Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA
At the Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus on December 15, Patriarch John X of Antioch delivered an inspiring and eloquent homily describing his vision for the future of Syria. The complete text in English can be read at https://www.antiochpatriarchate.org/en/page/Sermon%20of%20Patriarch%20John%20X%20Sunday%20Liturgy%2015-12-2024/2782/. Although one should read the entire homily, the following is an excerpt:
We stand on the threshold of a new phase, perceiving the dawn of a homeland we all love and cherish. We are on the brink of renewal, which we desire to be radiant with hope and crowned with light. Here in Damascus, from the Straight Street, from Al-Mariamiyya, the neighbor of the Umayyad Mosque, we declare to the world: as Christians, we are from the soil of Syria and from the Cedars of Lebanon, from the majesty of Qasioun Mountain, the expansiveness of Homs, the legacy of Aleppo, the waterwheels of Hama, and the gushing springs of Idlib, from the sea of Lattakia and the Euphrates of Deir ez-Zor. We are not guests in this land, nor did we come to this land today or yesterday. We are from the ancient roots of Syria and as old as the jasmine of Damascus. We are from Apostolic Antioch, from this land that has adorned the world with the name of Jesus Christ. We proclaim this and engrave it as a covenant, saying it to our children, to our brothers, to our partners in the homeland, and before our Creator, Who willed that we exist on this earth alongside others, alongside our Muslim brethren, with whom we seek the pleasure of the Lord of the worlds, the Master of heavens and earth….Together, we are the bearers of a shared history with all its ups and downs, and our destiny is one.
In Syria, we are in a homeland of national partnership, a partnership that has always been, and will remain, with God’s will, unified—unified by its soil and, above all, by the unity of the hearts of its people, from all spectrums. As Christians, we have extended our hand since the very beginning, and today, we extend it to all components of this nation.
Patriarch John then devoted a short paragraph to each of the components of the future Syria that he envisions. The components are: a civil state; a state of citizenship; a state of coexistence and civil peace; a state of law and respect for religions; a state of respect for collective and individual freedoms; a state of democracy; and a state of respect for human rights. He added: The ultimate guarantor for achieving all these aspirations is the Constitution. Therefore, the process of drafting the Constitution must be a holistic and inclusive national endeavor. On December 10, Patriarch John had telephoned the patriarchs of the Syriac Orthodox Church [an Oriental Orthodox Church]and of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church [in union with Rome], and the three patriarchs “stressed the need to unite efforts and coordinate in order to stand by their children in light of what is happening in Syria.” https://www.antiochpatriarchate.org/en/page/patriarch-john-x-made-several-calls-to-patriarchs-ephrem-ii-and-joseph-absi/2780/
On December 16, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally met with Patriarch John in Beirut. https://www.romfea.gr/epikairotita-xronika/66838-synantisi-prothypourgoy-me-ton-patriarxi-antioxeias The Prime Minister stated that “I come conveying feelings of love and support from all the Greek people to the Patriarchate, which plays such a decisive role in this productive region.” As reported in my last newsletter, the Prime Minister had telephoned Patriarch John on December 9, the day after the fall of Damascus. He is the only head of state to have contacted Patriarch John after the fall. On December 19 at the beginning of the EU-27 Summit in Brussels, Mitsotakis stated: Obviously, we will also discuss developments in the Middle East, and I will inform my counterparts about the visit I made to Lebanon, and especially about the concern that exists both in Lebanon and in Syria regarding the need to protect the various religious communities. I refer in particular to the Greek Orthodox in Lebanon, but primarily in Syria, who also fall under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch. The most important thing for Syria right now is to ensure the territorial integrity of the country and for the new government to be first and foremost an inclusive government that will support and safeguard the rights of religious minorities. https://orthodoxtimes.com/greek-pm-we-need-to-protect-religious-communities-falling-under-jurisdiction-of-patriarchate-of-antioch/ The Church of Greece has also been very active in seeking to protect the interests of the Patriarchate of Antioch. On December 9 the Permanent Holy Synod of the Church of Greece stated that it was in “constant communications” with the Patriarchate of Antioch and had offered to provide any assistance requested. During the time of the Assad government, Russia was present to protect the interests of the Patriarchate of Antioch. Now with the fall of the Assad government, Greece may be assuming the role of the protector of the Patriarchate.
The Moscow Patriarchate reported that Patriarch Kirill telephoned Patriarch John on December 12. https://mospat.ru/ru/news/92623/ Patriarch Kirill stated in the conversation: “We will do everything possible to continue to provide all possible assistance to the Holy Antiochian Church. It is very important that our Churches continue to maintain the close contacts that we have developed.” However, it is not clear to me that the relationship between the Antiochian and Moscow Patriarchates will be as close in the future as it was during the time of the Assad regime.
In Sofia, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Patriarchate met on December 10 and unanimously elected Metropolitan Grigoriy of Vratsa as the vicar of the Vidin metropolia. https://bg-patriarshia.bg/news/reshenie-na-sv-sinod-na-bpts-za-izbor-na-namestnik-na-ovakan As vicar, Grigoriy will be responsible for arranging the election of a new metropolitan of Vidin. The election of Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin as patriarch on June 30 left the position of metropolitan of Vidin vacant. It is an important vacancy because the new metropolitan will be a member of the Holy Synod. Under Article 93 of the charter of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, the new metropolitan should have been chosen within three months after the vacancy was first created. https://bg-patriarshia.bg/statute Because of divisions within the Synod, the election of the vicar, the first step in the election of a new metropolitan, was delayed by more than five months.
It appears, as best as I can determine, that at the present time, the Synod is divided into a block of six, a block of two, and six metropolitans who are not always aligned with a specific block. The block of six are: Metropolitans Nikolai, Anthony, Naum, Cyprian, Yakov, and Arseny. These six are supportive of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Nikolai, Cyprian, and Yakov served in Constantinople with a bishop of the OCU, and communion with the three has been severed by the Moscow Patriarchate. The block of two are Patriarch Daniil and Metropolitan Gavrill. The block of two have very good relations with the Moscow Patriarchate. There are six non-aligned metropolitans: Joseph (age 82), John, Grigoriy of Vratsa, Grigoriy of Veliko Tarnovo, Seraphim, and Ignati (age 86).
At its meeting on December 10, the Synod also elected two new bishops. Archimandrite Kliment (Strahilov) was elected vicar to Metropolitan Joseph of USA, Canada, and Australia. https://bg-patriarshia.bg/news/reshenie-na-sv-sinod-za-episkopska-hirotonia-na-arhim-klimen He had seven votes: the group of two plus Metropolitans Joseph, John, Grigoriy of Vratsa, Grigoriy of Veliko Tarnovo, and Seraphim. Archimandrite Bogoslov (Dimitrov) was elected vicar to Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora. https://bg-patriarshia.bg/news/reshenie-na-sv-sinod-za-episkopska-hirotonia-na-arhim-bogosl He had ten votes: the group of six plus Metropolitans Joseph, John, Seraphim, and Grigoriy of Veliko Tarnovo.
Under the charter, the procedure for electing a new metropolitan of Vidin will be as follows: The Holy Synod will prepare a list of bishops who will be candidates for the position. The Vidin Diocesan Electoral Council will then by majority vote determine a “short list” of two bishops. The Council includes both clergy and laity from the various Vidin deaneries. It is very likely that the Vidin Council will support bishops who are favored by Patriarch Daniil, who was previously the metropolitan of Vidin. If both bishops on the short lists are favored by Daniil, the Synod will be required to elect one of them. It remains to be seen whether the Synod will seek to avoid this result by submitting to the Vidin Council a list that does not contain two bishops favored by Patriarch Daniil.
In Ukraine, a television program filmed in the Refectory of the Kyiv Upper Lavra has sparked a great amount of controversy. The program can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JD2cYnmXKI. In the program, a well-known chef, Yevgeny Klopotenko, introduces “12 lost Ukrainian dishes” suitable for Christmas. Klopotenko has been studying ancient recipes found in the archives of the Lavra. Although the dishes are shown on a table in the Refectory, they are not actually cooked in the Refectory. Cooking scenes were filmed elsewhere. The Refectory is a large hall which was constructed in the 1890s. As part of the same building, there is the domed Refectory Church, but the program was not filmed in the Church. The problem is that the Divine Liturgy has been celebrated in the Refectory at times when crowds were too large for the adjoining Refectory Church. The use of the Refectory for the show was condemned by Metropolitan Anthony, chancellor of the UOC. https://raskolam.net/ru/82744-cze-blyuznirstvo-keruyuchyj-spravamy-upcz-prokomentuvav-shou-i-performansy-v-trapeznomu-hrami-kyyevo-pecherskoyi-lavry/ On the other hand, Father Georgiy Kovalenko of the OCU enjoyed watching the program. https://raskolam.net/ru/82756-ne-veditsya-na-moskovske-ipso-kliryk-pczu-rozkrytykuvav-tyh-hto-vystupyv-proty-kulinarnogo-shou-v-lavri/ Now Catholics have joined the debate. Roman Catholic Bishop Vitaliy Krivitsky, head of the Kyiv Latin-rite diocese, has voiced sharp criticism of the program. https://raskolam.net/en/82769-iyerarh-rkcz-v-ukrayini-rozkrytykuvav-kulinarne-shou-v-kyyevo-pecherskij-lavri/ The program has been given considerable publicity in Russia as an example of Ukraine insulting the feelings of believers. See https://ria.ru/20241215/klopotenko-1989314833.html
In other news, Metropolitan Epifany, head of the OCU, met at the Vatican on December 13 with Pope Francis and then with the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, headed by Cardinal Koch. https://www.pomisna.info/uk/vsi-novyny/predstoyatel-ptsu-zustrivsya-z-papoyu-rymskym-frantsyskom/ Both meetings were considered “private” and not “official” meetings, and no announcement was made by the Vatican with respect to the meetings. On December 13, Patriarch Ilia of Georgia issued a statement with respect to current political unrest in Georgia. https://patriarchate.ge/news/3377 He stated: “Georgia is an integral part of European civilization and it is our duty to contribute to the strengthening and development of a European-type nation-state based on our centuries-old Christian spiritual and cultural heritage and traditional values.” Although he urged peace and dialogue, he did not specifically condemn the government’s actions against demonstrators. On December 15, 2024, Archbishop Elia of Helsinki was enthroned in Helsinki as the new head of the Finnish Orthodox Church, which is an autonomous archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The full text of his address can be read at https://orthodoxtimes.com/archbishop-of-helsinki-the-church-cannot-be-selective-about-the-suffering-it-sees/ His address included the following statement: “Our strong connection with the Mother Church of Constantinople, as well as with our sister Church in Estonia, will continue. As head of the Church, I want to build even closer cooperation with the Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Lithuania and the independent autocephalous Church of Ukraine.”
Peter Anderson, Seattle USA