Is This Ecumenism?

[Barbara]

No, I believe not. It's more political policy than anything ELSE.
I never had heard about this incident, nor the battle
I am glad that the help was extended, since the Italians were actually DREADFUL occupiers of, for example, Libya. They were far from kindly.

Do you have any idea who that Russian cleric is ?

[Barbara]

Yes, I see what you mean.

[SavaBeljovic]

In 1895, Menelik II sent an embassy to Russia, which was warmly received by Nicholas II. The Russian Tsar awarded the Ethiopian Emperor the "Order of Solomon" and provided Ethiopia with weapons and military advisors. This support was crucial in Ethiopia's victory against Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, a significant event in African resistance to colonialism.

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It doesn't sound they prayed together (and arguably you could find worse examples of "Ecumenism" in pre-revolutionary Russia than this). The Tsars of Russia often awarded many foreign dignitaries of all sorts of faiths (from British Anglicans, French Catholics, German Lutherans etc.) with military awards and this wasn't uncommon even among the Greek Monarchy that briefly existed until WW1 or the Serbian Monarchs even prior to the assassination of Kralja Aleksandr and Kraljica Draga.

St. Tikhon, Confessor Patriarch, was awarded all sorts of doctorates and degrees by Anglicans, and St. John of Kronstadt was friends with several Anglican priests. In some cases with them there was even "joint prayer" but at that time it was not understood well by Orthodox Christians -- especially prior to the internet -- how these people deviated from the Orthodox Faith, and many times the Anglicans lied about wanting to join the Orthodox Church.

In Russia in the 1870s there was a push (mostly by the state) to "reconcile" the Armenian Monophysites with the Orthodox Church, and there were similar calls in Constantinople around this time. Perhaps there were bad actors -- in the case of Constantinople we know many Bishops were Freemasons even long before Meletios Metaxakis -- but this doesn't sound like that.

Like our dearest sister Barbara pointed out, the Italians were brutal and did horrific crimes against the Ethiopians, including some of the first usage of chemical warfare during that war, and the Tsar probably felt sympathy for the Ethiopian people.

I am not of the opinion of trying to justify every single wrong a Saint might've done, but I don't like using this methodology to try to claim "St. Tikhon was friendly with Anglicans therefore he can't be a Saint" or so on.

[Barbara]

Thank you, that all makes sense.

Do we have any idea the names of the EP bishops who were Freemasons ? If any were clearcut as being such members ?

Really ? The 1st use of chemical weapons was in that war ? REALLY TERRIBLE !

The Italians were probably the worst of the European colonists.
The French were not TOO bad until more recently in Algerie, when they got way out of control trying to hang onto the North African jewel of a colony.

[SavaBeljovic]

Thank you, that all makes sense.

Do we have any idea the names of the EP bishops who were Freemasons ? If any were clearcut that way ?

Besides Meletios Metaxakis, Met. Dorotheos (the one who co-authored the "To the Churches of Christ wherever they may be" encyclical and gave his Panagia to an Anglican minister) was a Freemason, Pat. Joachim III was a Freemason and it's likely Germanus V was a Freemason as well. Athengoras, Demetrios and Benedict of Jerusalem were Freemasons. I believe one of the Patriarchs of Alexandria in the 20th century was also a Freemason.

How do we know these people were Freemasons? Well for one the Grand Lodge of Greece openly admits they were on their website: https://grandlodge.gr/ if you look around with a translation program there's a webpage titled something "famous Greek Masons" or whatnot.

post scriptum: I remember reading one of the reasons why the Bulgarians separated from the EP was because of the rampant simony within the Phanar and also the Masonic infilitration, and this was in the 1880s

[Barbara]

Great information ! Thank you, that's SO important for people here as well as new arrivals and inquirers to see how badly the EP has been infested with these shocking Masons in Bishops' vestments !
Scary that no one defrocked them, but I guess let them operate ?

Were any of these taken to spiritual court, as far as you are aware, Sava ?

Yes, I remember that one from the Patriarch of Alexandria but have forgotten the name. Thanks for reminding about that one TOO !

In the 1880s - !! the Bulgarians separated from Phanar due to the acute Masonic problem THEN ?! [plus other factors, as you said, but the Masonry ownership of the Phanar must have been overt, even then]

What will it be today, then ?!