Theodore Karakostas
With the anti Russian rhetoric heating up again in Washington it is impossible not to comment on the involvement of Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros with the American foreign policy establishment. The schism in Orthodoxy began when Patriarch Bartholomew violated canon law and proceeded to “grant” autocephaly to a schismatic sect in Ukraine despite the fact that this territory belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church. Political interests based on anti Russian hysteria made Constantinople’s actions possible.
The unpleasant reality here is that the Patriarch and the Archbishop are blinded by their aspirations for power by attempting to convert the Patriarchate into a source of complete authority over Orthodoxy at the expense of traditional Orthodox ecclesiology. Authority in the Orthodox Church is held by Christ who is the true leader of the Church. Under the auspices of the holy spirit, decisions are made by an ecumenical council in which all the Orthodox Churches participate.
In 2013, then Metropolitan Elpidophoros gained notoriety in Orthodoxy when he pronounced that the Ecumenical Patriarch is “first without equals” among Orthodox Patriarchs and primates. In truth the Ecumenical Patriarch is considered to be “first among equals” with a “primacy of honour” and not authority. In 2018, the theories of Archbishop Elpidophoros were put into practice when the Patriachate declared against all evidence that Ukraine belonged to Constantinople.
A formal alliance between the Patriarchate and the American foreign policy establishment was formally sealed at this time. The unifying factor in this alliance was a common dislike of the Russians. Only the Russian Church is strong enough to resist Patriarch Bartholomew’s aggressive and anti Orthodox ecclesiology. To this end Washington considers the Patriarchate to be of considerable value.
This is important because Washington only values the Patriarchate for the purpose of hurting the Russian Church. It does NOT support the Patriarchate for reasons of religious freedom. The Patriarch and the Archbishop have badly misinterpreted the intentions of the American foreign policy establishment.
During his American visit, Patriarch Bartholomew referred to the Russian Church’s decision to break communion with Constantinople. He uttered the infamous “skasila mou” remark and his audience responded with laughter as if the threat of a permanent schism in Orthodoxy was a cause for amusement rather than a tragedy. It has been forgotten that the American foreign policy establishment ignored the ethnic cleansing of Orthodox Greeks from Constantinople by the Turks during the 1950’s and 1960’s which is why the Patriarchate’s existence is threatened.
The decisions of the Patriarchate and the Archdiocese of New York have been catastrophic. Much publicity has surrounded the scandals at the Archdiocese and the Saint Nicholas Shrine but surprisingly little has been written about the blatant politicization of both Patriarchate and Archdiocese by the secular interests of the State Department. The political activities of both Patriarch and Archbishop have not been confined to their own ecclesiastical territory.
The Patriarchate and the Archdiocese have done much harm to the once independent and honorable Church of Greece. Patriarch Bartholomew with the backing of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and “Ambassador” Geoffrey Pyatt pushed the Church of Greece under the cowardly Archbishop Ieronymos to recognize the fake “church” in Ukraine that Constantinople established with the backing of the Americans.
The influence that the spiritually unhealthy Archdiocese and Patriarchate have established over the once vibrant and solidly Orthodox Church of Greece is a cause for mourning. They have delivered the most vibrant and prosperous Church in Hellenism to the State Department as can be seen by the fact that American officials have been giving orders to Greek bishops. Where are real bishops like the great Archbishop Christodoulos?
Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros have betrayed Greek Orthodoxy. They have entered into a nefarious alliance to harm Orthodox Russia and there will be a price to pay. They have betrayed the spiritual heritage of Constantinople (which is actually being upheld by the Russians who inherited it) and are becoming complicit with American warmongering.
The Patriarch and the Archbishop have attempted to justify their war on the Russian Church by hiding behind the Greek flag. The Archbishop however demonstrated how much he supports Hellenism when he attended that ceremony at the Turkish mission in New York which was attended by the Turkish President who converted Hagia Sophia into a Mosque and by the leader of the Turkish occupation in Cyprus.
Hysterical voices in both political parties are looking to exacerbate tensions with Orthodox Russia. With Donald Trump gone from the White House the pro war factions in Washington and the think tanks are taking the initiative to start yet another war against Orthodox Russia. The decision of Patriarch and Archbishop to align themselves with these elements is both immoral and contravenes the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church.
One thousand years ago, the Emperor of Constantinople encountered the Knights of the First Crusade. The Crusaders talked about “holy war” to kill Muslims. The Emperor told the Crusaders that the Christians of the East reject the concept of “holy war” and fight only in defense of their borders and their security.
The Crusaders did not understand this because they were religious fanatics. The neoconservatives and neo liberals do not exploit Christianity as the Crusaders did. Instead, they justify their modern Crusades under the guise of “democracy”. Originally, it was Emperor Alexios Comnenus of Constantinople who asked for western mercenaries to counter the Seljuk Turks who had conquered Anatolian territory in 1071. When the Emperor realized that an army of lunatics showed up at the gates of Constantinople, he came to regret his decision.
His successors also came to regret his decision as new Crusades were launched. In 1204, the Fourth Crusade attacked Constantinople and destroyed its Churches and Monasteries while massacring the population. The Patriarchate and Archdiocese are depending on Washington to save the Patriarchate.
That unwise decision has been costly for Orthodoxy and especially for the following Churches. For the canonical Ukrainian Church which is being persecuted by the Ukrainian authorities. Churches are being seized by the schismatics that Patriarch Bartholomew supports and priests and faithful are being beaten. The Greek Churches have also become casualties (as noted above) as the Church of Greece’s autocephaly has been undermined and the Church of Cyprus has become divided because of Patriarch Bartholomew’s actions.
The reputation of the Holy Mountain of Athos has been damaged because a handful of Abbots have placed their loyalty to the Patriarch above Orthodoxy. It is well known that American officials have interfered with the Monks to press them to go along with Patriarch Bartholomew’s orders. The remaining Orthodox Churches remain cautious regarding the break in communion between Constantinople and the Russian Church. The Orthodox Church is in a a state of semi paralysis.
As the Greeks in the Byzantine Empire came to bitterly regret aligning with the Crusaders, modern Greeks will come to regret the decisions of Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, and the Archbishop of Athens to align the Greek Churches with the modern Crusaders of Washington who like their predecessors one thousand years ago have an insatiable lust for unending wars.
As the city of Constantinople was destroyed by the Fourth Crusade, the Church of Constantinople today is being gradually destroyed by the policies imposed on it by the new Crusaders. Those who happen to love the Church and City of Constantinople and its glorious heritage reject the new Crusades against Holy Russia and its Great Church.
