>"However, the Patriarch of Antioch did not become the focus of media attention last week just for his much-suffering land. But because together with the patriarchs of Russia, Georgia and Bulgaria they received a heap of criticism when they decided at the last minute to cancel their participation in a major religious event that took almost 1,000 years to take place."
>"All four announced last week that they would not attend the Great and Holy Pan-Orthodox Synod, which started yesterday in Heraklion, Crete. They cited reasons of minor importance, such as the sitting arrangements of the bishops during the synod in Crete or the high cost of travel!"
>"The Pan-Orthodox Synod was a wish and a plan that the Istanbul Orthodox Patriarchate has been working on since the 1960s. In a TV interview the charismatic Archbishop Anastasios of Albania said that they were discussing the idea to hold a new synod for so long that in the end it had become “like the longest joke.”"
>"But in particular the war in Syria may prove a turning point for a new era where a strong player, namely the Patriarchate of Russia, may push the numerical superiority of its flock as a reason to lead over history, tradition and faith."
Attendants:
>Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Serbia, Romania, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Poland, Czechia/Slovakia
Non-attendants:
>Antioch, Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia, (America)
Is this it? Are we upon a second Great Schism?
>>77943153
Why do Antioch, Bulgaria and Georgia not attend? I vaguely remember that Russia didn't attend because 3 were already missing or is it just a pretense?
>>77943153
>Is this it? Are we upon a second Great Schism?
Yes. The Synod was about "modernising" doctrine. That's why the four did not attend. They remain true to the faith.
>>77943781
>or is it just a pretense?
Yes.
>>77943781
It wasn't addressed, but it's obviously political. Likely a power struggle with the Constantinople Archbishop. Georgia (and probably Bulgaria) are obviously absent because of Russia. I'm not sure about Antioch.
Well if kek isn't going to be there I'm not going.
Serbia did not attend
>>77944091
It's a shame, I'd love to the the Orthodox more united and as an antipole to Francis in Christianity as a whole
>>77944197
It did
https://rbth.com/news/2016/06/15/serbian-church-changes-its-decision-not-to-take-part-in-pan-orthodox-council_603235
What exactly is the council for? Did it happen already? What was the outcome?
>>77944843
It's an assembly of Orthodox leaders to discuss current matters and decide on policies.
To put things in perspective, before the Great Schism, there had been seven Ecumenical Councils. Following the schism, the Orthodox Church never had one since. This would be the 8th council, and the first one since 787. Still may be, actually, but there's no way to tell at this point.
Also, I believe it will take a few days.
Unfortunately this is pretty bad.
Russian Church is the only major force in Orthodoxy concerning the counterintelligence and politics. No other Church has connections or people to avoid subtle traps and implanted bad decisions.
I really hope they don't vote for some utter bullshit, because requiring majority instead of unanimity can lead to dangerous proclamations.
>>77944646
Good.
>>77945418
I actually heard that Serbia was going to back out too but got strormarmed into going for political reasons. The Patriarch of Constantinople is more more pro-western in his outlook and it was seen as showing Serbia is actively involved in Euro-Atlantic integration.
>>77945718
Probably, identical situation happened during the past years inside the Serbian Orthodox Church ruling body, Holy assembly of Bishops, where majority of bishops were replaced with pro-western ones
>>77946017
Welcome to degeneracy world
>>77943781
Because our church is full of DS agents (Sorta like KGB and CIA) from the former communist regime that serve Russia.
It's absolutely pathetic.
So, apparently Antioch didn't partake because of territorial disputes with Jerusalem, and involvement in the Syrian Civil War. This is interesting for a couple reasons.
Four of the five original Pentarchy churches remain in the Orthodox Church:
1. Constantinople
2. Alexandria
3. Antioch
4. Jerusalem
The fifth (and originally first in hierarchy) was obviously Rome.
If Russia has Antioch on its side, it could claim legitimacy as a continuation of the canonical Orthodox Church even if they are in disagreement with Constantinople. I wonder how hierarchy would be reshaped if that were the case.
Constantinople: [Alexandria], [Jerusalem], Cyprus, Greece, Albania
Russia: [Antioch], Georgia, Bulgaria, America
Those are relatively safe bets.
Wildcards: Serbia, Romania, Poland, Czechia/Slovakia
Note that America is recognised as Autocephalous only by Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Poland, and Czechia/Slovakia, so that may speak of Poland and Czechia/Slovakia's positions.
Romania and Serbia are major question marks.
>>77947020
The Orthodox Church sure is a clusterfuck.
Obviously there would be differences in geopolitics, there is no common empire to unite them anymore.
The Orthodox church has become a meme unfortunately.
>>77943153
Our new bishop Metropolitan Silouan is going to bring up the problem of philotism. Go metropolitan go!
>>77947020
Why is there no Ukraine or Kyiv?
>>77948198
PHILOTISM
It doesn't exist. It's just an ethnarchic heresy.
>>77948198
Those aren't autocephalous. They are independent, but under the archdiocese of Russia.
See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Church_organization#Autocephalous_Orthodox_churches
>>77943153
Russians and others are rightfully concerned about crypto-modernists trying to "update" doctrine to be more Jew/gay/atheist/Muslim friendly, denegrate Christ and generally conform to one world religion, one world government plans.
However, you can't really trust the Russian Patriarchate; they're always convinced Russia is the holiest nation and if they had their way they would make Orthodoxy synonymous with Russian identity. Several Orthodox churches and especially Russia fetishize national identity so much that it verges on heresy because they make no effort to evangelize or to heal the rifts with the Catholic Church, they're so smugly superior.
It is indeed a thorny issue. Despite my criticism, I overall come down on the Russian side. The Patriarch of Constantinople is known as a liberal (by Orthodox standards) and he has NOT made the purpose of this council clear. What the hell is it for? Why is it needed? Certainly after all this time, it might be nice to get the gang together and reaffirm mutual brotherhood, but *what* exactly is it about the modern world that requires updating of doctrine?
If Patriarch Bartholomew came out with a clear agenda that outlined a reinvorgated and aggressive plan to fight the influence of heresies, atheism, sexual degeneracy and materialism on Orthodox societies, I think everyone would attend the council no questions asked. But he didn't do that, instead he implied that he's going to "update" some things to make it "more in line with today's world"; that's always code for a faggotry agenda, trust me, I'm a Catholic, we're swamped in these kind of infiltrators.
That's not to say Patriarch Kiril of Moscow is blameless here. That guy wouldn't agree to the Second Coming of Christ if it wasn't totally approved by his office and favorable to Putin's foreign policy.
Antiochian Orthodox here. I don't think this council was going to bring up anything important, and I don't think any schism is likely to happen. It's fun to see all of these outsiders so interested all of a sudden though.
>>77948723
Well, there was some agenda that I think is increasingly relevant nowadays:
>The Mission of the Orthodox Church in Today’s World;
>The Orthodox Diaspora;
>Autonomy and the Means by Which it is Proclaimed;
>The Sacrament of Marriage and its Impediments;
>The Importance of Fasting and Its Observance Today;
>Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World.
Note that this has been in works since 1961, and plenty things have changed. But nonetheless there are disagreements between Constantinople and Russia that touch some of these topics, like the "Orthodox Church in America" thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkySXrtIcxI
thread music
>>77943153
religion doesnt matter
god is dead (in europe and the developed countries)
>>77949755
That looks like an ok agenda but if there are clerics who are operating in bad faith they could still make it something bad
As a Catholic, I would love to see an agenda that's nice, straightforward, and relatively free of things that will clearly be used for the enemy's attack (every Catholic synod now sees some big attack by the modernists)
But still, even on those agenda items someone with a devious plan could introduce Francis-style weasel words that muddy the waters and let people justify wrong things
maybe I'm just being paranoid tho
>>77950066
Congrats to Netherlands for going straight from goat-fucker to religious nihilist. Some of us still struggle with a very loaded past, sadly.
>>77943795
lol
>no raskolnikovs
>no skopcy
>a literall clusterfuck of russian cults missing
>muh unbroken orthos
ok, mate
>>77943153
lol who the fuck cares about the corrupt church, having faith doesn't mean you have to pay those shits
>>77947020
the macedonian church also has limited recognition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j67cCO4JJvI
>>77954307
Huh? The only kinda-sorta semi-autonomous church in Greece is Crete. Rest of Greece is under Constantinople and/or Athens.
>>77955111
>in greece
nice meme
