Constantinople’s Amnesia

Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America gave a speech at the international religious freedom summit 2021. In this speech, he criticized the Russian Orthodox Church and its relationship with the Russian government which is ironic as Archbishop Elpidophoros is one of the most important hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The relationship of the Russian Church to the Russian state is based on the concept of “symphonia”, also known as “symphony” or “synergy”.

The concept of “symphonia” came to fruition during the sixth century under the Emperor Justinian of Constantinople. “Symphonia” is the concept of Church-State partnership in which the Church and the State work together for the common good while being administered separately. Archbishop Elphidophoros appears to imply that the Russian Church is under the influence of the Russian government which is simply not true.

As a Greek Orthodox loyal to the real spiritual heritage of Constantinople (which has been betrayed by the Patriarchate) I view contemporary Russia as the modern Byzantium. Russia adopted the spiritual heritage of Constantinople in the year 988 AD when the Russians received the faith from Emperor Basil II. Today, Russia flies the double headed eagle on the imperial flag of Russia and has defended Christians in Syria who were victims of genocide.

Russia also rose to the occasion to help save Cyprus in 2004 when the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations vetoed the Annan Plan at the Security Council which the Bush administration and the Blair government of England tried to impose on the Cypriots. The Archbishop should be reminded that the Russian Orthodox Church has in the past condemned the destruction of Greek Orthodox Churches in Cyprus by the Turks. When has Patriarch Bartholomew ever condemned the destruction of Cypriot Churches by the Turks?

Archbishop Elpidophoros further proceeded to discuss the schism in Orthodoxy before a secular audience of non Orthodox Christians. He defended the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s bestowal of autocephaly on unordained and defrocked clergy in Ukraine in violation of canon law. This appeal to the secular non Orthodox world is a continuation of the unscrupulous machinations of Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros. Very few Orthodox bishops, priests and theologians agree with the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew in Ukraine.

Many of those who do such as the Archbishop of Cyprus and the Patriarch of Alexandria have been heavily bullied into reversing their original stances. Archbishop Elpidophoros has no business criticizing the Russian Church. “Symphonia” as conceived by Saint-Emperor Justinian of Constantinople defines Church-State relations in Russia and did so in modern Greece up until the rise of the Greek atheists of PASOK and Syriza.

The Russian Church is acting in accordance with the way the Church of Constantinople acted in the Byzantine Empire. “Symphonia” is Orthodox. Papism on the other hand which seems to influence the behavior of the present Patriarchate of Constantinople is not only foreign to Orthodoxy, but is heretical. Archbishop Elpidophoros espouses the notorious doctrine that the Ecumenical Patriarch is “first without equals”. The Russian Church is acting in accordance with the precedence established by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire.

The Church of Constantinople tragically is acting like the Roman Catholic Papacy by claiming total authority over the whole of the autocephalous and local Churches that make up the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Church has been calling for the convening of an ecumenical council to resolve the schism in Orthodoxy. The Patriarch of Constantinople has rejected calls for an ecumenical council.

Within Orthodoxy, ecumenical councils represent the highest form of authority. This means that only the universal church in which all the local Orthodox Churches are gathered together may make rulings that are fully binding. The Patriarchate of Constantinople has made a mockery of the conciliar tradition by claiming authority in Ukraine that it does not have and by refusing to put its case before a council in which all the Orthodox Churches are present to make a ruling.

The tradition of “symphonia” is by no means perfect. The Byzantine Empire has numerous example of Christian Emperors who lived immoral lives and engaged in the murders and mutilations of their predecessors and other opponents. Likewise, Russia today has its imperfections in the political sphere. Of course, Christians live in the world which is fallen and tainted by man’s fallen nature so no Orthodox society can claim perfection.

While the Russian Church is a partner of the Russian government through the process of “symphonia” at least the Russian government is Orthodox. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese have aligned themselves with the American State Department that over time has supported the ethnic cleansing of the Patriarchate’s own flock in Constantinople, the invasion of Cyprus, the bombing of Serbia and the destruction of Serbian Orthodoxy in Kosovo, and the destruction of Christianity in Syria and Iraq. Furthermore, the American government and the European Union have been bullying Christian countries (Orthodox and Roman Catholic) into accepting the abominations of abortion, gay marriage, and transgenderism.

The Russian Church has condemned the immoral social policies being promoted by the west. Archbishop Elpidophoros recently presided over the divine liturgy in an Episcopal Cathedral in NewYork which has actively supported the gay and transgender agenda and which displayed the pagan rainbow flags. There are those of us who consider ourselves the spiritual children of the once Great Church of Constantinople and pray that it returns to the light once again.

As things stand now, the Russian Church represents the leadership of Orthodoxy based on the fact that is is heavily active in evangelizing throughout parts of the world and is bearing witness to the gospel before the onslaught of the neo pagan agenda coming from the west. The Russian Church holds the fifth place in rank among the dyptychs of the Orthodox Church. Constantinople holds the first place.

Whereas the Russian Church is partners with an Orthodox government the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are partnered with the atheistic and pagan State Department and the anti Christian Democratic Party. Constantinople would regain leadership if it emulated the example of the Russian Church, and stopped declaring war against it.