jgress wrote:In general, I'm trying to keep a lid on all the conspiratorial language being used in this debate. On the one side, you have the "Greeks" saying that Vladimir M is machinating behind the scenes, or that Bp Akakije is ambitious and eager for power etc.
It is not conspiracy theories. Read again the encyclical. The Akakians along with the Russians didn't have the patience to wait one more day for the Synod to decide. They were determined for this ordination long ago..
jgress wrote:On the other side, you have the "Slavs" accusing the Synod and Abp Callinicus of plotting to absorb the Serbian Church and indeed every other local church, of trying to sabotage union with the RTOC etc, without any substantive evidence that these are the intentions of the GOC synod.
No evidence at all ! They keep pleading the panslavic sentimentality and emotional ethnic criteria for their actions (their appeal to RTOC) instead of theological and canonic criteria. The Holy Canons are against them and that's it! All this time we hear from fr. Stephan and fr. Akakios only attacks for the schisms occured in the history of the GOC from ambitious clerics like them (Kyprianos, Makarios, Paicius etc). No arguments so far. As for the slanders that Mr. Moss points in his bully-letter to the British, the GOCs never spread around such things about fr. Akakios. We are informed about these from his letter for the first time.
jgress wrote:The point is not that there may not be some truth in either interpretation, but that so many people are just throwing these accusations around without bothering to provide evidence.
We have provide evidence for every single thing we have stated.