Browsing: Governance & Unity Commentary

This editorial was first published in www.mignatiou.com (In English and in Greek) on October 17, 2015, the day before the ground breaking ceremony for Saint Nicholas Church at Ground Zero. This year’s feast of Saint Nicholas coincides with a renewed effort to finish the semi-constructed Church: a new committee was just appointed by Archbishop Demetrios. I believe it falls upon all of us to assist in this historical task, leaving aside for the moment the search for those responsible for financial scandals. The time will come for them to be punished as the law provides; they are already sentenced in our…

Source: Ekathimerini.com by ALEXIS PAPACHELAS The next couple of days will be crucial for the future of Hellenism in the United States. A decision will be taken in Istanbul on whether Archbishop Demetrios of America will step down from his post and, if so, who will replace him. Officials in Athens would in the past treat this as a routine decision. But this is no longer the case. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is facing an unprecedented crisis that calls for immediate and radical solutions. Financial mismanagement in the construction of the Saint Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center…

Source: Oinos Educational Consulting by Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D., FCEP “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 The nation’s theological schools and seminaries find themselves facing an uncertain future. As enrollments decrease, financial debts mount, and skepticisms rise concerning the value of their degrees, institutions of higher theological education should consider seeking to successfully improve their situations by prudently inviting another school to merge their hands to the plow of partnership. Theological schools and seminaries are fundamentally academies for/of God’s chosen vicars. Initially mentioned in the Old…

Source: The National Herald By Dennis Menos Today, approximately five million Americans identify themselves as Orthodox. They do so with pride for their faith’s spectacular growth in America, its parishes and places of worship, and for the thousands of converts who regularly join them at religious services. The progress of Orthodoxy in America since its arrival 200 years ago has been impressive, but all is not well today. As is the case with many other Christian denominations, Orthodoxy is confronted with declining Church attendance and a variety of other religious and secular problems. Its largest obstacle, however, is organizational: a single…

Source: National Catholic Register NEWS ANALYSIS: Pope Francis cautions Catholics not to ‘meddle’ in ecclesiological conflict between the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and the Russian Orthodox Church. Victor Gaetan The accelerating dispute in Ukraine between two Orthodox Churches — the Church of Constantinople, a historic Church with spiritual prestige, and the 140-million-member Russian Orthodox Church, a powerhouse in terms of membership muscle, political clout and wealth — is ominous because it forecasts conflict in a country already suffering a “fratricidal” war, to use Pope Francis’ term. The Russian Orthodox Church broke Eucharistic communion with the Church of Constantinople Oct. 15 in response…

Source: ROMFEA In the last months, we are witnessing a very dangerous and seemingly unjustifiable crisis which erupted within our Church. The reason of this crisis is the imminent granting of autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine or rather the creation of an autocephalous Church in Ukraine. It seems that inter-Orthodox relations are a major issue in our days, and although union with the other Christian dogmas is the goal, the Orthodox, although they ascertain love between them, they de-construct this love in their life; they proclaim the union of the blessed sacrament between them but they practice the opposite.…

Source: Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University The Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University is internationally known for its intelligent, sophisticated understanding of Orthodoxy. Professor Aristotle Papanikolaou and Professor George Demacopoulos are often interviewed for their expert commentary on Orthodox history, theology, and culture. As tensions persist between His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, media outlets around the world turn to the Orthodox Christian Studies Center co-directors for their analysis of the Ukrainian autocephaly crisis. Co-Directors’ Expert Commentary on Ukrainian Autocephaly “Orthodox Church Leaders Duel Over Ukraine, Meet With Pope Francis”…

Source: The Tablet by John Chryssavgis Orthodox disunity It is tempting to consign the rift between Constantinople and Moscow – this time over autocephaly in Ukraine – to competition within the Orthodox world over power and jurisdiction. The reality is more complex. Beyond the multifaceted religious intrigue lie murky geopolitical ramifications. The matter transcends any exercise of right or even the simple exhibition of might. The issue of the autocephaly (literally, “self-headed”, or self-governing) of the Church in Ukraine, along with questions of the validity of orders and sacraments, are vital to Orthodox unity, but they pale before the isolationism and…

Source: The Conversation by Alexander Titov The Moscow Patriarchate recently announced that it is breaking its ties with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, triggering what is potentially the biggest split in the Orthodox Church in a thousand years. So why is one of the great defenders of Christianity tearing itself apart? The tussle between Moscow and Constantinople is over Ukraine, and Constantinople’s declaration on October 15 that the Ukrainian church is no longer part of Moscow’s patrimony. And behind this is Ukraine’s divided national identity – and the woes of its current president. There have long been two main Ukrainian identities: Eastern Slavic (or Little Russian)…

Source: Orthodox Christianity Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radovich) His Eminence, Amfilohije, Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, and of the Highlands of Brda, and Exarch of the Throne of Peć gave an interview to “Channel One” Russia. “The decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew and his Synod concerning the Ukrainian issue, are, in my opinion catastrophic, both for the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and for resolving the Church question in Ukraine, as well as for the unity of the Orthodox Church. We in our Church are simply shocked at how the Ecumenical Patriarch—an expert on the canons—made…

Source: Bloomberg As Ukraine’s church moves toward independence, the Russian president could lose his role of defender of the faith. By Leonid Bershidsky The Eastern Orthodox Church is closer than ever to a schism that would cast Russian President Vladimir Putin in a role similar to that of King Henry VIII when he split the Church of England from Rome in the 16th century. Russia’s ambition to be the center of the Orthodox world threatens to end in isolation. But holding back from splitting the church will mean humiliation by the Ukrainians, who have been ruthlessly terrorized by the Russian leader. On…

Source: Pravda The agreements of 300 years have been cast aside. Constantinople wants to break the spine of Orthodoxy and make Ukraine hostile to Russia forever. However, it is up to common people – Ukrainian Christians – to make their final decision. On October 11, the Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate made the following decisions (briefly): 1. To confirm the decision that the Ecumenical Patriarchate proceeds to provide autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine. 2. To restore the stauropegion of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Kiev. 3. To accept and consider the appeals from Filaret Denisenko and Macary Maletich for the…