Source: The National Herald
Originally published on November 10, 2006.
BOSTON – Thirty-six years ago, in a “confidential memorandum” to the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (dated July 5 1970), then Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America requested that decisions be made on a number of issues, including the Masons, homosexuality, marriage for bishops and abortion.
“Most of our Christians here are masons,” Iakovos told Athenagoras and the Synod. The Patriarchate did not reply to Iakovos, or if it did, the reply has not been revealed as of yet. But in his “confidential memo,” the contents of which are published in Rev. Dr. Demetrios J. Constantelos book, “My Care,” Iakovos wrote: “Our Church, which is a living and vibrant Church, recognized as one of the four major Churches in America, should not procrastinate and wait forever to take positions on the burning issues of our times, for which all the other Churches have already taken a positive or negative position.”
According to Father Constantelos’ new book, Iakovos identified the burning issues as follows:
1. War and peace
2. Social justice
3. Contraception
4. Abortion, legitimate and illegitimate conception
5. Homosexuality
6. Marriage after ordination, as in the case of numerous twice-married priests in the Orthodox Churches of Romania and Serbia, Iakovos noted.
7. Married Bishops. There was a practice in the ancient Church, Iakovos argued, and it should probably be established for the Church in America.
8. Masonry.
9. Praying together with Christians of other denominations or the administering of sacraments to non-Orthodox, which the Patriarchate of Moscow has permitted.
10. The issue of the validity of the sacraments of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, with whom Orthodox faithful in America often enter into marriage.
11. The issue of a special Service that will be used for the blessing of marriages between an Orthodox and a Jew. “As it is known, Roman Catholics and Protestants bless marriages between Christians and Jews, Moslems, or another religion.”
In his book, Father Constantelos also discloses that Archbishop Iakovos was constantly pressing the Patriarchate for increased use of the English language in Church services (something the late Archbishop later regretted).
Iakovos was speaking about the formation of a “new Orthodoxy” in America, and recommended reforms consistent with the existing polity of the Orthodox Church in America, and the phronema (mindset) and ethos (way of life) of its faithful, but Athenagoras and his Synod did not agree, letting Iakovos’ memos go unanswered.
Iakovos urged the Patriarchate to grant greater administrative autonomy to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, or to institute a united Pan-Orthodox Church, the Archbishop of which would be elected by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and who would be of Greek heritage.
“This reality places us in the following dilemma: Either all Orthodox in America be united under one American Orthodox Church, as the American-born demand from all Orthodox jurisdictions, or to continue our life separately as a Greek Orthodox Church,” Iakovos wrote Athenagoras about multiple Orthodox jurisdictions in America.
Iakovos predicted that, if the various Orthodox jurisdictions were not united under one administrative body, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese would dissolve within 20 years.
“I am afraid that we have no choice. There are two options, and one of them is not a solution. It is rather dissolution, which will continue as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese will gradually grow further and further apart from Greece, and from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The only other solution, which is the most difficult one, is the unification of all Orthodox under one leadership, which will always remain in the hands of Orthodox of Greek descent, if I judge correctly from the dynamism, organization, and influence Greek Americans enjoy in all aspects of life in America today.”
10 Comments
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Father Pepps,
With all due respect, you are engaging in self promotion. It is unseemly, and undignified. I, for one, am not interested in your irrelevant opinions. No offense intended. Just some friendly advice.
Kindly write or telephone 269-492-4344. Why would you not want dialogue? Did you ever read my summary which includes in contrast with the very words of top “worshipful masters” in America as to who are their source saying for official Masonic teachings, statements from Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, the churches of Greece & Cyprus & some of our greatest recent saints?
Hi Father Pepps,
I’ll answer that question for you. I have neither the time nor the desire to engage in debate with you. All I will say is: the greatest man in US history was a dedicated mason and Christian. Mount Vernon says that George Washington’s freemasonry was very important to him. Freemasonry was more esoteric back then. If freemasonry was good enough for the father of our country, well, then that’s all the endorsement I need. May I suggest you read A Pilgrim’s Path and Is it True What They Say about Freemasonry? Father, with all due respect, I think you’ve been hoodwinked. In America, we have freedom of religion; well, guess where that comes from? It come from freemasonry.
Dear Father Pepps,
I have to walk back some of my statements pertaining to freemasonry. I don’t think an Orthodox Christian should be a freemason for these reasons: It is expensive, it’s a waste of time, and we can’t take oaths (by the way, the pledge of allegiance is also un-Christian, because a pledge is an oath; we cannot give our allegiance to an earthly kingdom; it belongs to Christ and the kingdom of God). Our allegiance is to the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom alone. Thank you, Father Pepps.
Holy Orthodoxy has a long tradition collaborating with Holy Masonry against the Mohammedans and Romanists. I am an old member of a lodge of the Orthodox Square Clubs of America – every man at my parish was and still is a Mason.
They wear silly hats and costumes. They ride small motorcycles in parades.
According to Mr. Millman, they “waste time” and “they take oaths”. He says oaths are forbidden for Orthodox Christians.. including the Pledge of Allegiance.
My father came from a small village in Europe to America and was happy to take an oath of allegiance to the US when he became a citizen. He considered it a, honor to be invited to join a Masonic Lodge.
I took an oath when I joined the military.. and when I was sworn in to serve on my parish council.
The Shriner’s have established 22 hospitals for children in the US, Canada and Mexico. If that is “wasting time,” more people should waste time like they do.
How many hospitals for children have the multiple, disunited Orthodox “ethnic jurisdictions” in America established?
Masonry for most of the old timers was just another club. When members ascend to the upper throws of Masonry, they find they are involved in a cult with special services, dress wear and hats. The Orthodox Church has always frowned upon Masonry because it is a “religion” with its own services. The only true religion is Christianity with Orthodoxy having its fullness.
Masonry is no more a “religion” than AHEPA,
the VFW, American Legion, US, State and local governments (all officials take an oath to support and defend the Constitution) et al.
If the Orthodox Church “frowns” on these clubs, brotherhoods, sisterhoods, etc., it might reflect the fear of those who claim to speak for the church on this issue that the church is too weak on its own to compete with these oath-requiring entities for the support of those who belong to both.
Rather than “frowning” why don’t these spokespersons for “the Church” build a children’s hospital?
Hi Cato the Elder,
What I mean by being a waste of time is that the blue lodge meetings are very boring. As far as the Shrine goes, charity navigator says that the Shrine is a good organization for a person to send charitable contributions, however there is a great deal of conflict between the Shrine and the blue lodge . In days of old, a man had to be a member of the Scottish Rite or York Rite in order to be eligible for membership in the Shrine. Now, it is open for any blue lodge Master Mason. The Shrine has been thinking about allowing non Masons to join their ranks. As you know, the Orthodox Church in America does not permit its members to belong to any Masonic fraternity. The Lion’s Club and the Boy Scouts in America were founded by freemasons. As you know the Ecumenical Patriarchs Meletius Metaxakis, and Ecumenical Patriarch Joachim the III were master masons. Now, if your goal is to practice hesychasm the way St Symeon the New Theologian did , in all likelihood, a person probably would not have time for masonic activities. I don’t know about you, but I would rather see the Taboric Light than to waste my time on freemasonry. Who needs the unnecessary controversy, but to each his own. Thank you.