Browsing: Governance & Unity Commentary

Source: Union of Orthodox Journalists Author: Michael W. Davis The Archons are accusing Orthodox bishops and lay advocates of being “pro-Moscow” invaders. And yet it’s the Archons themselves—with their “Greek papism” and “Hellenic world” ideology—that pose the greatest threat to Orthodox unity. On March 30, members of the Order of St. Andrew—also known as the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate—received a remarkable email. It was sent from an official Archon email address, one used for internal communication. However, it was signed by just one person: John Zavitsanos, the Order’s attorney. In it, Zavitsanos issued yet another attack upon the Society of…

Source: Orthodox Studies Institute Substack and YouTube Announcement It’s been a busy Lent here at OSI — we’ve started both a Substack blog and a YouTube channel, where we’ll have loads of new material coming out on a regular basis. Our first Substack post is up now, “How Many Cradle Orthodox Stay in the Church? A very initial analysis of cradle Orthodox retention in America.” It’s a first word, not a final word, on this very important topic. Click here to read it, and be sure to subscribe to the Substack to get all our future articles. Over on YouTube, Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I had…

Source: Helleniscope By Nick Stamatakis Two developments in the last week have drawn attention to the future position of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. On one side, the Patriarchate has recently purchased and expanded property in Athens, establishing what will become a new institutional complex in the Greek capital. On the other hand, a criminal complaint has been filed in Turkey against Patriarch Bartholomew, accusing the Patriarchate of activities allegedly connected to territorial disputes in the Aegean… Read the entire article here Editor’s Note (Archival Content) 
This article is part of the Orthodox Christian Laity archives and reflects the context, concerns, and discussions…

Source: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In this talk for the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, I discuss how Orthodoxy in America is changing due to the convert surge, which is accelerating patterns we’ve watched play out for decades. Even if the surge ends tomorrow (which it probably won’t), the American Orthodox Christian community has been irrevocably altered. What does that look like, and, more importantly, how do we respond? Editor’s Note (Theological Discussion)
 This article presents theological reflection and discussion intended to encourage informed dialogue within the Orthodox Church. Its inclusion does not imply formal endorsement of every conclusion…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis Executive Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Holy Cross School of Theology At the beginning of his first term, I wrote an article exhorting Donald Trump to self-restraint in matters of faith. This article is an extension of that plea in the second Trump term, urging the President to do likewise when it comes to creation care and, specifically, the US Environmental Protection Agency. Every day, it seems, we are exposed to an unrelenting onslaught of increasingly polarized and deeply fragmented, often ill-natured and vitriolic discourse about what Trump is doing to America and…

Source: Public Orthodoxy A Look at the Recent Influx of Converts Rev. Matthew Brown Doctoral Student in Systematic Theology at Fordham University Ever since emerging from the lockdowns, Orthodox parishes—almost exclusively English-speaking ones—have experienced a historic increase in inquirers and converts. It is probably safe to say that there hasn’t been such an intense and sustained period of growth in the history of Orthodoxy in America. What is remarkable is not only the sheer number of newcomers but also the short timeframe in which this has occurred. This past July, I participated in the Orthodox Church in America’s All-American Council,…

A Simple Introduction to Orthodox Christian Administrative Unity in the United States Who this is for: Orthodox Christians who love the Church and want to understand—without pressure or polemics—what “administrative unity” means, why it is discussed, and why it matters. 1. What do we mean by “administrative unity”? Administrative unity refers to Orthodox Christians in a given country being organized under a unified, coordinated ecclesiastical structure, rather than multiple overlapping jurisdictions based on ethnic or historical lines. It does not mean: Changing Orthodox theology or doctrine Eliminating legitimate liturgical or cultural diversity Disrespecting the episcopacy or canonical order It does…

Source: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick The Orthodox Studies Institute’s Matthew Namee and Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin join Fr. Andrew to talk about statistical trends in Orthodox Christianity in America and speculate about how they might play out in the coming decades. Editor’s Note (Theological Discussion)
 This article presents theological reflection and discussion intended to encourage informed dialogue within the Orthodox Church. Its inclusion does not imply formal endorsement of every conclusion but reflects OCL’s long‑standing commitment to thoughtful engagement with issues affecting the life of the Church.

Source: Frederica’s World Eighteen years later, what’s changed? Frederica Mathewes-Green Originally published November 25, 2025 Inside the OrthoSphere, everyone’s talking about Ruth Graham’s New York Times article about the influx of converts—particularly men—into American Orthodoxy. Funnily enough, I wrote an article about this very thing eighteen years ago. It was a surprising phenomenon, back then, that the majority of converts were young men. These guys were just showing up at the doors of Orthodox churches, usually after a lot of independent study. (There’s a saying: “Why did he become Orthodox?” “He read too much.”) Back then the predominance of male inquirers really stood…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – At the 35th Leadership 100 Conference, held in Phoenix, Arizona, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America set forth his intentions regarding the transformation of the Theological School into a university—as The National Herald had previously revealed—as well as the relocation of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of New York to St. Bartholomew’s Church in Manhattan. He also spoke of the sale of one of the two Archdiocesan Office buildings to finance the acquisition of St. Bartholomew’s, while the other building would be converted into the Archbishop’s residence. It is noted that Archbishop Elpidophoros has resided within the Archdiocesan building since the day of…

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA The tensions between the Armenian Apostolic Church – Etchmiadzin Catholicosate (“AAC”), headed by Catholicos Karekin II, and the Armenian government, headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, have continued to increase with each side taking stronger actions.  Most recently, the increased tensions have related to the status of Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, one of the ten bishops of AAC who, together with the Prime Minister, signed on January 4 a document which urged the retirement of Catholicos Karekin II and which created a Coordinating Council to reform the AAC.  https://www.panorama.am/am/news/2026/01/05/%D5%93%D5%A1%D5%B7%D5%AB%D5%B6%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6-%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%BF%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%A9%D5%B5%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B6/3148925.   The confrontations relating to Saroyan began on January 10, when…

Source: Faith Encouraged My thoughts on Minneapolis and the Immigration Crisis hopefully informed by my Orthodox faith. Fr. Barnabas Powell The images from Minneapolis are jarring. ICE agents confronting protesters. Violence erupts in the streets. Cities declaring themselves “sanctuaries” that decide that Federal law is none of their business. Political leaders on both sides are manufacturing outrage for their respective bases. And somewhere in the chaos, actual human beings—immigrants, citizens, law enforcement officers—caught in the grinding machinery of our broken discourse. And because of this, people are dying. The Reality We Must Face Let me say plainly what should be…