Categories
Commentary

Jerusalem Patriarch Offers Mediation

The stature of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has always been great as that Patriarchate is the protector of the sacred shrines within the holy land. Now comes the news that Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem has offered to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This is good news as finally an Orthodox Patriarch is rising to the occasion to bring peace.

Unlike the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Alexandria, the Patriarch of Jerusalem has not been tainted by association with the pseudo church of Ukraine. Jerusalem recognizes only the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch Theophilos and bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate have in fact condemned the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Jerusalem Patriarchate has a Greek Patriarch and mostly Greek bishops, but its flock is Palestinian. Also, the Russians, Georgians, and Romanians have a presence in the holy land. The Jerusalem Patriarchate is therefore multi ethnic and pan Orthodox.

It is true that problems remain over the discriminatory treatment of the Arabs. But the potential for the problems of the Patriarchate to be resolved is great as Jerusalem should be an international Church where Arabs, Russians, Georgians, and Rumanians should be included in the hierarchy. In any case, as Constantinople’s position has diminished because of its actions in Ukraine, Jerusalem appears to be rising as the center of Orthodoxy.

In 2020, Patriarch Theophilos took the initiative to convene a gathering in Amman to discuss the schism in Orthodoxy. As less than half of the Churches gathered, there were no binding decisions. But, this remains the only real effort made to address the schism.

Patriarch Theophilos has the respect of the Russian Church and government. He has the respect of Orthodox Churches. He has the independence that could permit him to play the role of mediator between Russia and Ukraine.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem is the successor to Saint James, the brother of the Lord. How appropriate that a peace initiative for Orthodox nations should come from this sacred Church. Patriarch Theophilos is a true Orthodox Statesman!

AXIOS!

Categories
faith

Russophobia Unhindered And Religious Freedom Under Further Attack

Previously, the FBI announced that it would monitor Roman Catholic Churches that observed the Latin rite. The insane justification for this is that traditionalist Roman Catholics were involved with white supremacy! Never mind that historically white supremacists such as the Ku Klux Klan (the real ones) were notoriously anti Catholic.

The latest target for the FBI is the Russian Orthodox Church. The false assertion has been made that the Russian government is trying to infiltrate Russian Churches in America. This is both an attack on religious freedom and a disturbing assault on Russians living in America.

The degree of malice and stupidity that follows in the trail of the Russo-Ukrainian war gets worse in time. At this rate, anyone not going along with the anti Russian hysteria or anyone demonstrating concern about the eruption of a third world war is going to be labeled a Putin stooge. This anti intellectual madness is being further spread by CNN and other American propaganda outlets.

Greeks and other Orthodox Christians in America should not be complacent. An attack on one Orthodox Church is an attack on all. The FBI’s targeting of any religious institution should be condemned. The Biden administration is becoming dangerously authoritarian.

Categories
political

GENOCIDE

The Armenians have lost Nagorno-Karabakh. Ethnic cleansing is under way. Azerbaijan’s victory is a devastating defeat for Armenia and represents a victory for Turkey.

Russia regrettably has done nothing to support the Armenians. This is an abandonment of Russia’s role as protector of Christians. Russia’s primary focus has been on resisting an expansionistic NATO.

We now see what happens when the west makes Russia an enemy. Turkey and its allies are now emerging as the major power at the expense of both Russia and the west. The Russians have made a huge mistake in permitting Azerbaijan to defeat Armenia.

Throughout history, Turkey and Russia have been enemies. The Erdogan regime itself shot down a Russian plane over Syria in 2015. Russia has no guarantees that Turkey and Azerbaijan will not turn against a Russia at some point in the future.

Categories
political

Canada Honors A Nazi War Criminal

Canada is a country arguably more depraved than America. The government of Prime Minister Trudeau enthusiastically supports sex changes for children. Canada also has legalized euthanasia. Euthanasia of course was a practice in Nazi Germany.

The Canadian Parliament received Ukrainian President Zelensky. They also honored ninety eight year old Yaroslav Hunka. Hunka is a notorious Nazi collaborator and war criminal responsible for the slaughter of Jews and Poles. It is indicative of how stupid western politicians are that they could permit something like this.

No one sought to check this person’s background. This shows how poorly informed western governments are and how careless they are when making decisions as serious as when to go to war. The decision to bring Ukraine into NATO was made by western governments with about the same level of judgement as the Canadian decision to honor a Nazi war criminal.

A decision that could provoke World War Three was made with no real consideration of the dangers or risks involved. Nor was any consideration given to the fact that Ukraine is a corrupt government with large numbers of Neo Nazis in their military. The Canadian Speaker of Parliament has resigned for honoring Hunka.

This man is being scapegoated. He is certainly a fool but he did what he did out of ignorance. The real blame for this lies with Zelensky. The Ukrainian President knew full well who Hunka was and was applauding him.

Over a year ago, Zelensky spoke with the Greek Parliament through face time. The man he chose to speak to Greek Parliamentarians was a Neo Nazi which angered Greek members of Parliament. Earlier this year, Poland and Israel were angered when Ukraine honored Nazi collaborator and sympathizer Stephan Banderas.

Poland is now demanding the extradition of Hunka from Canada in order to try him for war crimes. Canada should extradite him to make up for their stupidity. At the same time, Zelensky should be pressured into resigning.

Zelensky happens to be Jewish. His western apologists cite his Jewish heritage as a defense against the overwhelming evidence that Ukraine has many Nazi sympathizers in prominent positions. Zelensky is a contemptible buffoon not worthy of the adulation he gets from historically illiterate western politicians.

Zelensky demands more and more money from ordinary people in America and elsewhere who pay taxes. It is time to cut Ukraine off and to be rid of Zelensky. Then both Ukraine and Russia can be pushed to end the war.

Categories
political

American Cultural Imperialism

A Greek American has arrived in Greece who has taken over the leftist Syriza Party. I had never heard of Stephanos Kasselakis until last week. It turns out he is a very aggressive homosexual associated with the Democratic Party and Joe Biden.

Kasselakis has made a very negative impression on Greeks by bringing his boyfriend along. Some Greek sites are showing pictures of Kessalakis wearing a dress. Greeks are outraged except they seem to have no idea what’s coming.

Wait till the trans movement starts up in Greece which Kasselakis will do everything he can to establish. Sex changes for children! Boy drag queens! Men using ladies rooms and competing in women’s sports!

These are realities in America. In Thessaloniki, there are already drag queen story hours for children that most Greeks are not aware of. This is the cultural imperialism the Biden administration promotes.

On a far more disturbing level, Kasselakis referred to occupied Cyprus as a state and criticized Prime Minister Mitsotakis for refusing Turkish President Erdogan’s demand to recognize occupied Cyprus. Kasselakis is a product of the madhouse the western world has become and does not belong in Greece.

Categories
faith

The Patriarch And The Archbishop Continue On Their Path Of Destruction

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.

Categories
cinema

William Friedkin Rest In Peace

Legendary director William Friedkin passed away earlier this month. Friedkin directed “The Exorcist”, the greatest horror film of all time. The Exorcist was also one of the greatest theological films of all time.

The novel the film was adapted from was written by William Peter Blatty , a devout Roman Catholic. Friedkin was Jewish but his faithful adaptation of the novel and his positive portrayal of good vs evil in a Christian context deserves praise. The story is based loosely on a true story.

In the film, a twelve year old girl is in great distress. The medical and psychiatric professions cannot help her. In the end, the problem is spiritual and a woman who is not religious in the slightest looks to priests to help her daughter.

The film is scary and disturbing but is also very Christian. Faith in God saves a child both spiritually and physically. Friedkin to the end had an interest in religious faith and did a documentary on the Vatican Exorcist who served as the inspiration for the recent film, “The Pope’s Exorcist”.

Friedkin was an outstanding director who made many films but for me he will be remembered for making a theological masterpiece. The Exorcist back in the 1980’s was crucial in triggering my interest in my faith.

William Friedkin rest in peace.

Categories
Published commentaries

Article On Greece And Armenia

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INTERNATIONALOPINIONGREEK-ARMENIAN RELATIONS

Greece Must Support Armenia

JULY 19, 2023

by

 The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

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0

By Theodore Karakostas

Greece and Cyprus have very few friends in the world. The Hellenic world’s closest friends are unquestionably the Armenians. Greeks and Armenians died together in the Turkish orchestrated genocide of 1914 to 1923. Greek and Armenian Christians were hunted down by the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal in Smyrna to be murdered. Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia are out of favor with the powerful of the world.

Armenia faces an existential threat. For thirty years, Armenia ruled the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. In 2020, the government in Baku backed by Ankara launched a bloody war of aggression and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against Armenian civilians. The so called ‘free’ world stood aside and did nothing, just as the Russians did nothing. America and Europe espouse democracy and Russia espouses Christianity but here is an Islamic dictatorship attempting to eradicate a Christian democracy and no one lifts a finger.

The horrors of 9/11 have been forgotten. Azerbaijan and Turkey have assisted and been assisted by Syrian elements that were part of Al Qaida. Does anyone remember those bloodthirsty terrorists? One hundred years after the culmination of the mass exterminations of Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks by the Turks, the prospect of renewed genocide remains a horrific reality.

The threat that Armenia faces is shared by Greece and Cyprus. The Turkish elections brought to the forefront two evil and deranged psychopaths who were competing for the Turkish Presidency. President Erdogan’s extreme threats to shoot missiles into Athens and to seize the Greek islands are well known. His challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu accused Erdogan of tolerating Greek ‘occupation’ of the islands. Turkish leaders vary in their ideology but not on eternal hatred of Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, and Kurds.

Greece is a member of the European Union and NATO. For the most part, this has not done Greece any good as the west supports Turkey uncritically. The Greek government has attempted to follow the western line on Ukraine in a failed attempt to curry favor with the west. Greece should be paying more attention to the Armenians. What happens to Greece and Cyprus will depend heavily on what happens to Armenia. If Armenia falls to the combined evil of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Greece and Cyprus will be next.

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Athens must champion the Armenian cause in Europe and NATO and must use any leverage it can muster to back all Armenian rights. The Armenian cause is the Greek cause. It is a morally righteous cause in a fight for survival. Greece has placed way too much confidence in the western world. At this late date, not much can be done about that, but Greece must work to support the Armenians who need as much diplomatic support as possible.

International pressure is being imposed on Armenia to make concessions to the regime in Baku. This is similar to the pressure that was exerted on Greece in 1922 to give up its rights on Constantinople and Asia Minor. It is similar to the pressure the west tries time and again to pressure Greece to make concessions on Cyprus.

Greece’s relationship with Armenia is not artificial like those with its ‘allies’ in NATO. This is a real friendship that was solidified in blood.

Greece must stand firmly with the Armenians.

(This article was first published in the Greek-American publication the National Herald on July 13, 2023. Theodore G. Karakostas is the author of the books In the Shadow of Hagia Sophia and With This Sign Conquer.)

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Topics: Greek-Armenian relations

Categories
faith

The Latest From The Schism

Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria has written a letter of protest to Patriarch Porphyrios of Serbia. The Serbian Patriarch has publicly condemned the ongoing persecution of Metropolitan Pavel, Abot of the Kiev Caves Lavra. The Patriarch of Alexandria says that the Serbian Patriarch should condemn the Russian Church’s entry into Africa.

Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria is a hypocrite and he symbolizes the genuine hypocrisy of all those who recognized the fake Church in Ukraine. This Patriarch originally supported the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church when the schism began in 2018. One year later, without explanation Alexandria entered into communion with the fake “church” in Ukraine.

One hundred and two African priests protested the Patriarch’s decision and they were pretty much told to shut up. As a result, these priests asked to be received into the Russian Church in order to remain fully canonical. The Russian Church originally said no while hoping Alexandria would reverse its decision.

After a year when Alexandria failed to change course, the Russians received the African priests and entered Africa. For this, Patriarch Theodore has himself and Patriarch Bartholomew to blame. The Serbian Patriarch has condemned the violent persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Theodore claims his Patriarchate is suffering from the Russian presence in Africa. This is a self serving and hypocritical Patriarch. The Ukrainian Church is enduring violent persecution and legal prosecutions.

Nobody is interfering with the Patriarchate of Alexandria and there is no persecution against this Patriarchate. Patriarch Theodore needs to be deposed as he is responsible for the ecclesiastical chaos in Africa. The Russian Church had severed communion with Alexandria which is why they entered Africa.

If the Churches of Alexandria and Moscow were in full communion, the Russian Church would never have set foot in Africa. Patriarch Theodore caused the cessation of communion between the Churches when he entered into communion with the fake entity in Ukraine.

Alexandria is paying the price for this fateful decision and for becoming an accessory to the violent persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Categories
Published commentaries

Greece And Armenia

GUEST VIEWPOINTS

Greece Must Support Armenia

July 13, 2023

By Theodore Karakostas

National Herald

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During the Genocide’s death marches, an Armenian woman kneeling beside dead child in a field near Aleppo, Syria, as witnessed by the American Committee for Relief in the Near East. Photo: Public domain

During the Genocide’s death marches, an Armenian woman kneeling beside dead child in a field near Aleppo, Syria, as witnessed by the American Committee for Relief in the Near East. (Photo: Public domain)

Greece and Cyprus have very few friends in the world. The Hellenic world’s closest friends are unquestionably the Armenians. Greeks and Armenians died together in the Turkish orchestrated genocide of 1914 to 1923. Greek and Armenian Christians were hunted down by the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal in Smyrna to be murdered. Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia are out of favor with the powerful of the world.

Armenia faces an existential threat. For thirty years, Armenia ruled the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. In 2020, the government in Baku backed by Ankara launched a bloody war of aggression and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against Armenian civilians. The so called ‘free’ world stood aside and did nothing, just as the Russians did nothing. America and Europe espouse democracy and Russia espouses Christianity but here is an Islamic dictatorship attempting to eradicate a Christian democracy and no one lifts a finger.

The horrors of 9/11 have been forgotten. Azerbaijan and Turkey have assisted and been assisted by Syrian elements that were part of Al Qaida. Does anyone remember those bloodthirsty terrorists? One hundred years after the culmination of the mass exterminations of Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks by the Turks, the prospect of renewed genocide remains a horrific reality.

The threat that Armenia faces is shared by Greece and Cyprus. The Turkish elections brought to the forefront two evil and deranged psychopaths who were competing for the Turkish Presidency. President Erdogan’s extreme threats to shoot missiles into Athens and to seize the Greek islands are well known. His challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu accused Erdogan of tolerating Greek ‘occupation’ of the islands. Turkish leaders vary in their ideology but not on eternal hatred of Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, and Kurds.

Greece is a member of the European Union and NATO. For the most part, this has not done Greece any good as the west supports Turkey uncritically. The Greek government has attempted to follow the western line on Ukraine in a failed attempt to curry favor with the west. Greece should be paying more attention to the Armenians. What happens to Greece and Cyprus will depend heavily on what happens to Armenia. If Armenia falls to the combined evil of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Greece and Cyprus will be next.

Athens must champion the Armenian cause in Europe and NATO and must use any leverage it can muster to back all Armenian rights. The Armenian cause is the Greek cause. It is a morally righteous cause in a fight for survival. Greece has placed way too much confidence in the western world. At this late date, not much can be done about that, but Greece must work to support the Armenians who need as much diplomatic support as possible.

International pressure is being imposed on Armenia to make concessions to the regime in Baku. This is similar to the pressure that was exerted on Greece in 1922 to give up its rights on Constantinople and Asia Minor. It is similar to the pressure the west tries time and again to pressure Greece to make concessions on Cyprus.

Greece’s relationship with Armenia is not artificial like those with its ‘allies’ in NATO. This is a real friendship that was solidified in blood.

Greece must stand firmly with the Armenians.

Theodore G. Karakostas is the author of the books ‘In the Shadow of Hagia Sophia’, and ‘With This Sign Conquer’.

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