Categories
political

Turkish Aggression Continues unhindered

Members of the Turkish speaking Muslim community of Thrace have apparently colluded with the Turkish consulate in Rhodes to provide Turkey with Greek state secrets. Those Greek citizens involved in this collusion should be prosecuted for treason and the Turkish consulate in Rhodes should be permanently closed and its diplomats expelled from Greece.

This is reminiscent of the activities of some members of the Muslim community in Thrace in the run up to the anti Greek pogroms in Constantinople in 1955. Some members of that community colluded with the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki to bomb the birthplace of Mustafa Kemal. Kemal’s house is on property that belongs to the Turkish consulate.

The news in Turkey that Kemal’s house was bombed contributed to the rage of Turkish mobs who attacked Greeks and their Churches, homes, and businesses. Although members of the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki were investigated, no arrests were made. Nor were the Muslims who were Greek citizens held accountable for their treasonous actions.

We will see if Greece has changed in the past sixty five years by the manner in which the Mitsotakis government responds to treason by Greek citizens and by espionage by the enemy. By all rights, the Greek citizens should be given life sentences in prison and the Turkish consulate should be closed.

Further Turkish hostility toward Hellenism can be ascertained by the comments of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Kavusoglu who said that Turkey only supports a two state solution for Cyprus. In fairness, it has been clear for decades that Turkey had no intention of ever withdrawing from the territories that Ankara seized through its invasions in 1974. Greece and Cyprus never took the Turks seriously.

Since Turkish officials are openly affirming that they have no intention of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus, Athens and Nicosia should begin to see reality. Both Greece and Cyprus should declare to the European Union that failure to impose sanctions on Turkey over Ankara’s aggression against both Hellenic states will be seen as a hostile act.

Greece and Cyprus should cease cooperating with the European Union on other matters and should focus on relations with Russia. Greece and Russia are on the same side in Libya while Turkey is supporting a rival faction and has signed a bogus agreement to divide the Mediterranean with Libya. Greece has restored diplomatic relations with Syria which further demonstrates that Greece and Russia have many things in common.

Turkish aggression against Greece and Cyprus, and espionage in Greece by Turkey demonstrate that Greece cannot depend on its “partners” in the European Union. Whether Greece and Cyprus can depend on the United States remains to be seen, but Washington has other priorities and Turkey could very well take a back seat to the Biden administration’s anti Russian stance.

Categories
political

Greek Submissiveness

The National Herald has reported that France is among the European Union member states that voted against imposing sanctions on Turkey. Italy and Spain also went along with Germany in refusing to impose sanctions on Turkey. The Turks will realize correctly that Greece is alone and has no friends.

Greece and Cyprus are being threatened by Turkey. Cyprus has been under Turkish occupation since 1974 and Turkey is challenging its sovereign rights over oil in Cypriot waters. Turkey is openly challenging rights to Greek islands which were ceded to Athens by international treaties in 1947. In theory, Greek and Cypriot borders are the borders of the European Union.

In reality, Greek borders are not European borders. The Europeans do not care about Greece and they never will. Turkey has always had greater strategic value than Greece. That will never change. Greece’s strong position would come from Turkey’s Islamism.

Europe does not care about Turkish Islamism because the European Union ultimately is a bloc of secular left wing countries that are terrified of Islamic extremists. Several years ago, France, England, and Belgium were the targets of attacks by the Islamic State. The Europeans were completely defenseless and completely paralyzed by the fear that more terrorists would attack.

It is therefore not entirely surprising that Europe would seek to appease Turkey. For the Germans sacrificing Greece and Cyprus is a small price to pay in order to prevent Ankara from flooding Europe with millions of Muslim refugees. The Greeks have stupidly placed their faith and their hopes in the utterly pathetic and useless European Union.

We can now begin to see the utter madness of the Church crisis that Patriarch Bartholomew provoked. Greece has far more in common historically, culturally, and spiritually with Russia than with western Europe. Yet, much of the Greek speaking world has stupidly chosen to back Patriarch Bartholomew in his war against the Russian Church.

The Greeks need to revive their relationship with Russia. Greece needs to cut off all money to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. One of the stupider things that the Mitsotakis government has done is to give two million Euros to the Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline, Massachusetts. Did the Prime Minister ask the Greek people if they wanted their money to go to the wreckage that is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America?

The Greeks need to revive their relationship with Russia. Russian-Turkish relations will not be maintained long term. At the end of the day, Greece is being used by the United States for a possible confrontation with Russia, and possibly Iran. Greece has no conflicts with either of those countries and should not assist the west against either of those countries.

The European Union’s treachery against Greece should be a wake up call. Greece has to take control of its own sovereignty and behave like an independent country. There is no question that American and European interests dictate policies in Greece. This has to stop.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis has the option of liberating Greece from its failed pro western policies that have been pursued for centuries going back to the late Byzantine Empire. If he does not he will be another in a long line of Greek stooges who sold the nation out going back to Emperor Michael Paleologos.

Categories
political

US Claims Ecumenical Patriarchate important to National Security

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!

Categories
faith

Governor of Greece Geoffrey Pyatt

American “Ambassador” to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt delivered an outrageous attack on the Russian Orthodox Church in which he claims the Russian Church is intimidating other Orthodox Churches into not recognizing the fake “church” that Patriarch Bartholomew recognized in Ukraine. This outrageous statement reveals hard truths. American officials in Greece do not serve in a diplomatic capacity, they serve as defacto Governors.

Pyatt has absolutely no business commenting on Church affairs. There is one Ukrainian Orthodox Church and it is led by the pious Metropolitan Onuphry and his Synod. This is a Church facing persecution as a result of the unholy collusion between Washington, Kiev, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is legitimate because it possesses apostolicity, canonicity, and catholicity. Unlike the monstrosity that calls itself the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and is a blasphemous parody of Orthodoxy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church can claim to be a part of the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”.

Pyatt proceeded to praise Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Praise from such a source does not give credit to either hierarch. It does suggest that the Greek Orthodox world is under the imposition of a foreign yoke that can be seen as the successor of the Frankish yoke that conquered Constantinople and much of the Greek speaking world in the thirteenth century. It also suggests that Orthodox Greeks need changes in ecclesiastical leadership very badly.

Any Orthodox hierarchs who need the endorsement of secular officials are unworthy of the sacred offices that they hold. The same can be said for those hierarchs in Greece, Cyprus, and Alexandria who have sold out Christ by colluding with foreigners who serve as the defacto rulers of Greece and who interfere with the holy Church of Jesus Christ! Orthodoxy has been hit hard over the past two years with the advent of the Ukrainian schism.

The honor and prestige of the Greek speaking world within Orthodoxy has been badly damaged. This honor can only be restored when the Greek Churches liberate themselves from secularism and from the evil of western officials who use the Church of Christ for political purposes. One fondly recalls the blessed memory of Archbishop Christodoulos (1998-2008) of Athens who never failed to condemn moral injustices and who defended the Church of Greece against its enemies, who spoke in defense of Cyprus, and who condemned Washington’s wars of aggression.

How far the Church of Greece has fallen under the cowardly Archbishop Ieronymos II. How far the Greek Orthodox world in general has fallen in two years! In the midst of darkness there is still light. There are hierarchs, priests, monastics, theologians, and lay people in Greece and Cyprus who are outspoken in their opposition to the Patriarch and their own bishops. The struggle may take time but the people of God will ultimately prevail in the Greek Orthodox world and those who use the Church of Christ for political purposes will face judgement.

Categories
political

Europe betrays Greece….Again!!!

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had demanded that the European Union impose sanctions on Turkey in December as a result of Turkish aggression against Greek and Cypriot territorial rights. The European Union refused to do so in large part because of the Germans who happen to have a large Turkish community in their country and because they are afraid of Turkish threats to flood Europe with refugees. Other countries such as Spain did not wish to disrupt economic relations with the Turkish aggressor.

Again, this brings to mind the historically pro Ottoman foreign policies of the European Empires. Great Britain and France historically supported the Ottoman Empire against the Russians. During the Greek effort to liberate Asia Minor, Italy, France, and Great Britain gave support to the Turks even as the Kemalist genocide against the Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks continued unabated.

During the First World War, the Germans armed the Young Turks and were completely indifferent to the genocide of the Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. During the Second World War, Germany invaded Greece, massacred much of its population, created a famine that killed many more Greeks, and confiscated Greece’s gold. The Germans have never been and never will be Greece’s friends.

The Mitsotakis government has done good in many ways and the Prime Minister deserves the confidence of all Greeks for the way he has defended Greece from the Turks. However, he needs to take a more realistic viewpoint regarding Europe and needs to reach out to Russia.

The Russians have condemned the opening of the beach of Varosha in the Turkish occupied territories of Cyprus. Russia has openly expressed support for Greece’s territorial rights in the Aegean citing international law. Greek critics of the Russians will cite Moscow’s friendly ties with Ankara.

The conduct of present day foreign policy and the formulation of future policies depends in great part on the historical past. Throughout the course of history, Russia and Turkey have been enemies with exceptional periods in which both sides reconciled in the interests of peace. There is no reason to believe that the present state of Russian-Turkish relations will remain as they are.

Turkey has become a jihadist state which conflicts with Russia as the center of Orthodox Christianity. Turkey supports Syrian jihadists against the Armenians and in Libya. These are the same Syrian jihadists that Russia and its ally in Damascus fought against. Russian and Turkish interests do not coincide and somewhere down the line these relations will fall apart.

Greece needs to keep all options open and should be contemplating the benefits of a Greek-Russian partnership which would have enormous benefits for Greece. It is true that Greece has established excellent relations with France and this relationship should be developed and pursued.

Greece should pursue relations with individual European states and should forget the European Union. As long as the European Union is dominated by Germany, Greece will never win support against Turkey. At the same time, there are encouraging signs from Washington.

Former American Ambassador to Greece Nicholas Burns condemned Turkish aggression against Greece. This is a good sign but not a guarantee of a change of policy. Greece should work to win the good will of Washington as long as the latter is willing to do away with Turkey. At the same time, Greece should be developing its relations with Russia.

If Greece is to be a sovereign state, its relations with Russia is an internal affair for Greece and should be pursued both in the interests of Hellenism and Pan-Orthodox Unity.

Categories
political

Hagia Sophia Diaries 19

Both the Council of Europe and UNESCO have taken up the matter of the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a Mosque. This is fine and well for people who want to make themselves feel good, but in terms of actually reversing the conversion it is hard to see how this will have any positive effect. The move to make Hagia Sophia a Mosque began in 2013 when the Church-Museum of Hagia Sophia of Trebizond was converted.

Turkish intentions were declared by various politicians and in 2016 Koranic prayers were said in Hagia Sophia during the month of fasting for Ramadan. The evidence that the Erdogan government was going to make Hagia Sophia was further displayed by the conversion of two further Church-Museums named Hagia Sophia in Iznik and Edirne. This blogger on numerous occasions contacted UNESCO to urge them to intervene (see the previous post for details).

Former Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis was happy that the Council of Europe took up the issue. At this point, criticism of Turkey is welcome but it would have been more welcome before the conversion occurred. UNESCO is trying to claim some moral high ground in a pathetic statement it released citing its actions last July 20. What about the seven years before that?

Criticism of Turkey had its strongest bite through the criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church to the conversion of Hagia Sophia. The Russians correctly viewed Hagia Sophia from a spiritual point of view and as the source that led to the conversion of the Russians to Christianity. The rest of the Orthodox world condemned the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a Mosque.

Support for Hagia Sophia even at this late date is welcome. The question remains what exactly are UNESCO and the Council of Europe plan to do? Are they going to take substantive action or is this a lot of hot air? We shall see.

Categories
Letters

Letter to the Greek City Times

Dear Sir or Sirs,


My name is Theodore G. Karakostas. I am writing to you in response to your interesting piece last week on UNESCO and Hagia Sophia. UNESCO now claims to be active on the matter of Hagia Sophia even though it is now an official Mosque. I am a Greek American writer and the author of three books on Helleno-Byzantine history and Orthodoxy. Back in 2013, I began to contact UNESCO’s New York office through email and phone calls regarding Hagia Sophia. The Turkish designs on the Great Church go back as far as 2013.


It was in 2013 that the Turks converted the Hagia Sophia of Trebizond another Church-Museum of great spiritual and historic significance. It was apparent that this was a test case for the future conversion of THE Hagia Sophia. There were reports at the time that Turkey would convert Justinian’s Church at the time. UNESCO assured me they would respond to my inquiries. They never did but I persisted. As I persisted one of their New York associates hung up the phone on me but I persisted all the same.


In 2014 in Athens, I visited the UNESCO representative office to express my concerns there about Hagia Sophia. By that time the Church-Museum of Hagia Sophia in Iznik (the former Nicea) had been converted into a Mosque. I told the man at the office that these former Churches had been converted and he assured me all evidence to the contrary that these former Churches were not being used as Mosques. Some time after that, the Hagia Sophia of Edirne (the former Adrianople) was converted into a Mosque.


In March 2015  while on a visit to Paris I stopped by UNESCO’s headquarters where I met with the UNESCO Chief of Europe and North America. I told her about the various news sources that reported Turkish politicians openly calling for the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a Mosque. Furthermore, Turks openly gathered in front of Hagia Sophia to hold prayers. Despite this, the UNESCO chief tried to assure me that UNESCO had spoken with Turkish officials and had given their assurances that Hagia Sophia would not be converted into a Mosque. 


I continued to protest and refuted an assertion she had made about Hagia Sophia being designed for the world. I told her that Hagia Sophia was the result of Emperor Justinian’s vision who is a Greek Orthodox Saint. I told her Hagia Sophia was a product of the Gospel and Orthodox theology. I also pointed out to her that there were three parties interested in Hagia Sophia. The Greek Orthodox, the Turks, and cultural-academic organizations such as UNESCO. I firmly told her that only the Greeks who have been denied Hagia Sophia were actively fighting for the Great Church. 


I pointed out to this woman that Turkey historically applies pressure to various governments and other institutions. I asked her if UNESCO had been subject to pressure from the Turkish government she answered that she does not answer “political” questions. I also asked her if UNESCO was doing anything about the cultural monuments of Cyprus and she again answered that she does not answer “political” questions. Before concluding my session I told her flat out that one hundred years ago Anatolia was filled with Greek and Armenian Christians who are all gone now because nobody protested against Turkey then either. 


In 2016, the Turks began using Hagia Sophia for Islamic prayers during the month of Ramadan. UNESCO was not heard from. Then came the 2016 Coup in Turkey where Erdogan subsequently consolidated his power. By 2020 Erdogan was ready to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque and proceeded to do so. It was only then that UNESCO sent a meaningless letter to the Turkish government protesting.


 UNESCO had seven years to rise to the occasion to protect Hagia Sophia and failed to do so. Had they protested the conversion of the other Hagia Sophia Church-Museums they might have averted the subsequent conversion of Saint Justinian’s Church. Seven years of apathy and indifference. I myself alerted them to the dangers facing Hagia Sophia as mentioned  above. I do not wish to disparage any activities they undertake in the immediate future regarding Hagia Sophia, but the fact of the matter is they ignored the dangers and warning signs for seven years. 


 Had they acted to take the initiative much earlier they might very well have averted the conversion of Saint Justinian’s Church.
 

Theodore G. Karakostas 

Author 

Categories
faith

Protests against the Ecumenical Patriarch

Ukrainian Orthodox Christians have begun holding protests in Kiev against Patriarch Bartholomew. They have many legitimate reasons to protest. Patriarch Bartholomew transgressed Canon Law by intervening in the canonical territory of the Russian Church, by attempting to restore defrocked and disgraced bishops that were anathematized by the Moscow Patriarchate, and establishing communion with a group of laypeople masquerading as bishops and priests.

As a result of this intervention in Ukraine, violence has increased against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The people of God in Ukraine have legitimate grievances against Patriarch Bartholomew and are right to protest. It is rather sad to see how the Patriarch has estranged and offended Orthodox Christians not only in Ukraine but throughout the world.

There was a time when one might have hoped that Orthodox Christians worldwide might have demonstrated on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its difficulties in Turkey. That is a scenario that has long faded into fantasy. No Orthodox Christian outside the Greek speaking world cares about the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate not long ago was an oppressed Church in Constantinople. The key word being “was”. The Patriarchate has now become so entangled with the State Department’s anti Russian foreign policy it is impossible for anyone to look past the devastation that has been wrought on Orthodoxy over the past two years.

The oppressed has become the oppressor. Patriarch Bartholomew is complicit in the persecution of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and the schism between the Greek and non Greek Churches. He is also responsible for the divisions that have broken out among the Churches of Greece, Cyprus, and the Monastics on Mount Athos. It is important also to note that Patriarch Bartholomew’s extremism did not begin in Ukraine.

There were signs from time to time that Patriarch Bartholomew was interested wholly and entirely in power. When four Russian Monks on Mount Athos in 1992 refused to commemorate the Patriarch in the liturgy, they were brutally expelled from the Holy Mountain. During the 1990’s, the would be Turkish Pope used the Greek Police as his own personal enforcers to attempt to drive out the dissenting Monks of Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos.

In 2006, Patriarch Bartholomew sent a group of Monks to forcibly evict the brotherhood of Monks that was already residing within the Esphigmenou Monastery. This resulted in an appalling and scandalous brawl between the two groups of Monks. The Monks protested Patriarch Bartholomew’s pro ecumenist policies by refusing to commemorate him during the divine liturgy. The same Greek government that eagerly embraced the atheism and secularism of the European Union by trying to remove Orthodoxy from public schools had no problem putting its Police force at the disposal of the Patriarch.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has reverted back to the Ottoman era. Perhaps this is appropriately so considering that President Erdogan seeks a restoration of the Ottoman Empire. During the Ottoman era, there was a rivalry between the Greek and Slavic Monks on Mount Athos. These old wounds have been reopened as a result of Patriarch Bartholomew’s intervention in Ukraine and his alliance with Washington.

It is very hard to envision any of this resulting in a happy ending the longer the Church crisis drags on. If there be any illusions about Patriarch Bartholomew at this point, one has only to look at the scandals and financial mess that is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Orthodox Christians everywhere should support the Ukrainian protesters in Kiev who are defending the faith against their own wicked government and its accomplices at the Phanar and in Washington.

Categories
cinema

The Last Mob Movie

Film Review

The Irishman Directed By Martin Scorcese (2019)

Martin Scorcese’s “The Irishman” arrived on DVD and blu ray last week. I saw this film in November 2019 when it was released theatrically in limited release. It played at my local theater which screens art films. “The Irishman” was financed by Netflix and aired on Netflix not long after its theatrical release.

As an avid cinephile I make it a point to see films for the first time in the theater. Widescreen televisions and home theater are great but they can never substitute for the theatrical experience. Going to the movies is always a good time but there are filmgoing experiences which are better than others and then they are great.

“The Irishman” was my last great cinematic experience before the damn coronavirus set in. I saw movies after that and some were good but they do not compare with the experience I had when seeing “The Irishman”. This was a special occasion as it was the last hurrah for the legendary Scorcese and his longtime actors Robert Deniro, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel. In addition, Al Pacino was in this film as Jimmy Hoffa.

“The Irishman” could be known as the last great mob film. There have been many great mob films such as the first two “Godfather” films, “Donnie Brasco” and “A Bronx Tale” but Scorcese will forever be identified as the director of the most realistic and intense mob films. “The Irishman” finishes off Scorcese’s mob films which began with “Mean Streets” in 1973 and include “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “Casino”, “Gangs of New York”, and “The Departed”.

“Mean Streets” starred Robert Deniro and Harvey Keitel. Deniro reappeared in “Raging Bull” and Joe Pesci won a best supporting actor nomination for his role in that film. It was “Goodfellas” that became the greatest mob film of all time and won Joe Pesci a best supporting actor Oscar. “Casino” was a great film as well.

“The Irishman” was based on a book whose facts are disputed by many. That is beyond the point. “The Irishman” is still a powerful and well directed film that focuses on the Mafia at the height of its power in America. The film runs at three and a half hours and the theatrical experience was absolutely riveting.

Scorcese’s films are not only entertaining, they are educational. No matter how many mob movies he directs there is always something more to learn about the mob. Like his previous films, Scorcese crams information into his films and there is never a dull moment.

The film depicts some of the most important events in the history of the American Mafia which makes it a part of American history. The acting is superb and both Al Pacino and Joe Pesci were nominated for best supporting actor at the Oscars. Scorcese has an almost theological interpretation of the events he is educating his viewers on.

Previous films such as “Goodfellas” and “Wolf of Wall Street” had to do with main characters who sold their souls and were to pay a price. At no point does the violence in “Goodfellas” or the debauchery in “Wolf of Wall Street” look glamorous. “Raging Bull” was largely about the redemption of its main character. Scorcese makes films about sinners and the price to be paid for selling ones soul.

Many of his films have Christian imagery. “Mean Streets” is a perfect example where the character of Charlie (played by Harvey Keitel) aspires to join the Mafia while trying to remain a faithful Catholic. In “The Irishman” the main character of Frank Sheeran having lost his family as a result of his life choices and having survived the demise of his Mafia bosses and associates spends the final period of his life alone.

He confesses his sins to a priest and there is religious imagery throughout the film. Classic Scorcese. Scorcese makes moral films and in many ways his films are very Christian. He is a masterful director and story teller.

Martin Scorcese did not get the honors he deserved in 1990. “Goodfellas” should have been best picture for that year, and Scorcese should have been best Director. Which brings us to the Oscars for the best films of 2020.

The best film of the the year was unbelievably the Korean film “Parasite”. No disrespect intended as “Parasite” was a good film but not the best movie of the year. “The Irishman” should have been best picture and Scorcese should have been best Director.

In any case, “The Irishman” was a wonderful trip down memory lane. A great theatrical experience which brought back fond memories of Scorcese’s earlier films. “The Irishman” is probably the farewell of Scorcese’s mob films and the end of the historic collaboration with Robert Deniro and Joe Pesci. A great film that evolved from the earlier mob classics but never became repetitive or boring.

“Mean Streets” began with low level mob associates on the fringes. “Goodfellas” was about a crew under a capo played by Paul Sorvino and was a vivid description and recollection of mob life. “Raging Bull” was the mob in boxing and “Casino” was the mob in Vegas. Whereas “Goodfellas” looked at the life of an associate who was part of a crew under a powerful capo, “Casino” showed the power of bosses who ruled entire crime families and who controlled Vegas through the activities of soldiers and associates.

“The Irishman” focuses on bosses played by Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel and their relationship with Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. There are numerous other bosses depicted throughout the film and a great many historical events are depicted including the complicated relationship between the mob and the Kennedys.

“The Irishman” is a masterpiece from the master himself. A glorious farewell to the genre.

Categories
faith

Church Crisis Worsens

The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus voted ten to 7 not to oppose the decision of Archbishop Chrysostomos to establish communion with the schismatic entity of Ukraine that masquerades as a Church. While it is still not entirely clear what this means for the Church of Cyprus over the long term it is apparent that nothing good can come from the outcome of these deliberations. The best case scenario indicates that the Church of Cyprus is going to be split with a possible schism occurring.

Patriarch Bartholomew’s destruction continues. Patriarch Bartholomew openly challenges Orthodox ecclesiology by claiming Papal style authority for himself and has made a mockery of the conciliar tradition of the Orthodox Church. The Church of Ukraine (the real one) has been undergoing a process of persecution by the government of Ukraine and a variety of neo-Nazi militia groups and white supremacists. The Greek Churches are all in a state of chaos having been morally and spiritually compromised as a result of blindly obeying the dictatorial Patriarch Bartholomew.

The Church of Greece has been split because of this Ukrainian situation. The Patriarchate of Alexandria has been split by the Greek hierarchy and many of the native African priests which has resulted in ugly allegations of racism being directed against the Greeks. The Patriarchate of Alexandria was a bright light in Orthodoxy and had very warm relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. Those relations are destroyed.

The chaos has spread to the Church of Cyprus. Even more disturbing are the rumors surrounding the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Hitherto, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem has been a rock and stood firm in refusing to recognize the schismatics. Early on in the Church crisis, the Patriarch cancelled a meeting with Ukrainian President Poroshenko when he realized he was going to be pressured to recognize the schismatics.

Patriarch Theophilos also called a Pan Orthodox meeting in Jordan back in February in defiance of Patriarch Bartholomew. This was a sign that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem was maintaining its independence. Now it appears Patriarch Theophilos has met with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel, a sign that appears to be ominous.

Greeks forget that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem is not an ethnically Greek Church. Its hierarchy is mostly Greek but its faithful are Palestinian Arabs who have legitimate grievances over the way they have historically been treated. If Jerusalem recognizes the schismatic entity things are going to get very ugly real fast. Other Orthodox Churches have refrained from interfering in the internal affairs of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

This may very well change if Jerusalem recognizes the Ukrainian schismatic entity. The Russian Orthodox Church has a strong presence in the Holy Land and the Russians may very well back the Palestinians with their legitimate grievances. On the other hand, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has historically maintained its independence from Constantinople.

Jerusalem has never adopted the modern calendar and throughout the twentieth century maintained communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Of Russia (ROCOR). Patriarch Theophilos may very well resist Constantinople’s encroachments. It not, the Greek speaking world will find that losing Hagia Sophia is by no means the worst thing that could happen to Greek Orthodoxy.

The Holy Shrines in Jerusalem have for centuries been maintained by the Greeks. On the one hand, this is a source of pride for those of us who are Greeks, but on the other hand the treatment of the native Arab Orthodox has been racist and shameful. The Patriarch of Jerusalem should refuse to bow to Patriarch Bartholomew’s bullying and should maintain communion only with the canonical Church of Ukraine.

In addition, Patriarch Theophilos should finally proceed to admit Arabs into the hierarchy of the Patriarchate and begin the process of reconciling the hierarchy with the faithful. The Arab faithful have a right to determine the course of their own Church and to decide what happens in relation to Church finances. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem has stood bravely against the pressures imposed on him by the thuggish Patriarch Bartholomew. He must remain strong.

This entire Ukrainian affair has been nothing but utterly destructive for Orthodoxy. Only the blind can continue to support Patriarch Bartholomew at this point in time. Patriarch Bartholomew must be deposed! Of this there can be no question.