Geoffrey Pyatt is a neoconservative fanatic and Russophobe who has done much damage to the world. As Ambassador to Ukraine Pyatt played a role in the overthrow of the democratic government of Ukraine which was replaced by a rabidly anti Russian government. As “Ambassador” to Greece, Pyatt has played a destructive role in the Orthodox Church and is in effect treating Greece like an American colony.
Pyatt has proceeded to say that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is important to American national security. Anyone familiar with the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its position in Turkey during the twentieth century would scoff at this deception. After the September 1955 anti Greek pogroms in Constantinople, the US Government and NATO refused to condemn the atrocities that were sponsored by the Turkish Government.
In point of fact, the State Department threatened to cut off aid to Greece if Athens continued making any noise over the Turkish criminal actions. Archbishop Spyridon of Athens went on Greek radio to address the Greek people who were rightly angry with both Turkey and the United States and NATO. At the behest of the American embassy the Greek government tried to block the Archbishop from speaking. To his credit, Archbishop Spyridon read his entire speech which not only condemned Turkey, but condemned the inaction of the United States, Great Britain, and NATO.
During the 1960’s, when the Greek populations of Constantinople and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos were ethnically cleansed by the Turkish government there was no protest from the United States and the Department of State. The theological school of Halki has been closed since 1971 and Washington has not done anything to force Turkey to reopen it. Yes, they have publicly expressed support for the opening of Halki but have not done anything to force Turkey to open the Seminary.
The idea that the American government considers the Ecumenical Patriarchate important to its national security is laughable. The State Department considers the Patriarchate crucial in pursuit of its anti Russian agenda. Once the State Department decides that the Patriarchate has no more significance for its anti Russian policy, the Phanar will be completely abandoned by Washington.
We have seen in the past six months the losses of Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Savior at Chora. Patriarch Bartholomew’s friends at the State Department did not come to the rescue. Geoffrey Pyatt is a fraud and a fanatic who should be expelled from Greece.
His blatant intervention in Church affairs is unacceptable and if Government officials began pronouncing on the doctrines and ecclesiology of any faith in the United States, it would be considered a violation of religious freedom and unconstitutional. Geoffrey Pyatt has now said that the Russian Orthodox Church should respect the will of the Ukrainian people on the Church issue.
Here is a reality check. Two thirds of Ukrainians belong to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church which is facing repression at the hands of the Ukrainian government and various Neo-Nazi militias. If Pyatt were sincere in his supposed adoration for religious freedom, he would be condemning the attacks on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. But Pyatt is not sincere he is an ideologue and a fanatic.
Secular ideologues and fanatics do not respect the holy and the sacred. Every Orthodox Christian professes belief that Jesus Christ is the head of the Orthodox Church and that the Orthodox Church is the one true Church. Its ecclesiology, dogma, canon laws, liturgical services are matters for the hierarchy, clergy, and faithful. It is none of Pyatt’s business to decide which is the legitimate Church. But then again Pyatt is a secular person who makes no distinction between the Orthodox Church and the various secular governments and organizations he seeks to influence.
Patriarch Bartholomew deserves as much blame (perhaps more so) than Geoffrey Pyatt and Mike Pompeo for this whole affair. Patriarch Bartholomew and all the Bishops in Greece and Cyprus who recognize the schismatic entity are not ignorant of the fact that the so called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” has no apostolic foundations and is entirely uncanonical. The Ukrainian schism began in the early 1990’s.
The schismatics remained unrecognized by any local Orthodox Church until 2018. This was the result of the collusion between Patriarch Bartholomew and the governments of Ukraine and the United States. It was the result of Washington’s anti Russian policy which is thoroughly racist to the core as all Russians (including the Russian Church) are suspect in the eyes of Washington that led to the change in the stances of the Patriarch and the various Greek Bishops.
This is a deplorable situation and sadly many Greeks have closed their eyes to the outrages that are playing out before us. Most astonishingly certain academic “theologians” who support Patriarch Bartholomew’s insatiable appetite for power have no moral scruples and have encouraged and supported the intrusion of Pyatt and other American officials into the sacred affairs of the holy Church of Jesus Christ our God!
Geoffrey Pyatt is a war monger and a political extremist who did damage to Ukraine in 2014 by supporting the coup against a democratically elected government. He is doing damage to the sovereignty of Greece today and to the unity of the Orthodox Church by his intervention in ecclesiastical matters.
Geoffrey Pyatt should be expelled from Greece!