tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73042886598650075.post4387360749308779175..comments2024-03-22T11:37:52.668-05:00Comments on Byzantine, Texas: On the fraught exarchate in EuropeByzantine, TXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845681957622343484noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73042886598650075.post-13279533027148728332019-07-11T01:36:19.798-05:002019-07-11T01:36:19.798-05:00"In 2008, M.N. Kuznetsov and I.V. Ponkin note...<br />"In 2008, M.N. Kuznetsov and I.V. Ponkin noted that “Credo-Press” gained fame by “the systematic publication of slanderous and false; offensive materials, including in relation to the Russian Orthodox Church and other major religious organizations historically represented in Russia, traditional religions, and has already established itself as an information resource that promotes extremist and other marginalized sect promotes homosexuality , and other human vices "Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06277889467316537183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73042886598650075.post-65875431478916124502019-07-11T01:29:57.501-05:002019-07-11T01:29:57.501-05:00Apparently the source that the Asianews article ge...Apparently the source that the Asianews article gets it's weird claims from is one "Credo press" from which, and I quote "The selection of materials is carried out in accordance with the public position of the portal, which is a liberal opposition party that is critical of the Russian Orthodox Church"Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06277889467316537183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73042886598650075.post-84625081168938416072019-07-11T00:41:22.783-05:002019-07-11T00:41:22.783-05:00"Asianews" is so blatantly disingenuous ..."Asianews" is so blatantly disingenuous here it is almost laughable. They have written many slanderous and untruthful articles in the past, of which this one is not the first. They are often very unjustly accusatory of the Russian church of this or that false scandal, or some other made-up controversy. They were particularly scathing and slanderous right after the Ukranian debacle in November, making terrible predictions that the Russians would try to make Patriarch Kirill the Pope and somehow blackmail Bartholomew. Dime a dozen tabloids. <br /><br />The Western European Exarchate is in my opinion a very venerable institution, filled with many faithful laity and just Hierarchs. Archbishop John is a wonderful bishop, and a great man. Despite the accusations that he is trying to proclaim some sort of "aucocephaly" by his refusal to submit his church to the Greek Bidhops, he has been faithfully leading his flock towards the Russian Church, which the Ecarchate split off from (much like ROCOR) in 1931. It was created by joint personal order of St. Tikhon and St. Benjamin of Petrograd in 1921 NOT in the 1917 synod as this article falsely claims. From what I have learned, the laity and hierarchy of the Exarchate simply want to preserve their self governing status, and be semi-autonomous. This request has been met with open arms by the ROC, with the ROC even offering to change the charter of the Russian Missions department in order to accommodate the autonomous status of the Exarchate, just like they did when ROCOR was recieved back into the Patriarchate. <br /><br />Sorry to go off like this, but slander against such good hierarchs like Archbishop John really gets my goat. Especially when it is so blatantly motivated by politics, as articles from "Asianews" often are. <br /><br />Sidenote: I visited the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on the Rue Daru just this past summer, and saw Archbishop John Serve. It was wonderful!Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06277889467316537183noreply@blogger.com