For those keeping track of the Orthodox Schism at home, the Patriarch of Moscow has recently taken a number of steps that I find, frankly, both surprising and extremely disturbing.
In the first place, in response to the recognition of Ukrainian autocephaly by the Church of Greece and the Greek Church of Alexandria, they have predictably broken communion with these churches. This was expected. However, in doing so, they have gone out of their way to make clear that they are not breaking communion with the whole of these churches, but only with those individual bishops and dioceses within them that have publicly agreed to the recognition, and that they are happy to maintain or increase relations with any bishops or faithful within these churches who will side with them. In other words, Moscow is not just breaking communion with these churches as united autocephalous jurisdictions, but is attempting to break them down internally, dividing them diocese-by-diocese into rival bodies at war with one another and siding either with Moscow or Constantinople. This is, to say the least, an extreme move--a total division of Orthodox believers without any tangible attempts at justification in ecclesiology or doctrine--and it only remains to be seen how effective it will prove as a strategy. Most likely it will be very effective indeed, thanks to Moscow's money and influence: internal dissension is spreading everywhere, and by one count twelve Greek bishops have already spoken out against their own head and aligned themselves with Moscow.
Secondly, Moscow, via the bare proxy of the Church of Jerusalem (whose alleged primacy has never in all of church history been anything but a joke), has called for a "pan-Orthodox synod" made up of all the heads of the autocephalous churches to meet in February to discuss and settle the issue of Ukraine. Given the fact that Constantinople claims the sole right to summon such pan-Orthodox assemblies, this has functioned from the beginning as an obvious and naked attempt to get the remaining autocephalous Churches to openly "pick sides" in the conflict, as well as to provide further cover for Moscow's own global ecclesiastical consolidation of power. Constantinople and its closest allies almost immediately refused to attend, and the Patriarch of Antioch will almost certainly not be present at any meeting called by Jerusalem (with which he is currently in schism for unrelated reasons). What will eventually meet in Jordan in February will not be all the heads of Orthodoxy, but a partial, factional grouping of Moscow's allies and anyone else they can bully into showing up, which will predictably do whatever it is Moscow wants: denounce Ukrainian autocephaly and Constantinople, certainly, and perhaps go even farther. The mere holding of an allegedly "pan-Orthodox" meeting without and in opposition to Constantinople will act as a public showcase of the formation of two rival global Orthodox Churches.
Both of these moves, in response to the fairly modest gains by Constantinople of two recognitions by autocephalous Churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, represent extreme escalations toward a sort of ecclesiastical total war. Both have the clear goal of dividing global Orthodoxy permanently into two rival camps, one led by Constantinople, one by Moscow, with battle-lines drawn not between, but within, existing Orthodox jurisdictions.
I have never exactly been a fan of the Moscow Patriarchate, but in my judgment these latest moves are nothing short of revolting, and I sincerely hope they can be undone before they do further damage.
The farther Moscow continues on this path, however, the more suffering and division it will bring for our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters everywhere in the world, cutting across nations and Churches and parishes and even families. Prayers are in order for the praying types. God have mercy on us all.
In the first place, in response to the recognition of Ukrainian autocephaly by the Church of Greece and the Greek Church of Alexandria, they have predictably broken communion with these churches. This was expected. However, in doing so, they have gone out of their way to make clear that they are not breaking communion with the whole of these churches, but only with those individual bishops and dioceses within them that have publicly agreed to the recognition, and that they are happy to maintain or increase relations with any bishops or faithful within these churches who will side with them. In other words, Moscow is not just breaking communion with these churches as united autocephalous jurisdictions, but is attempting to break them down internally, dividing them diocese-by-diocese into rival bodies at war with one another and siding either with Moscow or Constantinople. This is, to say the least, an extreme move--a total division of Orthodox believers without any tangible attempts at justification in ecclesiology or doctrine--and it only remains to be seen how effective it will prove as a strategy. Most likely it will be very effective indeed, thanks to Moscow's money and influence: internal dissension is spreading everywhere, and by one count twelve Greek bishops have already spoken out against their own head and aligned themselves with Moscow.
Secondly, Moscow, via the bare proxy of the Church of Jerusalem (whose alleged primacy has never in all of church history been anything but a joke), has called for a "pan-Orthodox synod" made up of all the heads of the autocephalous churches to meet in February to discuss and settle the issue of Ukraine. Given the fact that Constantinople claims the sole right to summon such pan-Orthodox assemblies, this has functioned from the beginning as an obvious and naked attempt to get the remaining autocephalous Churches to openly "pick sides" in the conflict, as well as to provide further cover for Moscow's own global ecclesiastical consolidation of power. Constantinople and its closest allies almost immediately refused to attend, and the Patriarch of Antioch will almost certainly not be present at any meeting called by Jerusalem (with which he is currently in schism for unrelated reasons). What will eventually meet in Jordan in February will not be all the heads of Orthodoxy, but a partial, factional grouping of Moscow's allies and anyone else they can bully into showing up, which will predictably do whatever it is Moscow wants: denounce Ukrainian autocephaly and Constantinople, certainly, and perhaps go even farther. The mere holding of an allegedly "pan-Orthodox" meeting without and in opposition to Constantinople will act as a public showcase of the formation of two rival global Orthodox Churches.
Both of these moves, in response to the fairly modest gains by Constantinople of two recognitions by autocephalous Churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, represent extreme escalations toward a sort of ecclesiastical total war. Both have the clear goal of dividing global Orthodoxy permanently into two rival camps, one led by Constantinople, one by Moscow, with battle-lines drawn not between, but within, existing Orthodox jurisdictions.
I have never exactly been a fan of the Moscow Patriarchate, but in my judgment these latest moves are nothing short of revolting, and I sincerely hope they can be undone before they do further damage.
The farther Moscow continues on this path, however, the more suffering and division it will bring for our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters everywhere in the world, cutting across nations and Churches and parishes and even families. Prayers are in order for the praying types. God have mercy on us all.
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