MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE = BIZARRE MISHMASH

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d9popov
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MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE = BIZARRE MISHMASH

Post by d9popov »

MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE = BIZARRE MISHMASH

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (the MP) can be accurately characterized as a bizarre mishmash of contradictions. The MP claims to uphold traditional Orthodoxy, yet it publishes vicious hit-pieces against the True Orthodox Christians. The MP claims to have a more reserved attitude towards ecumenism (than Constantinople), yet it has participated heavily in the ecumenical movement since the mid-1960s, including steering it in the direction of liberation theology and Marxism. The MP claims to be against papal supremacy, yet Patriarch Kirill's meeting and joint declaration with Pope Francis was conciliatory to this worst of popes. The MP claims to be against eastern papism in Constantinople, yet it is trying to make the Moscow Patriarch something like an East Slavic pope who is supreme over several unrelated nations. The MP claims to reject the Branch (Sister Church) Theory Heresy, yet it accepts the Heretical Sacraments Theory. Since the sacraments make the Church and the Church makes the sacraments, the Heretical Sacraments Heresy is a lesser form of the Sister Church Heresy. The MP claims to be against American interference in Constantinople and Poroshenko's interference in church life in Ukraine, yet it accepts Putin's interference and then proclaims Putin to be a "gift from God." The MP claims to condemn the murderous persecutions that Communists imposed on Christians, yet it also praises the pseudo-bishops and pseudo-patriarchs (like Sergius) who collaborated with the Communists in these persecutions. If there is an extreme, murderous dictator somewhere on earth, there is a good chance that the MP has given that murderer an award for good governance (!). The MP claims to be against Greek racism (and there is some real racism among the Constantinople hierarchs), but the MP oozes Great Russian chauvinism and denies the existence of other nations, like Ukraine (not "the" Ukraine, which implies it is only a border territory). The MP is correct that the new "autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine" is an uncanonical, secularizing body, yet the current MP is also uncanonical in origins (Stalinist, Sergianist origins) and it is a secularizing body, that persecutes the True Orthodox Christians, with the collaboration of the Vatican and the (former-)Communists.

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Barbara
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Re: MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE = BIZARRE MISHMASH

Post by Barbara »

Brilliant characterization of the striking contradictions in the MP's approach. So many good points.

But how do the Vatican and former Communists cooperate with the MP in the latter's unrelenting campaign to punish the TOC's ??

d9popov
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Re: MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE = BIZARRE MISHMASH

Post by d9popov »

Barbara wrote:

Brilliant characterization of the striking contradictions in the MP's approach. So many good points.

But how do the Vatican and former Communists cooperate with the MP in the latter's unrelenting campaign to punish the TOC's ??

Thank you, Barbara. Vatican-connected periodicals such as L'Osservatore Romano and La Civiltà Cattolica have been know to publish attacks on the True Orthodox Christians (for being anti-Vatican and for baptizing converts from Roman Catholicism to True Orthodoxy) as well as attacks against any alliance of conservative Roman Catholics and conservative Protestants (for example, for the Right-to-Life cause). So, Vatican propaganda against the True Orthodox is similar to the propaganda by Moscow and by the Greek new calendarists. Also, the Vatican seems to agree to a degree with Moscow's claims about "canonical territory," which claims are also used against the True Orthodox. The Moscow Patriarchate claims that no other Orthodox bodies can exist on its "canonical territory," including True Orthodox who have been separated from the Sergianist church for decades. Former Communists in the current Russian government (federation and local) have persecuted the True Orthodox, especially the Suzdal synod, known formally as the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church. This is the church that Bishop Gregory Grabbe supported. They have long rejected the loose ecclesiology known as Cyprianism. So, the True Orthodox are opposed by both the Vatican and the government of the Russian Federation. The Greek and Cypriot governments tolerate the True Orthodox, but I personally believe that the Greek government uses agents to infiltrate the True Orthodox in Greece and cause division, and also to push for eventual union with Jerusalem and/or union with the State (new calendar) Church in Greece. The new calendarist Archbishop Christodoulos Paraskevaides of Athens was obsessed with "solving" the "old calendar problem," in some way, and even wrote his doctoral dissertation on it. The Council of Crete in 2016 also condemned the True Orthodox while pushing greater "Orthodox" opening to the Vatican. KGB influence on the Moscow Patriarchate is well documented. There were similar situations with Communist intelligence agencies infiltrating the Romanian, Serbian, and Bulgarian Patriarchates. Those have all been well-documented, so no conspiracy theories or speculations are required. We know the basic facts. Certainly, we can all agree that the Soviet and Russian Federation governments infiltrated ROCOR and pushed for unia with Moscow. Today, an alliance between the Russian government and the Moscow Patriarchate is responsible for much pro-Moscow and anti-True-Orthodox propaganda and trolling on the internet. Currently, the Moscow line (both government and patriarchate) is to attack both the "extreme modernism" of Constantinople (and Ukrainian independentists) and the so-called "sectarian separatism" of old calendarist ecclesiology. Many in the Russian state and patriarchate want to discredit both "extremes" (extreme ecumenists and separatist old calendarists) and to position Moscow as the unrivaled leader of Eastern Christianity. (This is why Moscow defends Esphigmenou and the late Diodoros of Jerusalem. Moscow did not agree with them, but Moscow definitely wanted to pick-off their followers and hurt Constantinople.) When Patriarch John of Antioch served with Patriarch Kirill of Mocow last week, protocol should have dictated that Patriarch John must be the presiding bishop in the Liturgy (standing in the center and siting in the center chair or center throne), but the John and Kirill were positioned as co-equals. The Moscow Patriarchate does not really respect the ancient sees, but sometimes claims that it (Moscow) should be first --- because of its size, power, and money.

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Barbara
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Re: MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE = BIZARRE MISHMASH

Post by Barbara »

Thank you for your reply, d9: articulate and information-packed as always. I really learn so much from each of your explanations. I especially appreciate the clarifying lens with which you examine these highly complex topics.

What further is the story regarding Moscow and Patriarch Diodoros ? I have heard of him of course, but am not aware of his policies and approach. What did the MP agree with, in short, about this Jerusalem Patriarchate head ?

Also, I am guessing that the MP would dislike ANY JP Patriarch, right, seeing them as competition ?
Has the JP taken sides in this recent Ukraine separatist church conflict, by the way ?

Patriarch John of Antioch should have been allotted the central place due to his reigning over the most ancient see of the Patriarchates, right ? But only he would be considered for that honor, not any of the other Patriarchates ?

PS I didn't know that the MP backs Esphigmenou ! Are they vocal about it, or low-key ?

d9popov
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Re: MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE = BIZARRE MISHMASH

Post by d9popov »

Thank you Barbara. The ancient order of honor is Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Later, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, and Romania were proclaimed patriarchates. Cyprus has long been autocephalous. Ohrid (North Macedonia) was also autocephalous or autonomous centuries before other churches, such as Greece, Albania, and Poland. But both Serbs and Greeks resist Ohrid (North Macedonian) autocephaly today.

The ranking was influenced by influence of city, antiquity of the Christian presence in the city, and other factors.

Constantinople sometimes made the error (after 1054) of trying to partially copy the claims of Rome. In recent decades Constantinople has held a "synaxis" of churches where only Greeks are invited. Totally uncanonical. One such synaxis disciplined Diodoros for pursuing his own independent policies. (That deserves a later post with more detail.)

Some Russians went so far as to think that, if the Russian army were ever able to occupy Constantinople, then the Russian government could simply abolish the Patriarchate of Constantinople and subordinate its territory to the Russian Governing Synod. Today, one can still read arguments that Moscow should take the place of "protos" (first) from Constantinople because the Moscow church has so many millions more people.

The Jerusalem church is vulnerable: they try to maintain decent relations with Israel, Jordan, the Jerusalem Patriarchate's Palestinian flock, Greeks in Greece (who donate money), as well as the Moscow Patriarchate (who has tons of money), and even the CIA. The current Patriarch Theophilos was chosen when his cousin (according to reports), George Tenant, ran the CIA. Jerusalem has avoided overt offense to either Constantinople or Russia over Ukraine.

The politics of the "Word Orthodoxy" ecumenists is full of secular political intrigue, competition, and deals.

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