Alexander Belya is a defrocked priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. His precise offenses remain unclear but the fact remains that he is no longer a priest as a result of being laicized by the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Patriarch Bartholomew early on moved to consecrate him a bishop in the Patriarchate’s Slavic vicariate.
Last year, the Orthodox bishops who are part of the episcopal assembly protested the decision of the Patriarch and Archbishop Elpidophoros to receive and elevate the former priest. The decision was reversed in order to preserve the Episcopal Assembly which unifies Orthodoxy in America. Now, the Archbishop is insisting on elevating Mr. Belya again.
The bishops of the Episcopal Assembly have threatened to withdraw which would leave only Constantinople’s bishops as members. The Russians withdrew from the assembly after Patriarch Bartholomew started the Ukrainian crisis five years ago. Now, Orthodox unity could take an even bigger hit because of the arrogance and insatiable hunger for power by both Patriarch and Archbishop.
Both Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros need to be deposed.
One reply on “The Patriarch And The Archbishop Continue On Their Path Of Destruction”
Very disappointed in Patriarch Bartholomew, he has lost a great deal of his reputation in recent years. This is what happens when world politics taints the Church.