[ ΣΧΟΛΙΑ ]

Re: Spyridon’s statement on the controversy
between Vartholomaios-Christodoulos

από Anonymous στις 13-May-2004 @ 09:03:22 UTC

The statement of His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon,at one time and for a short period Archbishop of America, that is in fact of the U.S.A., is on the face of it, a call to the Orthodox Church (es) in Europe to close ranks, especially as he puts it, in the face of Europe’s Roman Catholic majority - he strangely omits the assorted Protestant denominations including the Anglican Church.

He professes profound sorrow at the decision taken by the Enlarged Synod of the Oecumenical Patriarchate - more precisely it was a Greater and Enlarged Temporarily Resident Synod according to traditional ecclesiastical terminology, in late March.He was obviously referring to the controversy or feud or dispute, call it what you like, between the Orthodox Church of Greece and that of Constantinople, its Mother Church, the Oecumenical Patriarchate over the latter’s canonical rights regarding the dioceses in the North of Greece and certain Greek Aegean Islands which Constantinople transferred as a Vicariate to the Autocephalous Church of Greece though retaining residual canonical rights over them, through the Patriarchal Praxis of 1928, enshrined in the current Constitution of the Hellenic Republic.

His concern is shared by many - public brawls are not welcome in the courtyard of Europe and that of the whole world, though the controversy has not descended to that level, despite the attempts by various sensationalising journalists, assorted politicians in the Greek arena, some of whom are professed non-believers or practice religion as a matter of convenience and the odd correspondent on the internet who is a water-carrier for vested ecclesiastical interests.

Having said that, may I respectfully point out to His Eminence that he seems to have been ignoring -both in his most recent statement and a previous one regarding the reconstruction of the Holy Standing Synod of the Oecumenical Patriarchate some of his own calls in the past to revive the institution of a "representative" synod, as he put it, by the Phanar.

The issue of "representation" apart - he knows that the "Resident" Synod over the centuries, including Byzantine days, 1700 odd years, in Constantinople assumed many shapes and forms and that Canon Law in fact, he would know better than humble laymen, whatever their qualifications and research, never enshrined the concept of a representative synod other that the "eparchial" or metropolitical synod and the occasional Oecumenical Council. The concept of the Synod of the Hierarchy, as is known nowadays in Greece or the other Balkan churches is a relatively recent development and cannot be equated to either a provincial synod (as are the Cretan, or U.S.A. ones) or much less an Oecumenical Council. The other type of synod, the Local, in Church history was an occasional phenomenon. Those churches like the Cypriot one, simply converted a provincial synod into a de facto national one, some canonists would argue.

Archbishop Spyridon’s own requests for a reconstructed "Continuing" Synod and a Synod of the Hierarchy of the Oecumenical Patriarchate, nevertheless seem to have been answered in part, though with respect to His Eminence not because he asked for them, by the reconstructed Standing Synod at the Phanar from March 1st last and by the recently convened Greater Enlarged Synod, "Temporarily Resident" in Constantinople, at the end of March.

True, the Standing Synod, contains only six of its twelve members from outside Turkey (five if the Senior Metropolitan of Nicaea is to be put in a special category, though it would appear that the Finnish Church, under Constantinople, was cognisant - and probably consulted about - of the inclusion of its former and most venerable primate. Those five, however, include some formidable episcopal entities: (i) the Primus (in fact,not in name only) of the Church in the U.S.A.who presides over his own provincial synod of eight metropolitans, (ii) the Primus , again in fact, of the Church of Crete which has its own Synod with another eight metropolitans, the Metropolitan of Rhodes, senior bishop among the four (now five) metropolitans of the Dodecanese Islands, the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, shepherd of a large chunk of the diaspora and traditionally viewed as the senior bishop in Western Europe, not to mention the Senior Metropolitan of Proussa with no actual flock but a vast experience in the diaspora, having been not only an auxiliary in Australia but Metropolitan in New Zealand and Exarch for Japanand. what is more important, Korea which is one of the missionary vineyards, a fruitful one at that, of the Oecumenical Throne. Of the other six, within Turkey, four are the archpastors of actual dioceses, with a dwindling flock but nevertheless, faithful citizens of the Kingdom.

As for the Enlarged and Greater Synod,called at very short notice it contained much of the cream of the Hierarchy. Had there been time there would have been, with much doubt an even larger attendance than became possible at a few days notice, similar to the numbers which flock at the Biennial Convocations of the Hierarchy which was the only form the Phanar could negotiate with the ubiquitous Turkish authorities which have been breathing down the neck of the Patriarchate for so long. This last factor has been consistently ignored by commentators and the all-knowing pundits who have failed to recognise the tremendous achievement of the authorities at the Phanar in their extracting concessions from Ankara which may amount, in God’s good time, to the beginning of the end of the Babylonian Captivity of the Oecumenical Patriarchate, commenced in 1923, in the Kemalist era, and which provbed to be much worse than the Ottoman one.

To Archbishop Spyridon with respect I submit this "Fair go, Your Eminence, formerly of America, give credit where it is due otherwise you run the risk, indeed morfe than the risk to be accused of crying sour grapes. With respect, aqcknowledge the progress, pray for its continuation and stand above personal considerations"

Platon Pilousiotis

[ ΣΧΟΛΙΑ ]

[ Re: Previous comment ]

από Anonymous στις 15-May-2004 @ 10:23:18 UTC

Editor,

I offer two comments on Mr. "Pilousitios"' theories posted on your site.

1. With regard to the appointment of Bishop Josef to the Metropolis (diocese) of New Zealand, I must remind your readers that Josef at the time of his new appointment by the Patriarchate was a suspended auxiliary bishop to the Archbishop of Australia, under investigation for rebellious and other activities. No "superior authority", whether a synod or a patriarch, have the canonical right to take a priest or an auxiliary bishop and appoint him in another diocese without the consent of the Hierarch under whom he is serving.

2. Metropolitan Damaskinos of Switzerland never gave his consent to be transfered to another diocese. Ever since when are bishops elected or transfered without knowing of their new appointment and -what is worse- against their own will? It's like making somebody the King of England while this somebody never wanted nor accepts to be the King of England. This type of action is totally ANTI-CANONICAL and papist. Such dubious elections, coercive transfers and appointments are the product of church dictatorship and not Orthodox synodal procedures.

Best regards,
John Carris