Metr. Philaret and the Antiochians.

bogoliubtsy · Post by **bogoliubtsy** » Sat 19 July 2003 11:14 am

I was at my priest's house last night and he mentioned to me a published letter of Metr. Philaret written as a kind of eulogy for a reposed Antiochian clergyman. This clergyman(whose name escapes me right now) was a big defender of the Western Rite and helped to establish Antiochian Western Rite parishes in the US.

Two things- My priest doesn't know if this was published in a ROCOR publication or elsewhere. Does anyone know where this might be found?

Also,
Kind of shows another side of Metr. Philaret that you don't hear about much today, huh?

Savva24 · Post by **Savva24** » Sat 19 July 2003 12:19 pm

Josh,

I am so glad you started this topic. I have been wanting to open a thread on Blessed Metropolitan Philaret since I joined this list but haven't gotten around to enough time. I hope we can have a healthy discussion on the matter. Extremists usually throw some of his letters around to prove their view of things, but I too think that there is another side to him which isn't so one dimentional. For example, the way he addresses Bishops of world Orthodoxy when warning them of the perilous path of Ecumenism that they are treading, he speaks to them as Orthodox bishops, not as heretics devoid of Grace. He also had the Fathers at Platina write about the life of a Moscow Patriarch Archimandrite which he found edifying and was persecuted by the extremists of his time for that. Someone else (I can't remember who) also wrote on this list not that long ago that he had said in front of their parents that they should take Sacraments in the MP if the need came.
I think all of the contradictions are worth going into and perhaps there is a great deal we can learn from exploring this here. I personally think that his views on Grace in World Orthodoxy and the MP seemed to have hardened in the last years of his life but I would love to get a real understanding about him since I think he is one of the greatest saints of our time. I knew him as a child and was never influenced by anyone more than he. I am sure that he is the only person I have ever met that radiated such sanctitiy and it is a great possibility that I would not be Orthodox now if it wasn't for my expirience of knowing him.
Hope others can bring much to this thread. I would be greatly indepted.

In Christ,

Nicholas

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Sat 19 July 2003 5:22 pm

Peter,

I've not seen that before, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open! I think I'll also go back and re-read the texts written by Met. Philaret this weekend.

Julianna · Post by **Julianna** » Sun 20 July 2003 12:28 am

I'd be willing to bet this's before the Antiochians went nuts communing heretics too. The first American Antiochian Metropolitan was very good!

Clifton · Post by **Clifton** » Sun 20 July 2003 7:57 am

Julianna wrote:
I'd be willing to bet this's before the Antiochians went nuts communing heretics too. The first American Antiochian Metropolitan was very good!

I'm currently an inquirer into Orthodoxy, and so I don't understand some of the background to comments I occasionally come across.

Could you (or someone) explain more specifically what you mean by this? This is a troubling assertion!

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Sun 20 July 2003 9:28 am

I sent you a PM about it, CDHealy... welcome to the forum