Tuesday, December 4, 2018

EP makes fourth visit to South Korea

Patriarch Bartholomew traveled to South Korea for the 50th anniversary of St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Seoul and give the opening speech at the Environmental International Symposium ‘Ecology, theology, and human dignity in Orthodox Christian tradition.'

9 comments:

  1. Four visits seems like a lot. Is there such a big Orthodox population in South Korea?

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    1. And after the warmer it was under the oca. Just saying

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  2. Four visits in the entire span of his time as Ecumenical Patriarch. The Metropolis of Korea is a truly special place, a diamond in the rough of jurisdictional chaos that is sadly a feature of the Diaspora. Only one bishop presides in Korea, Metropolitan Ambrosios, who is a big proponent and heavy voice for Mission within the Ecumenical Patriarchate (and is no nonsense when it comes to Territorial shenanigans). His predecessor, Metropolitan Sotirios (former Metropolitan of Korea and now of Alanya-Pisidia in Southern Turkey) served there for years (and continues to serve as a Spiritual Father), facilitating the growth of the Church in Korea through the grace of Our Lord by translating EVERYTHING into Korean, ordaining native clergy and building parishes and serving the Liturgies in the language of the people. Not only that, Metropolitan Sotirios was also involved in Mission work in much of Asia. In addition, when the Soviet Union fell and an influx of Slavophone workers came to Korea for economic reasons, Metropolitan Sotirios learned Slavonic so he could serve the Liturgy for them, AND he recruited a priest from Russia to come and serve their pastoral needs, on the Old Calendar AND with their Liturgical traditions intact. Metropolitan Ambrosios continued this. This community still exists today, in the form of St. Maxim's Parish/Chapel at the main Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Seoul. The current priest is a Ukrainian ordained within the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Father Roman, a wonderful man). In short, ALL Orthodox of ALL jurisdictions receive pastoral care. It isn't a large community (between 5-8000, give or take) but it is close knit community and a sanctuary from all the political mess happening in the Church currently (The Slavophone parish and Russians who attend there are still active members of the Church).

    www.orthodoxkorea.org
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvtxQmPMNO4&t=763s

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  3. David, the guy you are responding to posted a single off-handed comment, and you post a huge wall of text in response. I appreciate the info about the Korean Metropolis, and the holy men who are it’s hierarchs and presbyters, but an entire essay (with a somewhat anti-ROC agenda implied) is a bit much. Yours in Christ, James

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  4. my phone restructured my response - please forgive - what i mean't to say s that after the war - WW2 - both Japan and Korea were under the OCA. For many years the Russian presence in Asia was very visible -- so in look at what Constantinople is doing is interloping on territory that others opened up to Eastern Orthodoxy -- or am I incorrect? Should all of Asia not be under the Autonomous Church of Japan???

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    1. "Should all of Asia not be under the Autonomous Church of Japan???" No. Why should they be? In fact that would probably be a disastrous arrangement.

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  6. My post was an answer to both commenters. Just a blurb of info. As for "interloping," that isn't what happened at all. The Ecumenical Patriachate took on the pastoral care of missions that were abandoned/destroyed because of the Cold War. The Russian Church was forced to abandon these missions, either due to inability to support or because the governments of these localities didn't want the Russian Church there (due to it being infiltrated by the KGB and used as a Soviet tool). The faithful needed pastoral care, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate took them in. This wasn't "sheep stealing" but responding to a genuine need.

    "Anti-ROC?" Are we football teams or political parties? Lord, have mercy. My comment was just to highlight how the Church in Korea is outside this nonsense that currently has embroiled our Church due to the work of it's people (and the people there want to keep it that way). That's all.

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