Browsing: Governance & Unity Essays

The electrifying appearance of AB Elpidophoros upon the American scene, the waves of hallelujah, axios, the expensive dinners (no poor Orthodox allowed), as the non-stop gracious addresses have now subsided somewhat. Please remember that Christ came to us as a “suffering servant,” not groomed in pomp and perfection. Now begins the hard work of bringing the Greek Orthodox Church up to not where it was 25 years ago, but up to several levels above. If you had perused my article on the new AB, with the title of Axios Or?, You may understand where my position is. I am praying…

Source: Orthodox History by MATTHEW NAMEE In 1963, between 11,000 and 13,000 Orthodox youth, from seven jurisdictions, came together for a pan-Orthodox festival in Pittsburgh. Ten bishops and more than 150 priests celebrated Vespers in an arena, and a thousand-person pan-Orthodox youth choir sang. This was the biggest pan-Orthodox event in American history, and most Orthodox Christians today are completely unaware that it happened. The 1963 festival was just one of many achievements of a long-forgotten alliance of Orthodox youth leaders known as “CEOYLA” (which stood for the Council of Eastern Orthodox Youth Leaders in the Americas). CEOYLA was formed in…

Source: Oinos Educational Consulting By Frank Marangos, D. Min., Ed. D., FCEP “Nothing ever happens in the world that does not happen first inside human hearts.” ~ Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson once went on a camping trip. After enjoying a day of relaxation, they pitched their tent under the stars and fell asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes woke his friend. “Watson,” he asked, “look up and tell me what you deduce?” “I see millions of stars,” Watson answered.  Hoping to please his boss with his own suppositions, Watson continued. “And…

Source: The National Herald Our Greek Orthodox bishops who stumbled through incident after incident in their handling of sex abuse occurrences should come together, and along with the newly installed AB Elpidophoros, strengthen the sex protocol already previously established. Would they dare not to invite strong-voiced faithful, women and men, to such a meeting? Would not the meeting and the resulting document be immeasurably improved?  This thought is highly unlikely to be considered, as it would be affront to the “God”-given power of the Bishops. Orthodox Christian women are orphans. They have no allies. Oh sure, there is the successful…

Source: Orthodox Christianity CYPRUS — The ongoing Ukrainian church crisis has been complicated by a flood of false reports and distorted interpretations of Synodal and hierarchal statements in the international media. The Cypriot Church has particularly felt the effects of such reports, with the Ukrainian ambassador to Cyprus conveying false information after meeting with His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos of New Justiniana and All Cyprus on more than one occasion. The Church’s Synodal statement from February was also misrepresented, as were His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol’s statements about not signing the Synodal statement. In an effort to combat such “malicious” and manipulative reporting, written “in order…

America Doesn’t Exist at the Archdiocese By Dean Popps It sure seems to me that the new archbishop is trying to create an organization (perhaps modeled after the British East India Trading Company) that reflects his own official, publicly stated views that we are a diaspora, an omogenia, and expatriates of some other country and period of history. Independence Day, July 4th, our sacred national holiday, is totally ignored on the archbishop’s official calendar; and, in fact, on the whole goarch.org website. (see https://www.goarch.org/ and https://www.goarch.org/-/public-schedule-of-his-eminence-archbishop-elpidophoros-june-28-july-8-2019). The title “GOA of America” is a hollow concept for this archdiocese. Their America…

Source: Orthodox Christianity Arkady Maler The author of this analysis of the current threat hanging over world Orthodoxy, Arkady Maler, is a scholar and teacher of philosophy specializing in Russian religious philosophy. He is a member of the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission of the Inter-Council Presence of the Moscow Patriarchate and founder of Moscow’s “Byzantine Club”. Maler is the author of four religious-philosophical books, which include the theme of Constantine the Great, and Russia’s spiritual mission. A half a year did not go by from the formation by the Constantinople Patriarchate of a hastily-cobbled, politically strategic, fake church in Ukraine under…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Musing from OCL Board Member, George Karcazes As we consider the upcoming visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States, we who live our faith as Americans in this multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, religiously diverse country are called to ponder the future of Orthodoxy in America. What have we learned about the state of Orthodoxy in the World and in our own home from recent events? We have learned that at the highest Patriarchal levels, Orthodoxy in the world is hopelessly divided. After decades of planning for a Holy and Great Council, unanimously agreeing on a date…

Source: OCP Media Network Sophia Iliadi – Independent Article – 27/6/19 The Orthodox world is facing a total rearrangement. The balance of powers and the distribution of influence between 14 mutually recognized Local Orthodox Churches is shifting as the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, historically first among equal autocephalous Churches, has completely lost its weight. This is happening against the background of an unfolding crisis, which Orthodoxy hasn’t witnessed since the Great Schism of 1054. The threat of a new schism emerged because of Patriarch Bartholomew’s ambitions who claims he is the leader of the Orthodox world. The division affects nearly…

Source: OCP Media Network by Tamar Lomidze The Patriarchate of Constantinople has recently been shaken by scandals. First, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France got accused of pederasty, then Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa was appointed Archbishop of the Greek American Archdiocese (GOA) bypassing the opinion of American hierarchs, which caused sharp criticism among US clergy and laity. Now, the whole Orthodox world is watching in confusion, conflict in Bartholomew’s new-born organization – the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), whose leaders (“Honorary Patriarch” Filaret and “formal” Primate Epiphanius) are pushing the new autocephalous Church into a schism, the first in its short history.…

Source: Orthodox Christianity The appointment (one can call it “election” only in the narrowest etymological sense) of Metropolitan Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) as Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will no doubt be remembered as a significant turning point in the history of the Twenty-first Century Church. Whatever hope might have existed that the schism between Constantinople and Moscow over Ukraine is merely a temporary, unimportant event has surely now been extinguished Archbishop Elpidophoros is a distinguished and knowledgeable theologian. As a Turkish citizen, he is a leading and obvious candidate someday to succeed His All-Holiness Bartholomew on the Ecumenical…

[Editor’s Comment: The Archbishop-Elect demonstrates with his words, that he does not understand the history of the Orthodox Church in USA. How can he be a servant leader of the clergy and faithful here?] Challenges of Orthodoxy in America and the Role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate By Very Reverend Archimandrite Dr. Elpidophoros Lambriniadis Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod (Chapel of the Holy Cross, March 16, 2009) Reverend Protopresbyter Nicholas Triantafyllou, President, Reverend Protopresbyter Thomas Fitzgerald, Dean of the School of Theology, Reverend and Esteemed Members of the Faculty and staff, Dear Students, It is an exceptional honor and…