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.