28 March AD 2024

MONDAY EASTERN ORTHODOX EDITION

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Credit: Paparazzza from Shutterstock via The American Conservative)

The Ugly Politics Of Orthodoxy

. . .the 2 great rival churches in Orthodoxy are the Greeks & the Russians.  This goes back many centuries.  In Orthodox ecclesiology, the Patriarch of Byzantium has historically been considered the first among equals.  Orthodoxy does not have a pope;  it’s ruled collegially, by synods.  The Byzantine patriarch is more like the Archbishop of Canterbury in that way.  After Byzantium fell to the Ottomans, the Moscow — the Russian church — became the de facto great power in world Orthodoxy.  The Byzantine patriarch — now called the Ecumenical Patriarch — has continued on all these years as a figurehead.  The current one, Bartholomew, lives in a small quarter in Istanbul.  Unlike Moscow, he has no money, but he does have the power, by virtue of his office, to grant “autocephaly” — the right to self-rule — to national churches in communion with his See. . .

by Rod Dreher

Independence for Ukraine’s Orthodox Church: Earthquake for Putin – Atlantic Council
Russian Orthodox Cuts Ties With Constantinople Over Ukraine Spat – The Moscow Times
Bartholomew to Allow 2nd Marriages for Greek Orthodox Priests – Greek Reporter
Orthodox Messes Great & Small – Rod Dreher
The Best Eastern Monastic Documentaries – Rick Yoder, The Amish Catholic
Ukraine Orthodox Ready for War – Sandro Magister, Settimo Cielo
How to Revitalize Greek Orthodox Church in 21st century – V. Coufoudakis, Kathimerini
The Russian Orthodox Believers Who Treat the Tsar Like a God – K von Eggert, C. Herald
Cleric: ‘No Going Back’ on Ukraine Split from Russia Church – AP via Crux
The Day 1500-Yr-Old Underground Byzantine Church Found in Turkey – Aleteia
Construction Begins on Japan’s First Orthodox Monastery – Orthodox Christianity
Unexpected Relationship between US Evangelicals & Russian Orthodox – Christian Cntry
The Majority of Serbians are Opposed to a Papal Visit to Serbia – Orthodox Christianity
Orthodoxy Has Become Second Biggest Religion in Monaco – The Eponymous Flower
Gigantic Procession in Russia to Honor the Czar – Tancred, The Eponymous Flower
Putin Wants God (or at Least the Church) on His Side – Ch. Stroop, Foreign Policy
Kirill Wrong to Blame Tsar’s Murder on Foreign Influence – Fr Lucie-Smith PhD, C Herald
A Fillip for Ukrainian Hopes of Spiritual Independence – The Economist
Priest Cleanses Odessa City Ctr w/Holy Water after Gay Parade – Orthodox Christianity
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time