We've had far worse bishops in the history of the Orthodox Church. Sin should not be the cause of you questioning your faith. Perhaps you should spend more time reading the Saints.Super depressing, makes me question my faith to be honest. Pray for me!
Yeah well you'd think that with a dwindling population and it being the holiest place for Christianity there wouldn't be any fights in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but every year..........Yeah I heard it said before other Arabs don't really like Palestinians at all, sad to hear this extends even into the Arab Christians not getting along with Palestinian Christians, you would think with Orthodoxy being a small remement from their past numbers over there, that all the Orthodox there would stick together, but it seems like Lebanese don't like Syrians, nobody like Palestinians, Arabs resent the Greeks, etc.
Yeah well you'd think that with a dwindling population and it being the holiest place for Christianity there wouldn't be any fights in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but every year..........
One of those times when having an Orthodox monarch strong and influential enough to successfully summon a council could really pay off.
It's a complex situation in the Holy Sepulchre. Once you stop defending your territory in the church you lose it to the group that has taken it over. You'd be surprised but OO fight amongst themselves omwhen their section is encroached upon. A section of the roof is divided between Copts and Ethiopians. A few years ago a coptic monk decided to move his chair about a foot to catch the shade as the sun was hitting him. The Ethiopians viewed that as violation of their defined space. Huge brawl erupted between the two sides even though they are of the same communion. Even the transit routes through the church are regulated by centuries old agreements. This is why you have the infamous ladder still in the same spot for 160 years made famous in postcards.Yeah from what I understand, correct me if I am wrong, it is usually the Armenians, and Greeks who end up brawling there all the time. It really is a bad witness to the world, on our behalf. You know Orthodoxy is the one true faith, otherwise I wouldn't be getting baptized this Pentecost, still I think our heirarchs & priests could do a better job being better witnesses to the world. Not being able to put together a Council, and fighting at the holiest place in Christianity is just patethic stuff.
But would they ever criticise their bishops if they run afoul of the patristic and canonical traditions? Would any of them even question OCA autocephaly by critiquing there decades of being non-canonical and then seeking legitimacy by a soviet dominated church?
Or are they like Brookline who will never criticise the founder of the GOARCH Meletios of thrice sorry memory. Or today be like Dr. John Chrysavvgis who as a professor seems to have forgotten church history, and said everything passed at this council will be binding on everyone regardless. With no emperor to enforce anything, and most monastics against it is he saying his boss is the new Bekkos.
Thats what I want to know, a true Orthodox theologian would teach contradictory to all these WCC statements and interfaith dialogue agreements when they run afoul.
We have come to a crossroads where it is the laities responsibility to speak up. There is truly no hierarchy in Christ. The body is one.
I agree. Thats why im shouting from the top of my lungs. Granted I'm just a regular plain joe but I use whatever venue I can to get the word out.
I was ecstatic with the Serbian response on the conditions it will take for them not to walk out of the council. Their response was assertive with backbone. They made clear that those aligned with the EP, if they hear them say those churches boycotting the council are doing it for no good reason or are doing it for political reasons they will walk right out and align themselves with the boycott.
Is there a place where I can follow the events of the Holy Council? I've been waiting for this since I first delved into Orthodoxy, and I'm very interested to see how it progresses.
Is there a place where I can follow the events of the Holy Council? I've been waiting for this since I first delved into Orthodoxy, and I'm very interested to see how it progresses.
Super depressing, makes me question my faith to be honest. Pray for me!
This is quite true. And I prefer laity that will speak out on the fidelity to church doctrine. Most in the liturgical churches go with the flow and only speak out on secular causes, most of which are not christian issues.welcome back!
Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver actually says stuff like this proves Orthodoxy. because despite all of the infighting and sin and silliness, we are still one Church, united at the Chalice.
Antiochians actually had communion with each other worked out a long while ago..as it concerns ecclesiastical affiliation, authorized by the SOC and the Antiochian EO church (more shared here in Statement of the Orthodox Church of Antioch on the Relations between the Eastern and Syrian Orthodox Churches: A Synodal and Patriarchal Letter and here).Hm. I never heard of one of the church's independently deciding to do something like that. Are there serious plans in place for the Eastern Orthodox Church and Syrian Orthodox Church to come into communion with eachother? Have the differences been worked out? I would love to see us reunited, though I would think it should be done in something like a universal Orthodox council, not on a patriarchal level.