Anti-ecumenism "council" to be held in Ukraine
(Pravoslavie.ru) - An international coalition opposing the decisions of last June’s “Pan-Orthodox” Council on the island of Crete are planning to hold a “Pan-Orthodox” Council in Ukraine in June-July to anathematize ecumenism and those who support it, reports the site Religion in Ukraine.
The decision for the Ukraine synaxis came as a result of the recent “Thessaloniki Inter-Orthodox Synaxis” held on April 4. Although the gathering was forbidden by the hierarchy of the Greek Church, it brought together about a thousand clerical, monastic, and lay opponents of ecumenism and globalism from the Greek, Romanian, and Russian Orthodox Churches.
Greetings and blessings were read out to the gathering from Bishop Longin (Zhar), vicar bishop of the Chernivtsi Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and founder of Holy Ascension Monastery in Bachensk, which cares for around 500 children, some of whom are disabled and afflicted with HIV.
The synaxis called upon Greek clergy to cease commemoration of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, saying, “We have suspended association with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as the main organizer of the Council, and with the representatives and preachers of the pan-heresy of ecumenism, and with all bishops who accept the Crete Council as Orthodox.”
Those gathered condemned ecumenism and the Crete Council. Moreover, the Thessaloniki participants laid plans to hold a Pan-Orthodox anti-ecumenism council at Bachensk Monastery in June-July, in which they intend to anathematize Patriarch Bartholomew and others who they view as supporters of ecumenism.
Bishop Longin has also taken a strict stance in regards to Patriarch Kirill’s February, 2016 joint declaration with Pope Francis. At the same time, Vladyka Longin has remained a member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church—a body advising the highest authority of the Russian Church in matters concerning its internal life and external activities.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Holy Ascension Monastery in Bachensk yesterday, on Thomas Sunday, or Anti-Pascha, concelebrated by Metropolitan Meletios of Chernivtsi and Bukovina and Bishop Longin.
Why is the word council in quotes?
ReplyDeleteI think it's still to early to call it such. I don't even call Crete a council.
DeleteI don't see why the word "council" has to carry so much weight. It's just a meeting where people get together to talk about stuff and maybe make decisions. I had a council with my dog yesterday.
DeleteBecause some forces are treating these events as binding and silencing detractors. This is also how schisms are started.
DeleteOnly the ecumenists are declaring their decisions to be binding upon the universal Church ahead of time. A meeting of bishops is a council, whether a it is assured, valid or true, God will declare it.
Delete"Bishop Longin has also taken a strict stance in regards to Patriarch Kirill’s February, 2016 joint declaration with Pope Francis."
ReplyDeleteWhat does that mean? A "strict stance"?
That the two men shouldn't have met? That they shouldn't have said anything about it? That what they said was heresy? Honestly, what's this all about?
Oh....this is going to end well....
ReplyDeleteGlory be to God!
ReplyDeleteThe time is long overdue for those who adhere to the Orthodoxy of the Holy Church fathers to take a stand against the ecumenists and modernists. The pan-heresy of ecumenism as set forth by the Cretan robber synod must be exposed!
So much of this is classic internet-o-doxy. First, no Patriarch can be adequately judged apart from his brother Patriarchs. This seems to be a well-hewn principle of canon law, and one to which even the blessed Patriarch Nikon of the Russian Church appealed in the 17th Century. Certainly this was true in the case of Pope Vigilius, Pope Honorius, and even St. John Chrysostom (his brother Patriarch of Alexandria convened the Synod of the Oak). Second, if bishops are a part of this and anathematize the Ecumenical Patriarch's person (rather than heresies he allegedly espouses and then calling upon him to categorically deny and anathematize these heresies), then they must be willing also to anathematize all those who do not follow suit and who continue, after fair notice, to remain in communion with the EP.
ReplyDeleteI really wonder if some of this is zeal not according to knowledge. I hate anti-canonical ecumenism, and I hate relativistic diplomat-speak coming from the mouths of Christ's bishops. Nevertheless, nothing has been dogmatized or formally promulgated that explicitly denies the fact that Orthodoxy is the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. If the EP is a heretic, God will separate him in due time.
How long, though, did the Church bear with the ever more imperialistic claims of the Roman See? First, they began to take literally the Roman-style exclamations of praise that other sees also received (for instance, the Pope of Alexandria's titles include: 13th Apostle, New Pharaoh, and Judge of the Universe), and to exaggerate its canonical role as a teacher of the oikoumene and stalwart of Nicene Orthodoxy to the exclusion of other Apostolic sees. It took its role of pastoral unifier and resolver of canonical disputations to mean that it had universal immediate jurisdiction over all believers, could not err, need not listen to the rest of the Church (esp the Eastern half) and was essentially the sine qua non of ecclesial validity. This didn't happen over night. Non-commemoration in the diptychs and the promulgation of the patristic doctrines regarding the Holy Spirit's procession didn't occur until much later. Even then, people like St. Mark of Ephesus were open to reunion and to the canonically sanctioned version of Roman/Petrine primacy. This was a process of alienation and the perversion of the Orthodox dogmas of the Trinity in the West, first out of ignorance of the Greek patristic teaching, and then willful error.
My point is that this was a process, and the holy fathers of every age were willing to seek unity based upon the truth and were not so quick to hand out anathemata, even when people really deserved them.
And my point this is some vicar bishop somewhere in Ukraine with no power, authority, and means to do anything important. He does it most likely on a request of Patr. Cyril or Metr. Humphrey to gather all the whining types in one place and not let them go out. Kinda like Chaplin. And I suppose he will receive the exact same treatment as Chaplin when he tries to do anything on his own.
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