I must say that the pan-Orthodox Sunday of Orthodoxy events were very different affairs all over the country. Some priests continued to go, some chose to stay home, some went to alternative Sunday of Orthodoxy events held by ROCOR. Some priests I know who never go to such events who went to the pan-Orthodox icon procession just so they wouldn't look like they held any sort of animus. For my part, there were more people at this year's event than I had ever seen before.
(SOC-NASA) - During the first week of the Great Fast, as we are preparing to once again on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, in a visible way with all other Orthodox Christians, celebrate the Triumph of Orthodoxy and the Restoration of Icons, the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church hereby notifies its priests and faithful to steadfastly maintain to the current practice of concelebration with other Orthodox bishops, priests and faithful from all the Orthodox Dioceses in the United States of America. In other words, that they do not interrupt any such common fellowship or concelebrations which they have been doing for decades on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, as well as on other feasts and times of the year. It is only through liturgical participation of the people of God which protects the communion with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:13)
Since some of our faithful, less familiar with the situation, have heard confusing and sometimes inaccurate information, in which is heard that the Serbian Church supposedly is not in communion with some of the Orthodox Patriarchates or autocephalous churches, we set forth following:
We recommend that all Orthodox believers entrusted to our Diocese, not to be subject to any disinformation regarding the alleged non-participation of our Church in Pan-Orthodox services. There are strange and contradictory attitudes coming from various sides whose messengers are somewhere claiming and somewhere suggesting that the Serbian church is supposedly recommending that we distance ourselves from those with whom, until now, we have been in communion. In this regard, we state that it is unacceptable to turn to an uncanonical separation from communion in the eucharistic-hierarchical unity with the other Orthodox Churches in the Diaspora and the whole world.
We remind everyone of the wise ecclesial words of the distinguished Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios (Yannoulatos) as well as those of Metropolitan of Dioclea, Kallistos (Ware), that the Holy Liturgy (communion) can never be allowed to be used as a tool in a fight against those who think differently from ourselves. Metropolitan Kallistos, who will also be the keynote speaker at the Church Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America in July 2019, expressed his concern that one church has decided to break communion with another church, and explicitly recommends that “this question should be decided in the spirit of brotherly love, without interrupting the Eucharistic community."
Therefore, we want to encourage our clergy, monastics and faithful to be more earnestly united in the prayer and Eucharistic communion with all Orthodox Christian faithful in America, and more specifically, with representatives of all canonical jurisdictions: Ecumenical Patriarchate (all of its hierarchs and its Dioceses of the United States), Antiochian Patriarchate, Moscow Patriarchate (including the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia), Serbian Patriarchate, Romanian Patriarchate, Bulgarian Patriarchate, Georgian Patriarchate, and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). By this church-building unity and love, the Serbian Church in America, by action and participation in full fellowship in Christ, by the grace of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God the Father, give a blameless example to other Orthodox Christians.
In conclusion, in this year when our Serbian Church celebrates 800 years of its autocephaly, we are invited all to act as such a jubilee prescribes: celebrating unity in an overall way and witnessing to the spirit of unity both among our people and in relation to other Orthodox Churches.
- The Bishop of West American Diocese Maxim
Posts
It would be more accurate to say, "a Serbian diocese".
ReplyDeleteGiven where it was posted it seems as if he is speaking not just for the the Western American diocese but for the Serbian Church in America.
DeleteBut by that logic, the statement by Irinej of Bachka, advising Serbian clergy to avoid EP clergy is the Patriarchate's position, as it was posted on their website.
DeleteCheck with Bp.Longin for another take on this.
ReplyDeleteNote the Serbian Diocese of West American states the Ecumenical Patriarchate is a canonical jurisdiction. Therefore, any hierarchs, dicoeses, parishes, and monasteries in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate are canonical, too, even if their autocephalous status (cf. OCA) is questioned. I'm glad others have recently noted the various and sundry times schismatic Orthodox individuals and bodies have been accepted back into Orthodoxy without rebaptism, rechrismation, reordination, etc. and without requiring formal (to obsequious) repentance and submission. As we should all remember during the Fast, the rules are not the point of the fast. The partial healing of a schism that left literally millions of Orthodox in Ukraine - more than those in the UOC-MP! - outside of the Church should be a cause for celebration. Unless, of course, 1) salvation isn't really the point of all this and/or 2) we don't really believe salvation is found only in the Orthodox Church.
ReplyDeleteIf it were a true reunion, it would be a cause for great celebration for sure, but just as the unia with Rome in the 15th century was not a
Deletecause for celebration since it caused more real harm than it did help;so also this so-called “reunification” is not to be celebrated, as it did more damage to pan-orthodox unity than it did help the (as of now still schismatic) groups in Ukraine. More than anything, I would portray this situation as a cause for intensifying our prayers, both for the canonical church in Ukraine (UOC-MP) and the schismatics (OCU), as well as the unity of the church as a whole. Lent is a time of great trials and lamentation. So I think this whole situation is quite fitting for the melancholy spirit of Lent. The very fact that salvation is only found in the Orthodox church, is why we cannot accept those who would see it destroyed into our fold without repentance.
I'm sorry but the narrative that the schismatics have a huge following is false. Less than 1,000 people showed up for the receiving of their "Tomos", there has been no mass exodus from the canonical true Church, and meanwhile Bart has threatened to declare the millions of faithful Ukrainians uncanonical if they don't join his farce. How does that solve anything?
DeleteFurthermore, self ordained "bishops" and "priests" cannot be received as such, much less without repentance.
This isn't about being legalistic this is precisely about spiritual realities and the spirit of the truth. To acknowledge false ordinations and to allow arrogant and defiant schismatics to force their will upon the Church would be a horrible precedent.
And that's still ignoring the larger issue of Bart setting himself up as the Pope of the East who can interfere anywhere without permission or consent, and that everything he declares is the truth and can't be questioned, only acknowledgdled.
Sojourner, I agree.
DeleteYour point seems self-evident; as the old saying goes, "The proof is in the pudding."
Just looking at the numbers of the canonical vs schismatic bodies (AND lack of movement in the direction of the schismatics that was erroneously predicted) as well as the coercive tactics of the schismatics it would seem like any objective person would at least have pause before jumping on the Phanar's bandwagon.
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Josephus for posting Bp. Maxim’s letter so we can read that his position is absolutely in line with what Metr. Gerasimos and Patr. Bartholomew say on the subject of maintaining Communion within the Orthodox Churches.
ReplyDeleteIt should be well noted that Gerasimos just convened the Conference of clergy and laity for his Metropolis with the exact same message, decrying the ‘use of Sacraments as a weapon against the Mother Church who has only lovingly exercised her pastoral role in healing the Ukrainian schism’. Gerasimos went on to enjoin the gathering to carry this message to all the parishes of his Metropolis.
The steadfast obfuscation of the reason the Moscow Patriarchate has broken communion with C’ple by EP clergy makes perfect polemical sense. But to hear it parroted in exactly the same manner by a Serbian bishop is disturbing - though Maxim’s reputation as a hellenophile precedes him. The insidious nature of the obfuscation is vexing because it’s so apt to flourish - blaming the Russians - among Americans. The Phanar has gained the support of Kallistos and Athansios and now Maxim shifting blame to Moscow for its reaction to what cannot be seen as anything but uncanonical invasion of another Patriarchate’s territory.
It is worth noting that this is the same Bishop Maxim who suggested America be turned over to the Greek bishops since they're so "skilled at administration"...I am curious as to why he's so pro hellenism while being a Serb
DeleteMy dear friend at OrthoChristian is reporting a more complex situation:
ReplyDeletehttp://orthochristian.com/120051.html
"Finally, the Serbian Orthodox Church is, by necessity, forced to cease liturgical and canonical communion not only with Mr. Epiphanius Dumenko and his followers, but also with the hierarchs and clergy who concelebrate and enter into communion with them, in accordance with the canonical principal that he who enter into communion with someone who is outside of communion places himself outside communion."
ReplyDeleteHonestly it's such a relief to see the Church still has faithful hierarchs who take these spiritual matters seriously.
I was told Maxim studied in Greek schools and became enamored of Hellenism then. Observing his liturgical interactions with Metr. Gerasimos one can see he always cedes him the seat of honor, even in his own Serbian cathedral of St. Stephan in Alhambra. This would accord with the comment above about Maxim calling for ally the churches to be handed over to Greek bishops.
ReplyDeleteMaxim also pronounced his distaste for the existence of Macedeno-Bulgarian ecclesiastic communities, which would coincide with Phanariot sentiments behind the repeated arson of their church in Istanbul necessitating the construction of the famous Iron Church that still stands there, protected both by fireproof materials and the Turkish State.
"the other Churches in the Diaspora"
ReplyDeleteHow very, very quaint. As if they're all just waiting for the Great War to end and then everybody's making aliyah back home.
How long does the Serbian Church intend to remain genetically Serbian? Are they importing breeding pairs?
What's this "America?" The US, Canada or Mexico? Do the Serbians realize they've emigrated to a real country with real founding stock who consider it their native country, not just terra nova? There's still a Carpatho-Russian jurisdiction around somewhere--how many genetic Carpatho-Russians are left?
The hierarchs have had nearly 200 years to address this. They cynically collected remittances from ethnic fiefdoms and grew complacent. Complacency is dangerous; the EP saw an opening and took it, not that I expect Greek supremacism to go over well in the US.
Why was this not discussed in the seminaries? What have the bishops been doing?