as were other heretics such as John Bekkas and Gregory Mammas. It has been customary for the Ecumenical Patriarch as “first among equals” to convene Pan Orthodox councils but considering the fact that the Church of Constantinople refused to do so at this time, it is necessary for another Church to take the initiative. 


Since September 2018, the Orthodox Church has been in a state of semi-paralysis as a result of the schism. There is absolutely no evidence that Patriarch Theophilos is being pressured by the Russian Orthodox Church. In fact, the evidence demonstrates quite convincingly that Patriarch Bartholomew with the backing of American officials is the one who has been bullying the various Orthodox Churches to fall into line with his dictates. 


A perfect example is the manner in which Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and other Greek Bishops succumbed to pressure from Constantinople’s American friends at the State Department. Is it not obscene that former American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and American “Ambassador” to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt are intervening in Church affairs and trying to dictate as to what constitutes an Orthodox Church. The Bishops of Constantinople and Greece who have colluded with American officials against the sister Church of Russia and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church have betrayed Orthodoxy! 


Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem is right to work to convene another council to solve the Ukrainian crisis. The Orthodox Church is led by Jesus Christ and not by any particular Patriarch or Archbishop. Authority in the Orthodox Church consists in a universal or ecumenical council in which the entirety of the Church participates. The Ecumenical Patriarch has made a mockery of the conciliar tradition by attempting to grab complete and total authority that he has no right too. 


There are those of us within the Greek speaking Orthodox communion who are appalled by the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s policies and distortions of Orthodox ecclesiology. We want nothing more than an end to the Church crisis and the liberation of the Greek speaking Orthodox Churches from the authoritarian hand of secular America. Under the leadership of the two previous Archbishops of Athens Serapheim and Christodoulos, the Church of Greece fiercely resisted Patriarch Bartholomew’s encroachments on the canonical territory of the Church of Greece and would not have tolerated American interference in Church affairs as the cowardly Archbishop Ieronymos has done. 


Orthodox tradition requires the faithful to speak and to oppose Patriarchs and Bishops when they begin promoting teachings that are erroneous to the faith. The faithful of Constantinople rioted in the streets and denounced the Patriarch and the Bishops who signed the heretical Union of Florence. Greek Orthodox Christians should actively oppose and speak against the subjugation of the Greek speaking Churches by American secular interests.The Greek Orthodox world today is unfree and this has been proven by the attention that American officials have given to influencing the Churches of Constantinople and Greece to participate in their aggressive anti Russian campaign.


Wishing you a blessed Lent on the day after the Sunday of Orthodoxy 2021. The Sunday of Orthodoxy which commemorates the victory of the triumph ofthe veneration of Icons. Let it be remembered that Patriarchs and Bishops of the Church of Constantinople had promoted the heresy of iconoclasm. Let it be remembered that the ordinary faithful of the Church of Constantinople were persecuted by the Emperor and heretical Patriarchs because they protected and revered the holy icons. 


On the Sunday of Orthodoxy we recalled those Orthodox who kept the faith and recall the anathemas against the heretical Patriarchs and Bishops who burned and destroyed Icons. The Church of Constantinople properly repented and became Orthodox once again. May the Bishops of Constantinople and their partners within the Churches of Greece and Alexandria who have colluded in undermining the holy canons in Ukraine repent and be restored to Orthodoxy. Then Orthodox unity can be restored.
               

Theodore Karakostas 

Categories
political

Biden Provokes Russia

President Joe Biden has begun provoking tensions with Russia just as many feared would happen in the event of a Democratic Presidential victory. Biden insulted President Vladimir Putin by calling him a “killer”. Several years ago, Hillary Clinton had compared Putin to Hitler. The insult directed against the Russian President demonstrates again that the Democratic Party has been so wholly consumed by ideology that all forms of diplomacy and politeness that are crucial in international affairs have been completely abandoned.

The Russians have called their Ambassador to Washington home for consultations. This may very well signal a crisis in relations with Russia. Even in the aftermath of an election victory, the Democrats remain angry over their loss in the previous elections of 2016. President Donald Trump for all his flaws and mistakes will be remembered as a great statesman who attempted to pull America out of foreign wars and sought friendly relations with Russia and even North Korea.

The Democrats have been scapegoating Russia for four years and will continue to do so in the White House. This foreshadows a dangerous escalation of tensions with Russia. Russia is a nuclear power that should be taken very seriously. Childish name calling is terrible diplomacy and is indicative of the childlike mentality of the President.

Joe Biden has contributed immensely to the deterioration of American relations with Russia. As a Senator, Biden was a strong champion of the bombing of Serbia and the detaching of Kosovo from that Orthodox country. Kosovo is the spiritual capital of the Serbian Orthodox Church with Serbia’s most important Churches and Monasteries.

Back in 1999, the Russians were in no position to challenge the Clinton administrations aggression against Serbia. Things have changed dramatically since drunken Boris Yeltsin left office in Russia. The Biden family has been involved in shady dealings in Ukraine. Biden’s son Hunter was on the board of a Ukrainian gas company despite having no experience in the field of gas and energy, and no particular expertise in Ukrainian affairs.

Joe Biden himself bragged that as Vice President he threatened to terminate much needed aid to Ukraine if that government did not fire the prosecutor that was investigating Hunter Biden’s company. The 2020 coup attempt against President Donald Trump by the Democrats in Congress was largely the result of the involvement of the Biden family’s shady dealings with Ukraine.

Former President Trump asked the Ukrainian government for help in investigating Hunter Biden. For this innocent request, Trump was nearly impeached. Joe Biden has a conflict of interest in the conducting of American foreign policy. His family’s involvement in Ukraine undermine his credibility and demonstrates an inherent bias against Russia.

Things have changed since Kosovo was detached from Serbia. In 2014, the Obama-Biden administration and its unscrupulous representatives such as Victoria Nuland and Geoffrey Pyatt (current Governor of, sorry “Ambassador” to Greece) supported the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected government and the installation of a rabidly anti Russian one. Furthermore, the Obama-Biden administration decided to attack Syria which like Serbia is a traditional Russian ally.

The Russians demonstrated both in Syria and Ukraine that Washington is no longer in the position to impose itself on the rest of the world. Russia is again a great power and should be respected as such. Real Statesman do not lose their composure and think before speaking and when referring to foreign leaders speak diplomatically.

Joe Biden has just demonstrated why he is completely unfit to serve as President.

Categories
faith

Hagia Sophia Diaries 22 UNESCO Responds

The following letter arrived today from UNESCO in response to a letter I sent last December.


Culture Sector World Heritage Centre Ref.: CLT/WHC/EUR/21/8771 
Mr Theodore G Karakostas 
17 March 2021 Dear Mr Karakostas, 


I would like to thank you for your letter of 22 December 2020 concerning the decisions of the Republic of Turkey to change the status of Hagia Sophia and the Chora Museums. 

As you may be aware, both Hagia Sophia and Chora Museums are components of the World Heritage property ‘Historic Areas of Istanbul’, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1985. The property’s Statement of Outstanding Universal Value highlights that Hagia Sophia represents a unique architectural masterpiece of the Byzantine period. Its status as a museum reflects the universal nature of its heritage, and makes it a powerful symbol for dialogue, peace and mutual understanding between cultures and peoples. Adding the uniqueness of architectural and religious significance of the mosaics and paintings dating from the 14th and 15th centuries of the former Church of the Holy Savior of Chora, both Hagia Sophia and Chora Museums require our outmost efforts to promote peace and mutual understanding.

 Following the decision of the Turkish authorities to change the status of Hagia Sophia and Chora Museums, UNESCO issued a statement on 10 July 2020 (see https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco/-statement-hagia-sophia-istanbul) and the UNESCO Secretariat is closely following this issue. 

Two UNESCO missions took place in October 2020 and January/February 2021 in order to collect the necessary information for a comprehensive examination of the state of conservation of the World Heritage property ‘Historic Areas of Istanbul’ at the next session of the World Heritage Committee. All possible efforts are being undertaken to ensure that the 21 elected members of the World Heritage Committee have all of the information necessary to make a decision on this matter at their extended 44th session. 
UNESCO is following this issue in compliance with the World Heritage Convention and its relevant texts. 

Thanking you for your continuous collaboration and support in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, I remain, 

Yours sincerely, 
Mechtild Rössler Director

Categories
faith

The Future of Greek Orthodoxy and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem recently wrote to the primates of the Orthodox Churches on the first anniversary of the mini council that took place in Amman, Jordan last year. That gathering was attended by no more than five Orthodox Churches but is bound to become historically significant as it was the first step (albeit a very small one) taken to resolve the schism emanating from the Ecumenical Patriarch’s unilateral and uncanonical recognition of make believe bishops and priests in Ukraine. Patriarch Theophilos has suggested he will attempt once more to convene a gathering of Churches when conditions emanating from covid improve.

Traditionally, the Ecumenical Patriarch as “first among equals” convenes pan Orthodox gatherings. A reality check for the apologists of Patriarch Bartholomew. Before Patriarch Bartholomew sent two “exarchs” to Ukraine in September 2018, several Orthodox Churches wrote to Patriarch Bartholomew not only asking him not to take unilateral measures in Ukraine, but to convene a council to deal with the Church schism in that country. Once the Church crisis was triggered by Patriarch Bartholomew, various primates including the Archbishop of Albania and the Patriarch of Antioch asked Patriarch Bartholomew to convene a council. Anyone who has read the letters of these distinguished Orthodox primates and the hostile responses from Patriarch Bartholomew would know that Constantinople has no intention of convening a council.

Patriarch Bartholomew has no intention of convening any kind of Church council that will not be rigged. It is more than apparent that the Ecumenical Patriarch knows full well that if a real council took place, it would rule against Constantinople. Patriarch Bartholomew has both created the crisis in Orthodoxy and permitted it to continue entirely unconcerned about the consequences. Consequences include the appalling persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church through acts of violence by fascist militias and legal harassment by the government in Kiev.

Therefore, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem is fully justified in convening a council since Constantinople has abrogated its responsibilities and has no interest in healing the schism. For the Greek speaking Orthodox world, Jerusalem is the only remaining Church that remains unscathed by the nefarious collaboration between Patriarch Bartholomew and his “allies” at the State Department. Patriarch Bartholomew has done enormous harm to the Greek Churches who foolishly followed him down the path of destruction.

The Church of Greece has been morally and spiritually compromised as a result of the Holy Synod’s capitulation to American and Ukrainian demands to recognize the false entity in Ukraine masquerading as a Church. The Patriarchate of Alexandria has likewise suffered as a result of the unilateral decision of Patriarch Theodore to recognize the false synod in Ukraine. The Archbishop of Cyprus without consulting the holy synod of his Church recognized the fake Church in Ukrainian triggering outrage from his bishops and leaving the Cypriot Church in a state of crisis.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem strictly speaking is not an exclusively Greek Church. The majority of the faithful are Palestinian Arabs who have real grievances about their mistreatment. That is an issue that must be addressed. Still, Patriarch Theophilos is Greek as are members of the synod of Jerusalem and in this regard demoralized Greeks can take comfort that at least one part of the Greek speaking Orthodox world remains unscathed by the destruction unleashed by Patriarch Bartholomew.

Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem has been justifiably praised by the Russian Church for his efforts to overcome the Church schism. Orthodox Christians everywhere should hope and pray that Patriarch Theophilos and his synod will remain firm and refuse to recognize the abomination that calls itself “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”. May a synod representing the whole of Orthodoxy be convened and may the schism in Orthodoxy be healed.

Categories
political

Greek Anarchists

Unprecedented images by protesters against Orthodoxy in Athens (VIDEO)

The video in the link above says a good deal about what is wrong in Greece. Greek anarchists have been demonstrating in favor of a Greek terrorist who is on a hunger strike because he prefers to be in a different prison. The terrorist in question is responsible for eleven murders including Greek officials and American, British, and Turkish diplomats.

This is the cause that Greek anarchists have chosen to adopt for themselves. In the video to the link above Greek youth who have been indoctrinated in extreme left ideology can be seen desecrating an icon of the Mother of God. The icon of the Holy Theotokos and her son our God and savior Jesus Christ can be desecrated by these pathetic left wing cultists.

They are demonstrating for a murderer and a proponent of Marxist ideology while denouncing Christianity which sustained the Greek nation during the centuries of Turkocratia. The historically illiterate brats live in a democratic country like Greece. Perhaps they should go live in North Korea or Cuba to find out how good communism is.

This pathetic rabble is indicative of everything that has gone wrong in Greece. The Greek government of Prime Minister Mitsotakis has so far refused to relent to the demands of the terrorist who is on hunger strike. The Greek government owes him nothing. If he chooses to commit suicide by refusing to eat that is his business.

Greek governments in the past have not been tough enough on the lawlessness and mayhem caused by the extreme left in Athens. When the anarchists desecrate the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos it is time to crack down and impose the rule of the law on the spoiled Marxist brats. Greece is a Christian country and real Greeks will fight to defend Greek Orthodox values.

What an utter disgrace that the icon of the panagia is desecrated while the youth of Greece go out of their way to demonstrate in favor of a terrorist. The heroes of 1821 weep at this appalling sight!

Categories
faith

Dissent at Constantinople?

It has been reported that a prominent bishop at Constantinople has been removed from his Metropolitan see. Metropolitan Athanasios of Calcedon has been removed on the orders of Patriarch Bartholomew. It is still entirely unclear why his Eminence was removed from his position.

News reports have implied there have been disagreements between the Bishop of Calcedon and the Ecumenical Patriarch. The question remains why there is no specific information as to the alleged offenses of the Bishop of Calcedon? Dissension has always been a part of Orthodox ecclesiastical tradition unless dissenting views constituted heresy.

In the past, dissension in the Church came from bishops and priests who were solidly Orthodox and stood in opposition to hierarchs that espoused heresy as their official position. Greek Orthodox faithful have the right to know why Metropolitan Athanasios was removed. One wonders whether it had anything to do with dissenting views on the Ukrainian schism?

Considering that no bishops under Constantinople have expressed any dissenting views on the Ukrainian crisis in over two and a half years, it would be a welcome development if even one hierarch were to express opposition to Constantinople. Assuming the problem here had nothing to do with Ukraine, dissent in the ranks at Constantinople is still welcome considering that the Phanar has adopted an authoritarian streak over the past several years. Since the pseudo-council of Crete the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been crushing opposing views.

During the pseudo-council of Crete in 2016, Bishops of the Patriarchate attempted to bully the highly esteemed Metropolitan of Nafpaktos (Church of Greece) into signing documents that were considered unorthodox. Such pressure tactics have become more common in recent years as the Ecumenical Patriarchate has put forward claims that the Patriarch is “first without equals” in Eastern Orthodoxy. The Orthodox Church is conciliar and this necessitates that bishops, priests, theologians, and laypeople have a right to express their views and challenge their hierarchs. Hierarchs have been wrong frequently throughout Church history as can be seen by the example of the iconoclast Patriarchs and bishops.

Whatever the dissension at the Ecumenical Patriarchate was about, it would be a good sign if it were to emerge that a member of the Patriarchal synod actually challenged the Ecumenical Patriarch. If even one dissenting bishop were to challenge Patriarch Bartholomew on his highly authoritarian reign, then perhaps other bishops might speak and the process of resolving the crisis in Orthodoxy (however slowly) could begin.