Browsing: Governance & Unity Commentary

Source: Orthodox Christianity Priest Sergei Begiyan The current conflict between the Russian and Constantinopolitan Orthodox Churches has agitated everyone. Both believers and unbelievers, those leading an active Church life and those “with God in their souls,” have all become “specialists” in canon law and Church history overnight. It’s discouraging. It’s discouraging that the word “specialist” is placed in quotes here. It’s discouraging that everyone started yelling in a chorus and blaming one another. It can’t but discourage any Christian who desires unity and peace for the universal Church. Who’s right, who’s wrong? I have absolutely no desire to wander through the canonical…

Source: The New York Times When the Ukrainian Orthodox Church broke from Russia’s, it dealt a blow to President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to portray his country as one people with a single identity. By Michael Khodarkovsky Mr. Khodarkovsky is the author of the forthcoming book “Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories.” On Jan. 5, some 150,000 people lined up in front of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev. They came to see a single document called a tomos, issued a few days before by the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew. There, on a piece of parchment,…

Source: Orthodox Christianity Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) The actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (EP) in its process of granting a Tomos of autocephaly to the schismatic groups in Ukraine have created a canonical crisis. This point of “judgment” (the real meaning of “crisis”) is not so much about Ukraine, per se; but about the nature of the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and of primacy, indeed of episcopacy in the Orthodox Church. Thus, it affects every Orthodox Church and every Orthodox Christian. It has nothing to do with nationalism, though this has been a tool for manipulation of various parties involved; it has…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The naves in many parishes of the San Francisco Metropolis were filled to capacity this past Christmas season, in contrast with other areas of the country where attendance was sparse. In an exclusive interview with The National Herald Metropolitan Gerasimos explained, “the naves were filled with people that we have not seen in years. They are returning to their churches and customs. We also see young people who have established their families returning to the Church and it gives us hope about the future,” adding “I hope it continues that way.”…

Source: The National Herald By Dennis Menos The fact that Orthodoxy finds itself today in the midst of disastrous schism between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Russia is hardly a secret. It is all the result of the recent issuance of a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Church of the Ukraine by the Ecumenical Patriarch, a move that the Patriarchate of Russia strongly opposed. Because of the issuance of the Tomos, the Patriarchate of Moscow has directed that all religious co-celebrations between its hierarchs and those of the Ecumenical Patriarchate cease, and that the two Patriarchates no longer…

Source: Hurriyet Daily News By BARÇIN YİNANÇ It is 2008. Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew is preparing to go to Kiev. “The Russian intelligence knew that the visit’s aim was to give autocephaly status to the Ukrainian church,” a source familiar with the process had said. Autocephaly is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. Accordingly, this status to the Ukrainian church meant striking a serious blow to the Russian Church, therefore to Russia. Vladimir Putin calls Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to prevent this visit from taking place. Greece’s ambassador in…

Source: Public Orthodoxy by Joanna Theophilopoulos Epiphany, observed on January 6th, celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ and the historic manifestation of the Holy Trinity. Liturgically, the Church commemorates the Feast day with a Blessing of the Waters service at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. For many communities, this service transitions from the church to a nearby open body of water. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of parishes across the globe add an additional, semi-liturgical component- a competitive diving for the cross. Perhaps the most famous of these events in the Western Hemisphere occurs in my home parish in Tarpon Springs,…

Source: Russia Today by Jim Jatras Originally published on October 3, 2018 One of the most contentious and significant controversies in the world today is also one of the least-well understood. In part, this is because it involves matters of faith and church governance, the importance of which many people, especially some of a secular mind who scorn mere “religion,” tend to underestimate. That is a mistake, certainly with respect to the storm that seems on the verge of plunging Ukraine into a new cycle of violence. That may happen if, as seems quite possible, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople recognizes an “autocephalous” (completely self-ruling)…

Source: The Pappas Post written by Darden Livesay The following editorial was submitted by Mr. Nicholas Karakas, a long-time Greek Orthodox Church activist and philanthropist from St. Louis, Missouri who resides in Naples, Florida. The opinions expressed may not necessarily belong to The Pappas Post. Thank you for the many comments received in response to the articles placed in the National Herald. I pray that the issues affecting our church will be resolved soon, as our church is vulnerable to losing the gains made over the last 30 years. I humbly yet assertively offer these proposals: A mandatory age of retirement…

Source: The Pappas Post by Darden Livesay The following editorial was submitted by Mr. Nicholas Karakas, a long-time Greek Orthodox Church activist and philanthropist from St. Louis, Missouri who resides in Naples, Florida. The opinions expressed may not necessarily belong to The Pappas Post. The Archdiocesan Council met October 18-19, 2018 in New York. The Archdiocese of America in its news report stated the following: “The Council ascertained that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has achieved financial stability, has fully restored all restricted accounts, has implemented appropriate financial controls and the Finance Committee has proposed a balanced budget for 2019…

Source: The New York Times A Gospel reading for the scandal in the church. By Ross Douthat At Mass this Christmas Eve, many Catholics who have spent a year reading headlines about abusive priests, indifferent bishops, predatory cardinals and Vatican corruption will sit and hear the long roll of Jesus’s ancestors with which the Gospel of Matthew begins. “Unless you like stats / just skip the begats,” wrote Jeanne and William Steig in their “Old Testament Made Easy.” But before he gets to the angels and the wise men Matthew gives us 39 of them, from the famous names (“Abraham begat…

A Case Study: Tarpon Springs, Metropolis of Atlanta by Nicholas Bouzos On a recent vacation to Tarpon Springs, Florida, I came across some curious rumors about church politics; and the talk of the town is “The Tarpon Archons!” According to the archons.org website, “An Archon is an honoree by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for his outstanding service to the Church, and a well-known distinguished, and well-respected leader of the Orthodox Christian community.” These individuals are vetted through the local Metropolis? So, what does it take to become an Archon? According to online myths, archonship involve nepotism, cronyism, or…