That picture was SO irritating to look at, SO DARK ! - that I felt compelled to see who on earth this was.
It's someone calling himself Bishop Anthony [Michaels]. Now you may laugh at me, but compare this person with Abp Gregory of Colorado, and suddenly criticisms of the latter dwindle in the face of such a laughingstock of a "bishop". This Auxiliary Bishop Anthony of Toledo, Ohio [not Spain] looks like an American actor struggling hard to present himself in the role of an Eastern Bishop.
The priest pictured on the same website page wrote about himself :
Fr. Ignatius and his wife Kh. Maria have four children and assorted pets. He loves history, theology, archaeology, Celtic music, exploring caves, watching stars, waterfalls and geysers. Some of his favorite authors include C. S. Lewis and Edgar Allan Poe. He enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock movies.... Fr. Ignatius likes to collect ancient coins: Roman, Greek.... Byzantine, etc., and will gladly talk about them to anyone who feigns interest.
I think Fr Ignatius meant "anyone who evinces interest", unless he was really trying to make a joke at his own expense, ie. that anyone faking curiosity would be the recipient of an hour long monologue about the early 3rd century Roman Empire denarii.
Why I copied this paragraph is that I am appalled that a priest would even consider reading morbid Edgar Allan Poe poems. "Quoth the raven nevermore" is all I remember off hand, but this author, while famous, is an example of the trash that American students are required to study. What possible benefit to the soul is there in delving into the depths of Hell via Poe's evil consciousness through his macabre writings ? Why would English teachers force students to read these essentially horror tales ? But much worse - why would an Antiochian priest claim to ENJOY them ? Odd that in only a few sentences summing up his church career and personal tastes, Fr Ignatius included this dubious information -- while he did not even mention his last name.
I won't even start on the Alfred Hitchcock movies in this regard. I had to take a class which intensively studied them, so I well remember how creepy most of his films were. What kind of people are entering the World Orthodox clergy these days - ? We may need to examine that specific reason as the key to the alarming trend to modern American dress, hair and beard styles.
The picture of bp Anthony [Michaels] exudes not a hint of ascetic striving. The beardlessness in particular removes any sense of the holy about him. In fact, ouch ! My eyes hurt gazing at him more than a minute or two to analyze. I think I will end here for the moment.
Really good thread, though> I am sorry I had missed it back in 2016. Thanks Matthew, wherever you are, for those great starting posts.
Bishop Irineos, do you mean that the World Orthodox clergy go around on the street wearing jeans ? That is atrocious.