Month: April 2023

Categories
faith

The Archbishop’s Speech

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Categories
faith

Greece And Orthodoxy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Categories
political

Democracy Takes A Hit

Tucker Carlson is departing from Fox News. The reasons are unclear but this is very bad for American democracy and for the opposition to the Biden administration. Tucker Carlson was a voice of reason in a news media dominated by the fringe left.

Tucker Carlson was one of the real anti war voices in America. He routinely pointed out the dangers of a war between the United States and Russia over Ukraine. He repeatedly attacked the neoconservatives such as John Bolton, Bill Kristol, and Max Boot.

Carlson pointed out that Vladimir Zelensky was not the hero the media made him out to be. Carlson on more than one occasion reported on the repression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the regime in Kiev. Carlson is very good journalist.

It really is a tragedy that Tucker Carlson could lose his voice while the morons of “the View” can stay on air staying stupid things. Most recently an actress I have never heard of was on “the View” comparing Christians in America to the Taliban. Christians are compared to the Taliban because they oppose trans ideology being imposed on children.

The “View” and others in the media have taken a hawkish stance on Russia. Stupid people who have no idea what could happen if the war in Ukraine spirals out of control. One of the few responsible and intelligent voices in the media is now gone.

This is a serious blow to democracy and the opposition to Joe Biden’s sinister policies.

Categories
political

America Strikes Back

The aggressive trans movement has finally provoked a backlash from mainstream America. The beer company Anheuser-Busch displayed the picture of a notorious trans activist on their beers while the vice President of said company insulted long time customers. The welcome result has been the immediate cessation of beer sales by angry customers.

Enough is enough. Ordinary people are sick of the woke agenda, and the trans movement in particular. American outrage at this aggressive in your face activism is overdue. This should send a message to other corporations to stop promoting trans ideology.

One thing though. Anheuser-Busch is not the worst offender. Last August, National Review published an article highlighting Major League Baseball’s support for the trans cause. This hurts for me because I am a lifelong baseball fan.

According to National Review, at least twenty teams have provided funds to groups supporting “child gender transitions”. This is horrifying and appalling. MLB needs to be held accountable in the same way as Anheuser-Busch.

Trans activists are claiming as of late to be victims of genocide. This is yet more evidence that this is a movement of lunatics. The trans activists are angry that Republicans are passing laws protecting children.

For example, there are cases in schools where teachers have referred to students with names of the opposite sex and encouraged them to use restrooms of the opposite sex. This has been done without telling the parents of these students. The Republican laws are aimed at protecting the rights of parents from aggressive teachers that are actively grooming children for the trans cause.

For the lunatic left, this constitutes genocide. Never mind that the undermining of the family has been a policy of every dictatorship ranging from Hitler’s dictatorship to the Soviet Union. America has woken up and hopefully will not go back to sleep.

Categories
Published commentaries

Ukrainian Church Persecution

GUEST VIEWPOINTS

National Herald

The Persecution of Christianity and the Violation of Democratic Norms

April 16, 2023

By Theodore Karakostas

twitter

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ-ΟΥΚΡΑΝΙΑ-2

FILE – Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine Epiphaniy officiates at a historic Divine Liturgy for the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos in the Lavra of Kyiv. (Photo Autocephalous Church of Ukraine)

The violation of religious freedom is simultaneously a violation of democratic norms and procedures. The protection of all all communities regardless of religion or ethnicity is mandatory if a country is to be considered democratic. After the 9/11 attacks, the United States made sure that American Muslims would be protected following the mass slaughter of Americans. Democracies protect individuals and communities that have nothing to do with the actions of a small number of radicals and extremists.

Governments that target entire communities are fascist or authoritarian at the very least. For example, Nazi Germany targeted the Jewish community for persecution that subsequently evolved into the Holocaust. Turkish leaders under the Young Turks and Mustafa Kemal targeted Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian Christians for genocide. The Turkish government in September 1955 organized a campaign of hatred against the Greek Orthodox of Constantinople and encouraged angry mobs to physically assault (and murder) Greeks and to destroy their homes, businesses, and Churches.

Between 1994 and 2011 there were at least half a dozen terrorist attacks or assassination attempts against the Ecumenical Patriarch because Turkish officials accused the Patriarch of conspiring against Turkey. All the above comes to mind in the midst of the chaos that is taking place in Kiev, Ukraine. The Monastery of the Great Lavra in Kiev has been standing for over one thousand years and has belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. There is a schismatic sect that calls itself the ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine’ that is backed by the authorities and is attempting under the cover of law to expel the monks who reside their despite the fact that the monks have done nothing wrong.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the spiritual leadership of Metropolitan Onuphry has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war. The Church has been working to provide relief for all citizens. Despite this condemnation, the Church has been demonized by various politicians. Over the past several years, Churches have been seized by supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and legislation has been introduced that would force the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to change its name simply because it is under the ‘omophorion’ or spiritual authority of the Patriarchate
of Moscow.

Now, the question of being under the spiritual authority of a Church in a hostile land is not an unfamiliar one for those of us who are Greek Orthodox. Those of us in America, Australia, and parts of Greece, such as Crete and Mount Athos are under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is located in Turkey. Turkey is hostile to Greece and has been threatening to invade the Greek islands. This has not led the Greek government to hysterically overreact by confusing the spiritual center of Greek Orthodoxy (Constantinople) with the evil ambitions and ideology of the present Turkish regime.

Roman Catholics throughout the world are under the spiritual authority of the Pope of Rome. From 1922 until 1943, Italy was a fascist dictatorship under the authority of Benito Mussolini. From 1943 until 1945, Rome was under Nazi occupation. No governments around the world questioned the loyalty of Roman Catholics because the Papacy was located in a city ruled by Fascists and Nazis.

So, it is preposterous and absurd, as well as immoral, for the Ukrainian government to attempt to outlaw the Ukrainian Orthodox Church simply on the grounds that it is under the omophorion of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Monastery of the Great Lavra in Kiev has enormous spiritual significance for both Ukrainians and Russians. It is for Ukrainians and Russians what Aghia Sophia of Constantinople is for Greeks. We Greeks know and feel the pain of what has been done to Aghia Sophia over the past three years as it has been converted again into a mosque. The monks of the Great Lavra in Ukraine are peaceful and the synod under Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev have made very clear their condemnation of the Russian invasion. The suffering Ukrainian Church has reacted to the persecution of the last several years with peaceful and prayerful resistance (the persecution began long before the invasion).

The monks of the Great Lavra of Kiev are humble and peaceful. They have done nothing to harm their country, but they have been maligned and slandered.

The international silence in response to their government’s plans to expel them is disturbing. The intrusion of politics into the spiritual life of Orthodoxy is deplorable. Democratic governments behave in the manner of the United States after the 9/11 attacks. They protect all citizens, especially communities that may be vulnerable.

The Ukrainian government is sponsoring legislation against, and inciting hatred against a religious community. Is this not what a country like Turkey has done in the past against the Greek Orthodox, Armenian, and Jewish communities? No community anywhere should be targeted merely because of where it chooses to worship. This is discrimination and persecution – and an affront to democracy which protects freedom of worship and civil rights for all.

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
political

Canadian Fascism

Last December, the New Atlantis a conservative magazine wrote about the advances that the right to die has made in Canada. An interview was conducted with a doctor who supports euthanasia. The article can be found here www.the new Atlantis.com/publications/no-other -options.

The doctor interviewed enthusiastically embraces the “right” to die and called it “therapeutic”. The article alarmingly discusses how some people are choosing to terminate their lives because they are unemployed or having financial difficulties. The horrific predictions that conservatives made back in the 1990’s about euthanasia are being fulfilled.

Liberals in favor of euthanasia have said only people who were terminally sick would be permitted to voluntarily end their lives. From a Christian standpoint suicide is always a sin and immoral. The Church emphasizes faith and hope and life because man is created in the image of God. Man is neither an animal to be put down nor a machine to be unplugged.

Canada permits putting desperate and troubled people to death while imprisoning men like Rob Hoagland. Mr. Hoagland is the man that was imprisoned for opposing his fifteen year old daughter’s sex change surgery. These policies are barbaric.

Nazi Germany embraced the policies of euthanasia when it sought to murder the lives of people it considered unfit. These would include the mentally retarded and others considered “useless”. These people were gassed. The euthanasia program became the model for the use of gas in the death camps during the holocaust.

Assisted suicide is inevitably the fulfillment of social Darwinism, the survival of the fittest. Permitting the “suicides” of the weak and the vulnerable is nothing less than murder. This nothing less than the revival of fascism under the guise of liberal democracy.

America and Europe are going down similar paths. In January, Democrats in Minnesota promoted a radical bill promoting abortion throughout pregnancy. This would mean an abortion would be legal in that state for any reason at any time during a woman’s nine month pregnancy.

Social progressivism in this day and age is fascism.

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.