When I read back on the various points in history where the Orthodox Church was threatened with tumult - The Advent of Communism, The Ottoman Invasion of Europe, The Rise of Islam, The Iconoclast Movement etc. I never dreamed that I would live through one of these periods myself. Yet, while I pray that my premonitions are wrong, I suspect that we are on the verge of another period of great strife.
Battle lines are being drawn in the sand, and the devil is yet again taking aim at Christ's Church on Earth. For those of us in the West, the pain will be greatest. I suspect that the following events will take place in the next few years:
- The Orthodox Church will Fracture along Greek and Slavic lines. This event has already begun. The Greek Church and Alexandrian Patriarchate will likely be excommunicated by the Russian Church this Friday, and the Church of Cyprus has all but announced that it too will recognize the EP. Antioch is wavering on the fence, and will too likely join the EP in time, and with the Russian Church encroaching on Georgian lands it seems possible that the Georgian Church will also back the EP. Meanwhile, the EP has encroached into the jurisdiction of the Czech Church and more schismatic churches are calling for recognition by the EP. Sadly, anyway that you look at these events, it is plain to see that there is a growing rift between the two main cultural groups of Orthodoxy.
- The Jurisdictional Issues in the West will only Get Worse. As we all know, the jurisdictional issues of the Orthodox Church outside of its traditional hearth have always been contentious, but these issues are likely to only get worse in light of the Orthodox fracture. Some groups will change jurisdictions, others will disintegrate and fracture, but the biggest issue will be with the rifts that come from the aforementioned Greek and Slavic split. As things stand, members of the Russian Church abroad are not allowed to attend Greek Churches, but as more mother churches take sides this problem will only grow. Soon, some jurisdictions will be completely isolated from one another, and parishioners will be left confused about where to go and who they can commune with. This would not be a problem if all the Orthodox parishes in say the United States were under a single jurisdiction, but alas, they are not.
- The Greeks Will be Tempted to Join Rome. Just as the Council of Florence almost reunited the two churches a millennia ago, with the EP getting close to Pope Francis and even participating in Roman Liturgics it seems possible that Bartholomew will begin a reproachment process with the Roman Church. This should come as no surprise to anyone, given the friendship of the two leaders and their past statements. For the EP, who is alone and isolated in Turkey, and who has seen his office's power wane over the years, this would be an amazing accomplishment to carry out. History would remember him as a great unifier, rather than a forgettable Wikipedia stub. Perhaps the Romans would also put pressure on the Turkish Government to restore the EPs power and institutions. It would be a win-win for Bartholomew.
- Converts Will be Disenfranchised. Lured to Orthodoxy by its unity, but its lack of a Pope. Many converts will become disenfranchised by the Church as it fractures. They will see it as being rife with politicking, power struggles, and insincerity. Already, people in the West are confused and scared by the events abroad, and in their weakened state the lure of false religion could become tempting.
- The Culture War will Continue. As all this is going on, the culture war will continue. The war on the unborn, on people of faith, and on moral values has been ongoing for some time and it will not stop anytime soon. While the church fights internally, the devil will continue to chip away at our young.
While I pray that none of this will happen, and while you will likely see it as alarmism, I am writing this so that we can focus on preparing. We must be prepared for this worst-case scenario, and our parishes and people must begin to talk about how we will preserve our unity even in the face of what is happening in the world. Now is the time to do this, let us not wait until it is too late.