This is another chapter in the continuing story (see previous here) of the Greek Church's claims on all of Asia. Met. Nektarios of Hong Kong is claiming Southeast Asia as his exclusive territory and now Met. Konstantinos of Singapore has done the same with South Asia. To that end Met. Nektarios has in recent months not only spoken harshly of parishes from other Patriarchates that have been operating in the area for quite a long time, but has begun excommunicating people involved in founding more of these non-Greek parishes.
The existence of parishes from Antioch, Russia, and even the OCA before these hierarchs were even enthroned combined with a Chambésy process that sees things quite differently makes this latest story equal parts lamentable and confusing. Below is Met. Konstantinos' latest letter expressing outrage that Patriarch Irinej of Serbia chose to visit a parish in the "diaspora."
(OMSGSA) - Much to their surprise, the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Singapore and South Asia were informed via the official website of the Orthodox Church of Serbia about the visit of His Beatitude Patriarch of Serbia Irinej to Indonesia and his participation in an Interfaith Conference, organized by the Government of the aforementioned Asian country.
The surprise turned into great aggravation as the Church of Serbia never informed the local canonical Orthodox Metropolitan about the visit of the Patriarch.
And the aggravation turned into indignation as on the second day of his stay in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, Patriarch Irinej visited a place which belongs to the schismatic conventicle of the defrocked clergy Daniel Byantoro and presided over the service of Vespers, which was celebrated by schismatics.
The Orthodox Metropolitanate of Singapore and South Asia expresses their resentment over the non canonical actions of Patriarch Irinej, who disdained the canonical Orthodox Metropolitan and the canonical Orthodox Clergy who serve in Indonesia. The Orthodox Metropolitanate boldly declares that they expect more earnestness, prudence and fidelity to the Holy Canons from a Primate of an Autochephalus Orthodox Church.
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When bishops tout a novel & untenable interpretation of the 28th canon of the Council of Chalcedon, and give primacy to jurisdictional pissing matches rather than spreading the Gospel this is exactly what you get. When will Constantinople repent?
ReplyDeleteWish this bishop cared half as much about his people.
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DeleteSomeday. who knows.
DeleteSorry I deleted the previous comment because of grammatical mess. No comment about the current bishop but someday! Someday , a local Bishop will care of us! for both jurisdictions (if it's possible!) It will be happened by the willing of God! Bishop must be an Indonesian, not Greek, not Russian, not Serbian, not American because there are no Orthodox Church of Greece, Orthodox Church of Russia, and there is no Orthodox Church of America, either. Only Orthodox Church of Indonesia. Our country has been independent since 1945 after being colonized for 350 years. So, I think it's enough!
DeletePoor Archimandrite Daniel, a highly effective missionary, was treated like dirt by the Greeks and, eventually, was given refuge by ROCOR. He is not a "schismatic," in the sense of one who separates from "the Church" for his own advantage or beliefs. He is the victim of Hellenic arrogance and jurisdictional infighting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad, sad, commentary on the state of our Holy Church: our people are being abused or slaughtered for the faith by Muslims around the world, the innocent unborn continue to be poisoned or chopped up in utero, the freedom to practice Christianity in the US military or in academic institutions is rapidly being whittled away, and what do our Patriarchs and Metropolitans spend their time doing? Arguing over "territory."
I believe in good canonical order, but this is just a travesty.
Lord have mercy !
DeleteThe most victims are us, the laymen who do not know what to do except obey to what clergy said. We , from both jurisdictions, really want to be united and to be able to worship together in One Body of Christ. However, the Clergies has instilled a sense of mutual hate and planted hatred between us. Should we still obey our own “Fathers” if they command us to hate each other? Should we bear the brunt caused by "the Clergy's politics". Would the Holy Spirit still work in the midst of us who have to fight with our own brothers in Christ? Kyrie Eleison! Gospodi Pomiluj! Tuhan Kasihanilah! May our Holy Mother of God Theotokos will help us here.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that your thought is going too far, brother. This is the cross we ought to bear. Overthinking also tends to lead from one bad thought to another bad thought and so on down the line. As you said that we as the parishioners are simply listening to what was decided by our own father . It's not our territory to analyze the decisions of our father moreover with our prejudices. As St. Ignatius’s exhortations that the faithful should be obedient to the Bishop and Presbyters. So, just be obedient. Obedience is cooperation out of love and respect :)
Deleteto men pnevma prothymon ..i de sarx adynami.
DeleteHopefully this case could be addressed wisely even though it was the most regrettable that this has happened and all the laymen “suffered” by it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I write here is not representing of any jurisdictions . It's all just about my personal words based on facts I knew.
Fact#1. the representative of the Orthodox Church in the government of Indonesia ( The Churches Council of Indonesia ) is Fr . Daniel Byantoro .
Fact#2. The family of one Minister of Indonesian Government is the laymen of st . Thomas under ROC/Rocor . So I understand , due to it was a state visit and not a church visit, so there were a protocol should be followed .
Fact#3. Even according to my Serbian friends, Patriarch Irinej did not have opportunity to visit the Serbian embassy in Jakarta .
Fact#4.The official notification from Church of Serbia to the Metropolitanate Singapore is a must, as also said by our Serbian friends in Jakarta. ( The Church of Serbia is very aware of that. I think it needs to be clarified because Serbian friends in Jakarta believed that the notification has been carried out according to the rules the Church , and hopefully it was just a miscommunication only )
Fact#5. Most of Serbian expats in Jakarta always attend Sunday service at church under EP.
Fact#6. The Ambassador of Serbia Mr . Jovan Jovanović and the ambassador of Belarus Mr . Vladimir Zagorsky were the only two ambassadors who had great respect to Bishop Constantinos of Singapore when visiting church under EP jurisdiction in Jakarta. They attended Sunday Service and met Bishop Constantinos of Singapore ( while sorry to say that the Greek ambassador never come to the Church ).
Fact#7. The Serbian expats and students in Indonesia are very humble, nice people and Orthodox. I don’t want this case hurts their hearts.
Greeks are our Orthodox brothers!
DeleteSerbs, Russians and Greeks are brothers!
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ReplyDeleteAn Orthodox Bishop must be faithful to the Orthodox Faith. Saying that a Bishop has to be Indonesian is a heresy condemned as ethnophyletism (ecclesiastical racism).
ReplyDeleteIt is mr. Daniel Byantoro that treats the Church like dirt. He was a Greek Priest in suspension who sought another Bishop without the knowledge of his own Bishop. He moved jurisdiction without Canonical release and was defrocked by his Bishop. He caused division among Orthodox Christians in Indonesia and still does until this day.