Novena to Pope St. Martin I

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ENGLISH:

Novena to Pope St. Martin I

Pope and Martyr

Day 1

Unity of the Church

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

In a time of dissension, you labored and died for the unity of the Church across the borders of East and West. With the help of Saint Maximus the Confessor, you strove to bring all Christians into unity in the confession of the truth under the authority of Peter. Intercede for the Church of our own day, also divided by the effects of sin and by the barriers of language, history, and politics. As a good shepherd gather the scattered flock of Christ. Aid our Holy Father the Pope in his great work of unity, and help us to faithfully uphold the infallible faith which he professes.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 2 

Against Monothelitism

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

in your day, the Church was divided by debate over the wills and operations of Christ. Faithful to the teaching of your predecessors, you defined and declared that he who is both God and man possesses each of his natures whole and intact with all the operations proper to them. The one who became man assumed not an inert or amputated nature, but a truly human heart, mind, and will, thus saving and sanctifying our own hearts, minds, and wills and uniting them indissolubly to God. He who knew us and willed our salvation as God, knew us and willed our salvation also as man. Grant that we may always confess the fullness of the humanity of Christ, and so adore his ineffable divinity.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 3 

Church and State

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

the heresy you opposed was promulgated and imposed by the Emperor on his own authority, and when another Emperor tried to silence the true doctrine along with heresy, you refused, boldly proclaiming the truth even in the face of worldly threats and arms. As a faithful son of the Church, you did not acknowledge any authority of the secular power over divine religion, but confessed Christ even at the cost of being considered an enemy of the state. Grant that we, too, may be obedient to the Church and to the Pope even when faced with the enmity of the powers of this world, and may always honor that Faith and unity which is eternal over all that is temporal, fleeting, fragile, corruptible, and destined to pass away. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 4 

Sickness

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin, 

When the soldiers of the Emperor came for you, you were lying sick in bed. Your greatest suffering during your imprisonment was the infirmities of your body, deprived of proper medical care and subject to wanton abuse. Remember all those who are sick, comfort them in their afflictions, and grant that they may be cared for faithfully. Guard those who are neglected or abused by others. As they share in the same bodily infirmity with you, so may they also share in your triumph with Christ in heaven. Grant us the grace of comforting and caring for those who suffer. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 5

Mockery and Suffering

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

during your time in Constantinople, you were subject to public ridicule and disgrace at the hands of your enemies, who shaved off your tonsure and cut to pieces your pallium, the symbol of your Apostolic authority, and even the laces on your sandals. In this you imitated the sufferings of Blessed Peter the Apostle and of your divine master. While to the worldly-minded you were an object of shame, for those with eyes to see you became a living icon of the glory of the Crucified. Grant that we may always perceive in those who suffer mockery and disgrace the living presence of Christ, and so come to his aid in them. Comfort those whom the world rejects, Holy Father.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 6

Prisoner

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

you spent much of your time in Constantinople imprisoned with men accused of murder. You gained their trust and affection by your patience and kindness, so that they became your friends and mourned when you were taken from them. Look upon all those who are imprisoned, whether guilty or innocent, and befriend them also. Put an end to all cruelty and injustice in law and punishment in our society, and grant us the grace to generously visit and aid the imprisoned, as Christ commanded us.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 7 

Exile

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

You were condemned to banishment far from your home in Italy to the Cherson in the Crimea, and so lived your final days as an exile among strangers. Look upon all those who have been forced to leave their homes and native lands. Grant that we may always welcome the stranger with love, as Christ commanded us. Provide for the needs of all exiles and refugees, and restore them, at last, to their true heavenly home.

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 8

Hunger

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

At your interrogation, you boasted of the famous charity of the Church of Rome, which in the days of your pontificate provided abundant and choice food for all who asked. Yet your last days were spent in hunger and penury, and you lamented that in your place of exile bread was known only by name. Look upon all who hunger as you did, and all who lack the necessities of life. Grant that we may always give from our plenty whatever others lack. Provide for all the poor good food and clean water, dignified work, healthcare, leisure, peace, virtue, and everlasting salvation. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Day 9

Miracles

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Martin,

After your death, your tomb became a source of miracles and healing to many. Even while the powers of this world continued to regard you as a traitor, God himself honored you by abundant signs and wonders worked through your intercession. Please grant us the miracles of grace we need for our good, holiness, and salvation. In return, we promise to honor you and always confess the doctrine you proclaimed, living our lives to the end in fidelity to the Pope, obedient to all the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. 

Grant us, we ask, also this special favor: (here state your intention)

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God that we may withstand the trials of this world with invincible firmness of purpose, just as you did not allow your Martyr Pope Saint Martin the First to be daunted by threats or broken by suffering. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Amen.

LATIN:

Novena ad Papam Sanctum Martinum Primum

Papam et Martyrum

Die primo 

Unitas ecclesiae

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Tempore dissensionis, pro unitate ecclesiae in Oriente Occidenteque laborasti et mortem tulisti. Sancto Maximo Confessori iuvante, omnes Christianos in confessione veritatis sub auctoritate Petri ad unitatem ducere nisus es. Intercede pro nostris temporibus ecclesia, effectis peccatorum et claustris linguarum, decursus annorum, et rerum politicarum etiam direpta. Bonus pastor tu gregem dispersum Christi collige. Iuva in magno labore unitatis Sanctum Patrem Papam nostrum, et da nobis ut infallibilem fidem quam profitetur fideliter sustineamus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem:

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die secundo 

Contra Monothelitismum

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Tuis temporibus, ecclesia certaminibus de voluntatibus et operationibus Christi divisa est. Fidelis doctrinae predecessorium, eum qui est et Deus et homo utramque naturam integram et intactum cum omnibus operationibus propriis habere definisti et declarasti. Factus homo non naturam intertem vel amputatam assumpsit, sed cor, mentem, et voluntatem humanam veram, eoque cordia, mentes, et voluntates nostras salvavit sanctificavit atque in Deum indissolubiliter unavit. Qui ut Deus nos scivit et salutem nostram voluit, idem nos scivit et salutem nostram voluit etiam ut homo. Da ut nos semper plenitudinem humanitatis Christi confiteamur eoque divinitatem ineffabilem adoremus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die tertio 

Ecclesia et civitas

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Obstitisti haeresi sua auctoritate ab Imperatore promulgatae atque impositae, et, alio imperatore nitenti ut cum haerese vera doctrina sileat, contra minationes et arma saecularia veritatem proclamans abnuisti. Fidelis filius ecclesiae, nullam auctoritatem potestatis saecularis super religionem divinam accepisti, sed inimicus imperii reputatus Christum confessus est. Da ut nos etiam, coram inimicitias saecularium potestatum, ecclesiae atque Papae oboediamus, et eam fidem et unitatem quae aeterna est super omnia temporalia, caduca, fragilia, corruptibilia, et transitura veneremus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die quarto 

Aegritudo

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Cum milites imperatoris advenirent, tu in lectulo aegerrimus iacuisti. Tibi privato digna cura et hubribus subjecto, infirmitates corporis erant in captivitatione maxima passio. Memorare omnes aegros, conforta in afflictionibus, et da ut fideliter curentur. Neglectos aut abusos ab aliis custodi. Sicut participes infirmitatis corporis tecum sunt, sic participes triumphi tui cum Christo in caelo sint. Da nobis gratiam ut patientes confortemur et curemus. 

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari.Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die quinto 

Risus et passio

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Te habitante in Constantinopole, risui et opprobrio publico ab inimicis subjectus es: tonsuram raserunt, pallium, signum auctoritatis tuae Apostolicae, cum etiam corrigia calceamenti delaceraverunt. Ita passiones Beati Apostoli Petri et tui domini divini imitasti. Hominibus mentis saecularis opprobrium eras, hominibus percipientibus eikon viviens gloriae Crucifixi factus es. Da ut nos semper in risum et opprobrium patientibus praesentiam viventem Christi percipiamus eoque in his eum iuvemus. Quos mundus rejicit conforta, Sancte Pater.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die sexto

In carcere

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Plerumque tempus in Constantinopole egisti in carcare clausus cum reis homicidii. Fidem et affectus tibi patienti et beneficienti illi sumpserunt ut amici fierent et te amotum gemerent. Intende in omnes in carcere clausos, vel innocentes vel conscios, ut ei quoque tibi amici fiant. Fac finem omni crudelititati atque iniustitiae in iudiciis poenisque in civitate nostra, et da nobis gratiam ut generositer, ut Christus mandavit, veniamus ad clausos et iuvemus. 

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die septimo

Exsul

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Condemnatus longe a patria in Italia ad Chersonesum in Crimea deportatus es, itaque ultimos dies inter alienos exsul egisti. Intende in omnes a domibus patriisque depulsos. Da nobis ut semper cum caritate alienos accipiamus. Provide pro omnibus exsulis refugisque, et tandem ad veram patriam caelestiam eos refer. 

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die octavo

Fames

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Quaestus gloriatus es de gloriosa caritate Ecclesiae Romanae, quae diebus pontificatus tui escam abundantem electamque omnibus quaerentibus dedit. Dies autem ultimos in fame penuriaque egisti, atque in loco exsilii solum nomine cognitum panem questus es. Intende in omnes esurientes sicut tu, omnesque necessariis vitae egentes. Da ut demus semper e nostra copia quocumque alii egemus. Da omnibus pauperibus bonam escam atque puram aquam, labores cum dignitate, valetudinis curas, otium, pacem, virtutem, et salutem aeternam.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Die noveno

Miracula

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti:

Martine,

Post exitum tuum sepulcrum fons miraculorum sanationumque multis factum est. Potestatibus saecularibus te parricidum reputantibus, ipse Deus signis ostentisque abundantibus per tuam intercessionem factis te honoravit. Da, quaesumus, miracula gratiae quibus egemus ad bonum, sanctificationem, et salutem nostrum. Promittimus invicem ut te veneremus et doctrinam quae proclamasti confiteamur, atque fideliter Papae oboedientes omnibus doctrinis Sanctae Ecclesiae Catholicae vitam nostram in finem agemus.

Da nobis, quaesumus, etiam hanc gratiam specialem: 

Oremus:

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, adversa mundi invicta mentis constantia tolerare, qui beatum Martinum papam et martyrem nec minis terreri nec poenis passus es superari. Per Dominum nostrum, Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

Orthodox Schism: Permanent Division

 I haven't commented on the Orthodox Schism in quite a while, in part because the pandemic acted to an extent as a "pause button" on that as on other conflicts. That has more than changed now, however, as in the last few months unprecedented steps have been taken that seem poised to solidify, for the foreseeable future, a permanent separation between two sets of antagonistic global Orthodox Churches.

These developments can be put into roughly two categories: (1) the solidifying of permanent schism between the UOC and ROC in Ukraine and (2) antagonistic moves of Moscow against other Orthodox Churches. 

(1) is arguably less significant in global ecclesiastical terms, but very tangible in its effect on the many churches and believers involved. The hope of the Patriarch of Constantinople was that by granting Ukraine autocephaly, the long-standing schism between the "canonical" Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine and the various "autocephalous" bodies in communion with no one but themselves would be resolved by the merging of all bodies into a single united Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Early signs for this were very good, as the "Kyiv Patriarchate" and UAOC were dissolved and merged with the new body and numerous parishes elected to join the new UOC. This movement was aided also by the vocal support of then-President Poroshenko. 

However, from the very beginning most of the bishops of the former ROC in Ukraine refused to go along. Despite this, the ROC in Ukraine suffered significant losses, such that some observers predicted their total or effective dissolution within a few years. To put it mildly, that has not happened. 

With the defeat of Poroshenko at the polls and the election of a President whose policy aims at relative conciliation with Russia, the UOC lost the bulk of their legal and political support. The ROC in Ukraine, meanwhile, led by the energetic Metropolitan Onufriy, has fought back with not only vigorous theological denunciations of the UOC as a schismatic body lacking true baptism but also a legal, media, and publicity campaign emphasizing their alleged persecuted status and including mass protests against the visiting Patriarch of Constantinople. At the same time, a truly massive wave of funding from Russia has enabled an unprecedented building campaign in which the ROC has sought to rapidly replace all the parishes lost to the UOC. Thus, many many villages and towns that as of two years ago had only one parish church now possess two: a UOC parish and a newly-built ROC parish. 

Lying behind this religious conflict are the same underlying ethnic and political conflicts present in many aspects of Ukrainian life today: the divide between ethnic Russian-speakers and Ukrainian-speakers, the divide between Eastern and Western Ukraine (where the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church looms large), the divide between Ukrainian nationalists and supporters of Russian imperialism and a vast middle of Ukrainians of various languages with varying degrees of hatred and love for Russia and attachment to their ecclesiastical leaders but also a highly understandable desire to avoid antagonizing whoever ends up controlling their country, which has been fought over and partitioned by various Empires for roughly the past five hundred years. 

In this sense, there can be little question that Constantinople's plan has failed--though whether and to what degree that should be blamed on Constantinople itself, the Ukrainians, or active obstruction from Russia, is a question that will be debated for a very long time. 

(2) is related to the situation in Ukraine, but more indirectly. The fundamental question about the new UOC was what degree of recognition they would be granted by the other independent Orthodox Churches of the world. The more successful the UOC, the more overwhelming the pressure to recognize them and deal with them. The less successful the UOC, the easier to ignore or even actively condemn them. 

Half of Moscow's strategy, then, has been to prevent the UOC from succeeding. The other half has been to apply extreme, aggressive measures against any Orthodox Church found publicly recognizing the UOC. 

Moscow responded to Constantinople's recognition by breaking communion with them and publicly denouncing them; it then did precisely the same thing with the other Orthodox Churches to follow Constantinople in formally recognizing the UOC. 

This basic strategy has been reasonably effective, as an early wave of support has given way in the case of the majority of Orthodox Churches to a tense silence. This has not prevented, however, any number of informal contacts, sharings of communion, and so forth between many Orthodox Churches and the UOC, particularly as time has passed and their position has solidified. As I said at the beginning of these events, the most desirable path for most Orthodox Churches in this conflict as in others has been simply to keep their heads down, avoid taking sides, and remain in communion with all parties. This is, in essence, how almost all conflicts within Orthodoxy have been dealt with since the Fall of Constantinople.

Moscow, however, has been from the beginning of the present crisis the innovator of a radically different model of ecclesiastical conflict that has pushed things much farther than ever before.

One further step taken in recent years has been various attempts to call large gatherings of Orthodox primates aimed at achieving some kind of formal synodical condemnation of the UOC and/or of Constantinople. This has been almost comically unsuccessful, as essentially all major Orthodox Churches other than the marginal bodies affiliated with Moscow have refused to go along with these efforts, first by refusing to show up to initiatory meetings aimed at a "pan-Orthodox synod" called by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and more recently by refusing to participate in another, smaller synodal meeting where it was rumored the Patriarch of Constantinople would be condemned.

There are signs, however, that Moscow is rapidly reaching a point where they will go through, with or without support from other Churches, with some kind of formal, synodical condemnation of the Patriarch of Constantinople and/or his allies as heretics and schismatics. If this move takes place, as is rumored, in May, it would likely herald a stricter and more explicit separation from the Orthodox Churches still in communion with Constantinople. 

The second, and arguably more determinative move that Moscow has taken has been to actively instigate schism in those Orthodox Churches that oppose them. Those few Churches that have recognized the UOC have been met, not only with breaking off of communion, but also by active measures aimed at "dividing and conquering." This initially took the form of general offers to remain and further communion with those bishops and priests who would refuse to go along with their Primates' and synods' and Churches' recognitions of the UOC.

In the last few weeks, however, it has taken a much more overt and permanent form: the forming of an active Moscow-affiliated "counter-Church" out of the ranks of the Greek Patriarchate of Alexandria. After actively canvassing for support, Moscow accepted hundreds of priests who had broken communion and obedience with their own bishops and primates, and formed out of them a totally new, pan-African Church body directly subordinate to Moscow and headed by a Moscow curial official who had formerly served as ROC bishop in Armenia and "nuncio" to Alexandria.

It's hard to overstate how unprecedented and game-changing this move is: Moscow has directly signaled to all other Orthodox Churches that any Church opposing them will be, not just cut off from their communion, but actively divided and permanently "replaced." 

These moves have been accompanied by remarkable theological, ecclesiastical, and ideological explanations emanating from Moscow. In his explanatory comments accompanying the move, Metropolitan Hilarion declared that by accepting faithful from the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the ROC was offering them the ability "to be in communion with a canonical Orthodox Church and to receive Holy Communion and other Sacraments from canonical priests." In other words, in the eyes of the ROC any Orthodox Church that recognizes and enters into communion with the UOC ipso fact becomes "uncanonical," and hence schismatic, and hence in immediate need of being superseded by newly-created ecclesiastical structures of Moscow's design. 

On a broader theological level, appeals to principles of Church order and unity and hoary myths about "the pentarchy" have been replaced by appeals to the Great Schism and denials that ecclesiastical communion is of any great importance or that any particular Church has any particular permanent place within Orthodoxy. In recent talks, Metropolitan Hilarion has referred to the Patriarch of Moscow, in tandem with the Pope, as simply the leader of one of the two largest bodies of Christian believers in the world: the Russian Orthodox Church. 

So far as Moscow is concerned, the Patriarchate of Alexandria and Patriarchate of Constantinople, two of the most important and oldest sees in Orthodoxy, simply no longer exist; and any Orthodox Church found joining them will go the same way.

At the moment, these tactics have only been applied to those Churches who have formally recognized the UOC. Then, too, the Greek Patriarchate of Alexandria, despite its descent from one of the three original Apostolic Sees of the Church, has always been a weak and marginal presence within Byzantine Orthodoxy; and one could argue that Moscow's extreme measures are caused in part by a sense of betrayal, as the Patriarch of Alexandria was one of the few Orthodox Primates to publicly side with the ROC and oppose the formation of the UOC prior to the actual act. For most Orthodox Churches, neutrality is still possible, at least for the moment.

Nonetheless, taken as a whole, it seems that Moscow's goal in the short to long term is to render such neutrality impossible.

 If Moscow formally anathematizes the Patriarch of Constantinople and demands that all Churches break off communion with him, and applies these tactics against those Churches that do not do so, then in short order there will be, in almost every part of the world as in Ukraine, two Orthodox Churches not only not in communion with each other but directly antagonistic to each other.

In the context of such global ecclesiastical warfare, not only between but within individual Churches and individual dioceses, every Church, and almost every believer, will be forced to choose a side.

It remains to be seen whether these final, fateful steps will in fact be taken. The longer the present situation continues, however, the more Moscow continues to foment schism within other Orthodox Churches, the more pressure there is to recognize and hold communion with the UOC, the more bad blood Moscow summons up both from allies of Constantinople and from neutral Orthodox Churches angered by its aggression against other Churches, the more the gap will widen, and the more schisms will erupt. At this point a swift, clean separation may in fact be the least destructive option (short of a total surrender on the part of either party).

Prayers, as always, are in order.

RELEVANT RECENT LINKS:

The Moscow Patriarchate's English-language announcement of the move against Alexandria.

The "explainer" from Metropolitan Hilarion.

The encyclical letter of the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria in response to this move, labelling the Moscow Patriarchate Satanic wolves using "dirty money" to gain adherents.

Mary Worth & French Postmodernism: 11/11/21

"Oh, dear. What is this...some kind of sing-off?"

-Mary Worth

Mary Worth & French Postmodernism: 11/10/21

"The reader will have recognized in this tale a number of familiar themes. All the people in the myth either disfigure others, demand that others disfigure themselves, try in vain to disfigure others, or actually disfigure themselves--all of which amounts ultimately to the same thing. One cannot exert violence without submitting to it: that is the law of reciprocity.

[...]

In the relationship between the two cousins the woman initially has the upper hand. She incarnates beauty, the man ugliness; she is free of desire, while he is caught in its thrall. The relationship is then reversed. Differences cancel each other out; a symmetry is constantly generated, invisible in each synchronic moment taken separately but visible in the accumulation of successive moments.

This is what constitutes the non-difference of the sacrificial crisis, a truth forever inaccessible to the two partners who live out the relationship in the form of alternating differences. The symmetry of the overall picture is reflected in the two sides of the face, each scarred in turn. The same details are reiterated throughout the story (until the conclusion), but never simultaneously.

Between the two cousins and Chief Pestilence's tribesmen there is the same relationship as that between the protagonists of Oedipus the King and the Theban plague victims. The only way to avoid contagion is to turn a deaf ear to the appeals of the enemy brothers.

On the level of the tribesmen--that is, the collectivity--the myth speaks objectively. It does what we ourselves did in our opening chapters: it 'shortcircuits' the alternating differences. It does so with good reason, for this difference only ends in similarity. The reciprocal mutation takes the direct form of a loss of differences, a 'becoming the same' at the hands of those whom violence has already made identical. When we note that this process consists of turning men into doubles as well as into monsters, it is clear that we are dealing here with a sacrificial crisis.

Mutilation symbolizes the working of the crisis in dramatic fashion. Clearly, it must be viewed both as the creation of fearfully deformed beings and as the elimination of all distinguishing characteristics, all the salient features of these beings. The process imposes uniformity and eliminates differences, but it never succeeds in establishing harmony.

In the image of monstrous mutilation the procedures of reciprocal violence are expressed in such a powerfully condensed form that they appear bizarre, indecipherable, and 'mythic.'"

-René Girard, Violence and the Sacred

Mary Worth & French Postmodernism: 11/08/21

 

"The top of the Bonaventure Hotel. Its metal structure and its plate-glass windows rotate slowly around the cocktail bar. The movement of the skyscrapers outside is almost imperceptible. Then you realize that it is the platform of the bar that is moving, while the rest of the building remains still. In the end I get to see the whole city revolve around the top of the hotel. A dizzy feeling, which continues inside the hotel as a result of its labyrinthine convolution. Is this still architecture, this pure illusionism, this mere box of spatio-temporal tricks? Lucid and hallucinogenic, is this post-modern architecture?

No interior/exterior interface. The glass facades merely reflect the environment, sending back its own image. This makes them much more formidable than any wall of stone. It's just like people who wear dark glasses. Their eyes are hidden and others see only their own reflection. Everywhere the transparency of interfaces ends in internal refraction. Everything pretentiously termed 'communication' and 'interaction'--Walkman, dark glasses, automatic household appliances, hi-tech cars, even the perpetual dialogue with the computer--ends up with each monad retreating into the shade of its own formula, into its self-regulating little corner and its artificial immunity. Blocks like the Bonaventure building claim to be perfect, self-sufficient miniature cities. But they cut themselves off from the city more than they interact with it. They stop seeing it. They refract it like a dark surface. And you cannot get out of the building itself. You cannot fathom its internal space, but it has no mystery; it is just like those games where you have to join all the dots together without any line crossing another. Here too everything connects, without any two pairs of eyes ever meeting.

It is the same outside. [...] They do not look at other people here. They are too much afraid they will throw themselves upon them with unbearable, sexual demands, requests for money or affection. Everything is charged with a somnambulic violence and you must avoid contact to escape its potential discharge. [...] Everything is so informal, there is so little in the way of reserve or manners (except for that eternal film of a smile, which offers only a very flimsy protection), that you feel anything could blow up at any moment. By some chain reaction, all this latent hysteria could be released at a stroke.

[...]

This is what the ideal city is like."

-Jean Baudrillard, America