Ecumenical Patriarch criticizes nationalist tendencies within Eastern Orthodoxy

Michie · Apr 30, 2014

In an address delivered in the Netherlands, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor within Eastern Orthodoxy, criticized nationalist tendencies within some Orthodox churches.

“The concept of the nation cannot become a determining factor of Church life or an axis of Church organization,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said in an address delivered at the Old Catholic cathedral in Utrecht.

“Whenever an Orthodox church succumbs to nationalist rhetoric and lends support to racial tendencies, it loses sight of the authentic theological principles and gives in to a fallen mindset, totally alien to the core of Orthodoxy,” he continued.

Patriarch Bartholomew made his comments while discussing the upcoming pan-Orthodox synod. “The stability of Orthodoxy, a matter of utter significance for the entire Christendom, constitutes one of our prime concerns,” he said. “Orthodoxy is called to consistently apply its fundamental ecclesiological principles pertaining to the Church’s catholicity and synodality, in a way that answers to reproaches of ‘orthodoxism’ and ‘ethnocentrism’ leveled against it.”

Address By His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew At The Old Catholic Cathedral (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople)

nestoj · Apr 30, 2014

True...but most of us already knew what His holiness said. I'm not sure who's the intended receiver of the message

truefiction1 · Apr 30, 2014

And he should criticize it, yet it's too bad that we have ever allowed nationalist movements to try and to succeed in using the body of Christ for its own worldly aims in the first place. Especially given the obvious warnings against such abuses in Scripture, and in history. It's Judas' betrayal continually repeated.

buzuxi · Apr 30, 2014

The Ukraine conflict? Regardless this should be discussed at a pan-Orthodox Council not at some ecumenist event in a heretical temple.

ArmyMatt · Apr 30, 2014

prolly has something to do with the Ukraine-Russia conflict going on. and I agree, this should be discussed among our own bishops and faithful.

Joseph Hazen · Apr 30, 2014

nestoj said:
True...but most of us already knew what His holiness said. I'm not sure who's the intended receiver of the message

If you mean the intended receiver of the message here, Michie just likes sharing news articles. She does it on OBOB all the time and recently in one she posted there it was recommended to post here, and she said she didn't know she was allowed to. We might see quite a few more articles about the events going on in our church.

If you're asking who should be receiving the message from His All Holiness, I'm sure we all have a list of names we'd like to forward this speech to

nestoj · Apr 30, 2014

No, not here...but who's the intended listener in the world. To be honest...I have none on such a list, but I'm living in mono-ethnical sourounding...hence my confusion.

Dorothea · Apr 30, 2014

I'm glad His All Holiness is speaking on that issue. It needs to be dealt with not just on that subject but on a global basis...here in the U.S. with the heavily ethnic and nationalist behavior also. It's totally wrong and it scares away seekers, imo.

buzuxi02 · Apr 30, 2014

I don't think phyletistic tendency or nationalism can ever go away. In fact I don't believe it's even wrong per se.

It has always existed from the time of the apostles, first between the Hebrew Jews and hellenistic Judeo Christians, which prompted the ordination of the first 7 deacons. Later we had gentile Christians dealing with judaisers.

The EP himself under his omophorion in the States has the GOARCH, the Carpatho Russians, Ukranians, and those of the Palestinian tradition. The OCA has a separate department for Romanians. The Antiochans have the western vicariate. The WRO is precisely for those that have a hard time adapting to Eastern practises and want to preserve their Western customs.

gurneyhalleck1 · Apr 30, 2014

Joseph Hazen said:
If you mean the intended receiver of the message here, Michie just likes sharing news articles. She does it on OBOB all the time and recently in one she posted there it was recommended to post here, and she said she didn't know she was allowed to. We might see quite a few more articles about the events going on in our church.

If you're asking who should be receiving the message from His All Holiness, I'm sure we all have a list of names we'd like to forward this speech to

Michie · Apr 30, 2014

Gurney asked me not to post things about the Orthodox church in OBOB. I'm following orders.

@ Gurney.

E.C. · May 1, 2014

We have to remember that the EP is doing what he can to get the EU to pressure the Turks to quit giving the Christians in Turkey a hard time. I think that he is trying to sort of appeal to the EU's incorrect sense of "the EU is the head of Orthodoxy" in order to preserve whatever ear in the EU the EP has.

Besides the EU, secular as they may be, does like it when influential religious figures say things like this.

gurneyhalleck1 · May 1, 2014

No, I never said you shouldn't post Orthodox stuff in OBOB, just that you shouldn't post "REUNION" stories about Orthodoxy because these folks in OBOB start in about how Orthodoxy is "deficient" or how reunion is imminent, all sorts of nutty stuff. Orthodox stories in general are great.

Michie said:
Gurney asked me not to post things about the Orthodox church in OBOB. I'm following orders. @ Gurney.

Ecumenical Patriarch criticizes nationalist tendencies within Eastern Orthodoxy

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