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Published commentaries

The Greek Orthodox Bishops And Ukraine


OPINION; The Greek Churches Must Speak

ByHellenic News of America

May 4, 2023

ΦΩΤΟ: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ

by Theodore Karakostas

In the year 988 AD, Emperor Basil II of Constantinople of the reigning Macedonian Dynasty performed a deed that can be considered splendid not only in the earthly realms of politics and diplomacy, but in the spiritual and heavenly realms as well. Emperor Basil had once intended to become a monk, but accepted his destiny to become the Emperor of Christendom in the God protected City of Constantinople and arranged for the baptism of holy Rus whose culture and civilization began in Kiev. It it a fact that what Constantinople is for the Greeks, Kiev is for both Russia and Ukraine.

Those of us of Hellenic ancestry have felt the enormous pain of losing Hagia Sophia three times. First in 1453, after the fall of Constantinople, then in 1922 when Greece was denied Constantinople by the Western powers, and in 2020 when the world sat silently as the Turkish government made Saint Justinian’s Church a Mosque. The Kiev Caves Lavra are in Kiev what Hagia Sophia is to Constantinople. The Kiev Caves Lavra is more than just a Monastery. Within its sacred walls reside two hundred monks and three hundred seminarians.

A wave of repression has been undertaken by the Kiev government against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). There is a rival “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU). The situation is not unlike Greece in which the “Orthodox Church of Greece” peacefully coexists with the various Old Calendar-traditionalist Churches. Democracy and the right to religious freedom and freedom of conscience dictate that individuals should be free to worship where they like. The Ukrainian government has for several years forcibly seized Churches belonging to the UOC and given them to the OCU. It has also attempted to force the UOC to rename itself and pressure has effectively been imposed to subsequently ban the UOC outright.

Orthodox Churches throughout the world have raised their voices in protest against the persecution of the Kiev Caves Lavra. Only a few bishops in Greece and Cyprus have raised their voices. This is particularly disturbing considering that Kiev carries on the great spiritual heritage of Constantinople. It is important to recall that until 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Churches had refused to recognize schismatic entities in Ukraine that later became the OCU. They had recognized only the UOC which is the inheritor of the Church that was established by Prince Vladimir of Kiev when he accepted the Christian faith from Emperor Basil II of Constantinople.

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For moral and spiritual reasons, as well as historic reasons the Greek Churches must raise their voices to protest the injustices against not just the monks of the Kiev Caves Lavra, but against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as a whole. Another prominent reason why my conscience dictates that I must write about the present horrors inflicted on Orthodox Christians in Ukraine is because of the past silence of the world to the injustices of Greek Orthodoxy in Asia Minor and Constantinople. It should be remembered that the world was indifferent to the Greek Orthodox in 1922 when the Turks burned the City of Smyrna and slaughtered the Greek and Armenian Christians.

After the 1955 pogroms in Constantinople and the subsequent ethnic cleansing of Greeks from the heavenly city, the Western world was not only indifferent but bullied Greece into appeasing the Turkish aggressors. It is in memory of the destroyed Greek Churches of Constantinople and Turkish-occupied Cyprus (where the Turks have destroyed or Islamicized over five hundred Churches and Monasteries) that I lament the seizure and destruction of Churches and holy sites belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Since when do holy and pious Greek bishops remain silent on issues pertaining to our Orthodox faith? Patriarch (Saint) Gregory V gave his life by refusing to expose to the Sultan the plans for the liberation of Greece. Metropolitan (Saint) Chrysostom of Smyrna defied death and the Turks by announcing he would never leave Smyrna and his flock. He was butchered but gained martyrdom and eternal glory in the kingdom of God. Archbishop Chrysanthos of Athens refused to cooperate with the Germans in 1941 and openly defied them. Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens risked his life under Nazi occupation
to rescue thousands of Greek Jews.

In September 1955, Archbishop Spyridon of Athens resisted government pressure not to offend the Americans when denounced the anti-Greek pogroms in Constantinople and the silence of America and NATO. In our own lifetime, Archbishop Christodoulos of blessed memory condemned the bombing of Orthodox Serbia and called the faithful to the streets of Athens and Thessaloniki to protest plans to diminish the influence of Orthodoxy in Greece. When any religious group is oppressed (Jews, Roman Catholics, Muslims) we would be called upon by the gospel to raise our voices.

How then can it be that Church leaders in Constantinople, Athens, and Nicosia have remained silent when our own brothers in the Orthodox faith suffer and are being oppressed. The tradition of Greek Orthodoxy demands that the Patriarch and the bishops raise their voices. This too is part of the spiritual inheritance of Constantinople as can be seen by the examples of Saint John Chrysostom and other Patriarchs. The Greek Churches must speak!

Categories
cinema

At The Movies

There are two excellent horror films currently playing in theaters. The first is “The Pope’s Exorcist” which is a fictionalized story of a real life Vatican Exorcist. A very good horror film. I am a fan of horror films as the genre takes Christianity seriously and Exorcism movies serve as a warning about evil and the devil.

The greatest of these films is William Friedkin’s 1973 masterpiece “The Exorcist”.This film is nowhere near as good but it is a serious look at the nature of evil. Of course, the Christian faith looks good. One thing cannot be denied, horror cinema does not go woke.

A second film is “Evil Dead Rising”, a reboot of Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” films. Unlike the remake of the 1982 original ten years ago, this is quite good. It is scary and suspenseful with likable characters.

The original Evil Dead spawned two sequels “Evil Dead 2 Dead by Dawn” and “Army of Darkness” along with the aforementioned 2013 remake, and a television series,”Ash vs Evil Dead”. The trilogy and the series featured the great Bruce Campbell as the hero.

Campbell does not appear in this one, but the film manages to stand on its own. This film plays tribute to the Campbell films while standing out as an entirely fresh concept. Only criticism is one of the demons too closely resembles a demon from the 2018 masterpiece “Hereditary”.

Also, the opening and concluding parts of the film are thankfully brief. They did not go with the rest of the film which is a great horror film. This film successfully resisted the temptation to go woke.

The hero of the film is a woman but the film did not beat the audience with that fact, unlike “Terminator Dark Fate”.This is an excellent horror film that successfully keeps the Evil Dead franchise alive. A straight forward horror film returning to its roots and no politics!

“The Pope’s Exorcist” revives the exorcism genre which began to decline in recent years. Horror cinema is alive and well and thankfully not woke. A great way to escape the turmoil of the world for a couple of hours.

Categories
Letters

Letter To Politico

The following is in response to the inaccurate and propagandistic article “The end of days for Russia’s Church in Ukraine”. I am a Greek Orthodoxunder the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. I am neither Russian nor Ukrainian but I have a knowledge of Orthodox theology and ecclesiology. There is no such thing as “Russia’s Church”. The Eastern Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ’s Church. The real and legitimate Church is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onuphry who happens to be under the “omophorion” of the Patriarchate of  Moscow.

The so called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” is a fake Church established by politicians and the American government using Patriarch Bartholomewof Constantinople whose Patriarchate in Turkey faces extinction and needs western support. Orthodox Christians believe that the Orthodox Church is the true Church of Christ. Adherents of every religion naturally believe theirs is the true faith. 

By creating the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”, Ukrainian officials and American officials have made a mockery of the Orthodox Church and are in effect saying that the Orthodox Church is make believe and has no more significance than a political party or NGO. Orthodox Christians find this offensive as they are outraged by the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by a variety of Neo-Nazis and other fascist extremists. The Ukrainian government has created a sectarian conflict when it should be working to create national unity.

I am a Greek American under the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey. Does that make me pro Turkish? Roman Catholics throughout the world are under the spiritual authority of the Pope of Rome. When Mussolini was in power in Rome, and when the Nazis occupied Rome did that bring into question the loyalty of Roman Catholics throughout the world during the Second World War? 

Western politicians, diplomats, and journalists have made very clear that freedom of religion is under threat.We believe Jesus Christ is the head
of the Church, and the Church will always survive despite two thousand years of persecution. Millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide take encouragement from the bishops, priests, monastics, and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (the real one) who are confessors at a time of persecution and martyrdom. 

Everyone wants an end to the immoral war in Ukraine. Targeting a specific community for persecution because the government does not like its religious choices is fascism. Politico seems to ignore the sinister implications of targeting a community because of its religion, while ignoring the Neo Nazi Azov battalions in eastern Ukraine. Angry mobs targeting Ukrainian Orthodox Churches openly display the swastika and other symbols of hate. 

Your coverage of the Church issue in Ukraine is contemptible and deplorable. But, Orthodox Christians look to Christ for relief! In the long term, Christ’s (not Russia’s) Church will be the one to prevail. That thing that the Ukrainian government and the State Department created with Patriarch Bartholomew will not even exist in a few years. The Churches they have stolen from the legitimate Church are empty. 

The “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”is a caricature of an Orthodox Church. Its mysteries are devoid of grace and its clergy are unordained 
lunatics. 

Theodore Karakostas

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!