Ecumenical Patriarchate - Orthodox Christian Laity

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Metropolitan Evangelos of Sardis during the Clergy-Laity Congress of the Metropolis of New Jersey May 16, 2016 as ruling hierarch of the Metropolis. (Photo TNH Archive/Kosta Bej)

Metropolitan Evangelos of Sardis Appointed to Holy Synod of the Phanar

By Webmaster on January 19, 2023 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has appointed Metropolitan Evangelos of Sardis as a member of the Holy Synod of the Phanar for a one-year tenure starting March 1, 2023. Archbishop Elpidophoros is also a member of the Synod during the current Synodic period. Metropolitan Evangelos served as the duly and canonically elected Metropolitan of the Metropolis of New Jersey for seventeen years, from his election and enthronement on May 11, 2003, until October 8, 2020. Under his leadership the Metropolis of New Jersey, for the first time, acquired its Metropolis Center in the…

Ecumenical Patriarch Meletios IV (Metaxakis)

THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE AND THE “BARBARIAN LANDS” THEORY

By Webmaster on November 16, 2022 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Public Orthodoxy by Matthew Namee | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски One of the keystone prerogatives claimed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate is its jurisdiction over the so-called “diaspora”—regions not included within the geographic boundaries of the other Autocephalous Churches. She insists that this exclusive extraterritorial jurisdiction is rooted in Canon 28 of Chalcedon which states: [O]nly the metropolitans of the Pontian, Asian, and Thracian dioceses, as well as the bishops of the aforementioned dioceses among barbarians are ordained by the aforementioned most holy throne of the most Holy Church of Constantinople. This phrase—“the bishops of the aforementioned dioceses among barbarians”—is interpreted by supporters of the EP’s…

Ecumenical Patriarchate Announces Formation of Joint Committee on GOARCH Charter

By Webmaster on October 3, 2022 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America As announced by the Ecumenical Patriarchate during today’s meeting of the Holy and Sacred Synod, His All-Holiness designated as members of the Joint Committee on the Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Their Eminences Metropolitan Geron Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, the The V. Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Archimandrite Aetios, Director of the Patriarchal Private Office, and Dr. Konstantinos Delikostantis, Archon “Didaskalos Tou Genos,” Director of the First Patriarchal Office, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Athens.

Photo Credits: Nikos Papachristou / Ecumenical Patriarchate

Museum of the Bible Delegation Received by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

By Webmaster on September 29, 2022 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America PHANAR — After nearly a year of preparations, “Kosinitza Manuscript 220” will return to the Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of Theotokos Eikosiphoinissa in Drama, Greece. The manuscript, which was most recently purchased from Christie’s in 2011 and entered the collection of Washington D.C.’s Museum of the Bible in 2014, was among hundreds of priceless objects looted from the Monastery by Bulgarian troops in 1917. Following the discovery of its origins by curator Brian Hyland, the Museum of the Bible began working in collaboration with the His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the repatriation of the manuscript…

Bartholomew: How can we bless this war, as Kirill does?

By Webmaster on August 29, 2022 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Times Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew once again expressed his condemnation of the war that began with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Speaking at a press conference on the conference of Orthodox youths in Turkey organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in early September, the Patriarch said that “I have expressed the position of the Ecumenical Patriarchate since the beginning of this painful war. I said that it is unjustified and unacceptable.” He continued: “His Beatitude the Patriarch of Moscow said that it was a holy war and tried to justify it and explain it in spiritual and religious terms.…

Dr. Spiro Spireas, chairman of the consecration committee of St. George Greek Orthodox church in Trenton New Jersey, speaks at the banquet. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DR. SPIRO SPIREAS

Dr. Spiro Spireas to TNH: ‘I Am Very Worried for the Future of Our Church’

By Webmaster on August 5, 2022 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – One of the grand benefactors of the Church and Omogenia in America, the scientist, inventor, and businessman Dr. Spiro Spireas, has broken his silence and in an exclusive interview with The National Herald, he discusses and opines about the situation that has developed in the Archdiocese of America, and the course and actions of Archbishop Elpidophoros. The voice of Dr. Spireas, founder and owner of the large pharmaceutical company Sigmapharm Laboratories, echoes the vast majority of his wealthy Greek Orthodox friends and acquaintances who belong to the lay body of the…

Holy and Sacred Synod Lifts Suspension of GOARCH Charter, Continuing Ongoing Review Process

By Webmaster on July 28, 2022 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America This week, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate lifted the suspension of the Charter of the Archdiocese. The charter was initially placed in abeyance, by the decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod on October 8, 2020, for the purpose of developing a new charter for the Archdiocese that would strengthen the role of the largest Eparchy of the Mother Church with a new mandate suitable for the evolving and changing modern pastoral needs of American society. The Vision for the Second Centennial: The Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America was…

Patriarch Bartholomew

Bartholomew: The problems between us and our Russian brothers have not ceased

By Webmaster on May 31, 2022 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Times At a special ceremony this morning Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was proclaimed an honorary citizen of the municipality of Thermaikos at the municipal premises of Neoi Epivates. Bartholomew made an extensive reference to St. Paraskevi Epivatini, the ancestor of the current inhabitants of Neoi Epivates – whose skeleton is now in Iasi of Romania and is venerated with devotion by thousands of believers -, stressing that it had been granted by the Ecumenical Patriarch Parthenios I in 1641 through the mediation of a ruler of Danubian Principalities, because he had benefited the Patriarchate. And on the occasion of…

On Friday, May 6, 2022, a video was posted in which Bishop Fotije of Zvornik-Tuzla, a member of the Holy Synod of the Serbian Church, stated that he was personally present earlier in the week at a meeting in the Nis Eparchy between Patriarch Porfirije and representatives of the MOC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FY-NzLUoJg The bishop spoke with great enthusiasm about the dialogue of love that occurred at the meeting. He expressed the hope that at the Assembly (an annual meeting of all Serbian bishops normally held in May), the MOC will return to unity with the Serbian Church and with all of the Local Orthodox Churches. On the following Monday, May 9, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate issued its decisions

Major meeting of the UOC-MP & the Decisions relating to N. Macedonia

By Webmaster on May 13, 2022 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) met on May 12. The members of the Holy Synod are identified at https://news.church.ua/2022/05/12/vidbulosya-zasidannya-svyashhennogo-sinodu-ukrajinskoji-pravoslavnoji-cerkvi/. Among the permanent members are Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and Crimea and Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol. The last meeting of the Synod was on February 28, a few days after the invasion. The results of the meeting on May 12 are summarized by the UOC-MP at https://news.church.ua/2022/05/12/pidsumki-svyashhennogo-sinodu-ukrajinskoji-pravoslavnoji-cerkvi-vid-12-travnya-2022-roku/. A number of subjects were discussed at the meeting. The most important subject was the issuance of a statement which can…

SCHISM AS A STANCE OF NONEXISTENCE: THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE AND NEW LINES IN ORTHODOXY

By Webmaster on February 11, 2022 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Public Orthodoxy by Heta Hurskainen | български | ქართული | ελληνικά | Română | Русский | Српски With its autonomous church in Ukraine, the Moscow Patriarchate could not accept the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s actions to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine (OCU) in 2018–2019. The Moscow Patriarchate severed its relationships with Constantinople and other primates who recognized the OCU and searched for ways to emphasize conciliarity within Orthodoxy while at the same time ignoring the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s position. The decision to establish the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa at the turn of 2022 was a nonaccidental result of this development. The Moscow Patriarchate had already cut ties with Constantinople in 2018…

Patriarch Kyrill (left) with Patriarch Bartholomew (right)

Russia’s Power Play in the Orthodox Church

By Webmaster on January 7, 2022 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Hellenic American Leadership Council The Russian Orthodox Church said this week that it was considering establishing an exarchate in Turkey, as it has just done in Africa, further deepening the schism between the Moscow and the Ecumenical Patriarchate that opened up following the decision by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autocephaly. Professor Phil Dorroll joins The Greek Current to analyze these moves by Russia, explain why a move to establish a Russian exarchate in Turkey would do incredible damage to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox community, and provide a broader look into Moscow’s…