A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 18 - Tuesday, May 4th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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Bartholomaios’ new attack These are not the best of times for Christianity. After the “The Da Vinci Code,” the book that cast doubt on the divinity of Christ had sold millions of copies, and the controversial movie, “The Passion of Christ,” sent critics screaming of anti-Semitism and hardcore violence, we are now faced with a possible all-out civil war between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Autocephalous Church of Greece. The issue dividing them is simply this: Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomaios is seeking ecclesiastical control over 36 provinces of Greece. He supports his claim based on a 1928 document indicating that the Patriarchate was ceding these provinces to the Church of Greece until the Patriarchate could take them back again. Bartholomaios thinks now is the time for such a transference to take place, given the opportunity that three of these provinces—including Salonica, the second largest city of Greece—had vacant Metropolitan positions. His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece, spent a whole year trying to find an amicable solution to this problem. Instead, he found a Patriarchate bent on getting all or nothing. So, ignoring Bartholomaios’ harshly toned, threat-laced “messages,” Christodoulos went ahead and elected new metropolitans. It needs to be stated, even if it is not pleasant, that neither the Church nor the political authorities of Greece will ever go back to the 1928 document because much has changed since then. Moreover—and this is a crucial fact—they would never allow any institution based in Turkey, even as important as the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to exercise that kind of authority in Greece proper. This feud between the two Churches affects us here in the states as well, since we belong administratively to the Church of Constantinople. But many of us also hail from Greece. Also, our archbishop is a member of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate and, therefore, whatever actions the Patriarchate takes apply directly to us, too. Should things reach a point of no return between them—as some people believe they will—we will be forbidden to engage in any religious activity with Greece! We understand and sympathize with the problems facing the Patriarchate. However, Bartholomaios is making things worst by acting in such a forceful and intimidating way.
We appeal to both
sides to reach an understanding before the
Patriarchate and millions of faithful Greek
Orthodox Christians suffer any more damage. The
Church cannot solve its problems by issuing
threats. Instead, it makes things worst.
Bartholomaios needs to understand that with so
many crises erupting in other churches since he
took over, his position has weakened—not
strengthened. |
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