ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΗ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙ

By Nick Stamatakis

Many in Helleniscope’s audience contacted me today about the death of Putin’s foe, Alexey Navalny, in a jail in the Arctic Zone of Russia. They started asking me questions – exasperated by the news of his death following a decade-long struggle against the Russian leader, which included poisoning.  I don’t dispute any of this, and I will not start the conspiracy theories about the role of the three-letter agencies in his political career.  I will assume that all the “facts” of the Navalny story are true as presented by the NY Times and CNN.  Even so, the hypocrisy in Western media is overflowing. But it goes beyond hypocrisy: We are dealing with a giant intellectual masturbation of the Western journalistic and governing elites.

A prime example of this sick intellectual process is the prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who went on social media to write: “Alexei Navalny fought fiercely for democracy and stood up to a brutal, authoritarian regime. A regime that made sure Navalny paid for his bravery first with his freedom, and now with his life. Our thoughts are with his family…”  But Mitsotakis, himself the scion of arguably the most corrupt political family of Greece, did not bother – not even for a second – to look in the mirror… Please allow me to help him:

I could go on and on and mention more despicable facts about Greece alone. If I wanted to mention similar facts for other African, Middle Eastern, Asian, or Latin American countries, I could not simply write a book but a whole encyclopedia of American three-letter agency political assassinations throughout the globe over the last 6-7 decades. It is very well documented, especially nowadays with our access to open sources online.

But please allow me to come back now and see things from the US point of view. I understand that the “Deep State” wants to exploit Navalny’s death, and I do not doubt that his death is despicable. But shouldn’t our elites look in the mirror?

Please let me make a few notes regarding “democracy” in Russia and China: they were never “democracies” as we define them in the West. Please refer to the seminal classic social science book “Oriental Despotism” (1957) by Karl August Wittfogel. We Americans are supposed to have a democracy. Yet for the past 70 years or so, our system has been more of an autocracy (refer to Pres. Eisenhower’s “Military Industrial Congressional complex”). For most of these decades, we imposed our colonial/hegemonic will globally. In the case of the Kennedy assassinations, and now the Donald Trump undermining, voter fraud, and preclusion from elections, etc., we have behaved as an autocracy domestically. The result of all this now is the isolation of America internationally. Have you seen the recent votes at the UN? It is the US with Israel and a few Pacific Islands. Congratulations to all of us who accept this degradation of the American Ideal!! Where is our “Shiny City on the Hill”?

Ferbuary 16, 2024, www.helleniscope.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.

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Ο Ναβάλνι και ο πνευματικός αυνανισμός των δυτικών ελίτ

Του Νίκου Σταματάκη

Πολλοί από το κοινό του Helleniscope επικοινώνησαν μαζί μου σήμερα σχετικά με τον θάνατο του εχθρού του Πούτιν, Alexey Navalny, σε μια φυλακή στην Αρκτική Ζώνη της Ρωσίας. Άρχισαν να μου κάνουν ερωτήσεις, εξοργισμένοι από τα νέα του θανάτου του, μετά από έναν δεκαετή αγώνα ενάντια στον Ρώσο ηγέτη, ο οποίος περιελάμβανε και δηλητηρίαση. Δεν αμφισβητώ τίποτα από αυτά και δεν θα ξεκινήσω τις θεωρίες συνωμοσίας για τον ρόλο των δυτικών μυστικών υπηρεσιών στην πολιτική του καριέρα. Θα υποθέσω ότι όλα τα «γεγονότα» της ιστορίας του Ναβάλνι είναι τόσο αληθινά όσο παρουσιάζονται από τους NY Times και το CNN. Ακόμα κι έτσι όμως, η υποκρισία στα δυτικά μέσα ενημέρωσης ξεχειλίζει. Αλλά αυτά που ζούμε ξεπερνούν την υποκρισία: έχουμε να κάνουμε με έναν γιγάντιο πνευματικό αυνανισμό των δυτικών δημοσιογραφικών και κυβερνητικών ελίτ.

Χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα αυτής της αρρωστημένης πνευματικής διαδικασίας είναι ο πρωθυπουργός της Ελλάδας, Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, ο οποίος πήγε στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης για να γράψει: «Ο Αλεξέι Ναβάλνι πολέμησε σκληρά για τη δημοκρατία και στάθηκε απέναντι σε ένα βάναυσο, αυταρχικό καθεστώς. Ένα καθεστώς που φρόντισε ο Ναβάλνι να πληρώσει για τη γενναιότητά του πρώτα με την ελευθερία του και τώρα με τη ζωή του. Οι σκέψεις μας είναι με την οικογένειά του…»  Αλλά ο Μητσοτάκης, ο γόνος της αναμφισβήτητα πιο διεφθαρμένης πολιτικής οικογένειας της Ελλάδας, δεν μπήκε στον κόπο – ούτε για ένα δευτερόλεπτο – να σκεφτεί να κοιτάξει στον καθρέφτη… Επιτρέψτε μου για να τον βοηθήσω:

Θα μπορούσα να συνεχίσω και να αναφέρω περισσότερα απεχθή γεγονότα μόνο για την Ελλάδα. Αν ήθελα να αναφέρω παρόμοια γεγονότα για άλλες χώρες της Αφρικής, της Μέσης Ανατολής, της Ασίας ή της Λατινικής Αμερικής, δεν θα μπορούσα να γράψω απλώς ένα βιβλίο, αλλά μια ολόκληρη εγκυκλοπαίδεια πολιτικών δολοφονιών από αμερικανικές μυστικές υπηρεσίες σε όλο τον κόσμο τις τελευταίες 6-7 δεκαετίες. Ολα αυτλά είναι πολύ καλά τεκμηριωμένα, ειδικά στις μέρες μας με την πρόσβασή μας σε ανοιχτούς πόρους στο διαδίκτυο.

Αλλά επιτρέψτε μου να επιστρέψω τώρα και να δω τα πράγματα από την σκοπιά των ΗΠΑ. Καταλαβαίνω ότι το «Βαθύ Κράτος» θέλει να εκμεταλλευτεί τον θάνατο του Ναβάλνι και δεν αμφιβάλλω ότι είναι πράγματι ένα αξιοθρήνητο γεγονός. Αλλά και πάλι ασ κοιταχτούν οι ελίτ μας στον καθρέφτη.

Επιτρέψτε μου να κλείσω με μερικές σημειώσεις σχετικά με τη “δημοκρατία” στη Ρωσία και την Κίνα: δεν ήταν ποτέ “δημοκρατίες” όπως τις ορίζουμε στη Δύση. Ανατρέξτε στο σημαντικό κλασικό βιβλίο κοινωνικών επιστημών «Oriental Despotism» (1957) του Karl August Wittfogel.  Στην Αμερική υποτίθεται ότι έχουμε δημοκρατία. Ωστόσο, τα τελευταία 70 περίπου χρόνια, το σύστημά μας ήταν περισσότερο μια αυταρχική πλουτοκρατία (ανατρέξτε στο «Στρατιωτικό βιομηχανικό συγκρότημα του Κογκρέσου» όπως τπο εξήγησε ο Πρόεδρος Αϊζενχάουερ το 1961 λίγες μέρες πριν αποχωρήσει). Για τις περισσότερες από αυτές τις δεκαετίες, επιβάλαμε την αποικιοκρατική/ηγεμονική μας βούληση παγκοσμίως. Στην περίπτωση των δολοφονιών Κένεντι και τώρα της υπονόμευσης του Ντόναλντ Τραμπ, της απάτης των ψηφοφόρων κ.λπ., συμπεριφερθήκαμε ως αυταρχική αυτοκρατορία στο εσωτερικό. Αποτέλεσμα όλων αυτών τώρα είναι η απομόνωση της Αμερικής. Έχετε δει τις πρόσφατες ψηφοφορίες στον ΟΗΕ; Οι ΗΠΑ είναι παρέα με το Ισραήλ και μερικά νησιά του Ειρηνικού. Συγχαρητήρια σε όλους εμάς που αποδεχόμαστε αυτή την υποβάθμιση του Αμερικανικού Ιδεώδους!! Πού είναι η “Λαμπρή Πόλη στο Λόφο” του Προέδρου Ρίγκαν;

Ferbuary 16, 2024, www.helleniscope.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.

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33 COMMENTS

  1. Nick.
    While I agree with you that it was a terrible day for Greece to have been upbraided by the EU for its slide on the rule of law and its blows against the freedom of the press and the wiretapping scandal. Please, keep in mind that, thank God, it has not reached the level of Russia’s lawlessness and depravity, by assassinating its own people.

    There is no doubt that America did conduct an un seen and unseemly war, including assassinations of leaders of countries, either by the CIA or its stooges. All that was attributed to fighting communism. Spies and covert actions were common in Europe, the battlefield of the cold war, up to the fall of communism and the union of the two Germanies. Greece, being in a crossroads, was treated as the small power that she was. Lyndon Johnson had famously said that America is the elephant that could crush Greece, a gnat.

    The most egregious examples of America’s heavy handedness was in Central America. The so-called “banana republics”, which small nations the United Fruit company had transformed them to a huge banana and coffee plantation, employing the natives for a pittance, and installing strongmen that perpetrated bloodbaths. For those that despise the migrants in our Southern border, remember the above.

    However, what Putin is doing is of another class altogether. He kills his own, not because of external threats, but only because they are political opponents. That is a whole other level, of course not comparable to Mitsotakis

    • America’s foreign policy is misguided for decades. It should reserve the use of military power for extreme circumstances and use its immense “soft power” wisely. No other country on earth has more soft power than America – Except maybe Greece in certain ways. Not anymore though, as America lost much of its clout and Greece under Mitsotakis also.
      As for Putin have no doubt: he is the greatest leader of our times. The fact that he is authoritarian and not “elected” does not reduce his status as a great leader. Alexander the Great and Napoleon were more savage killers, and more authoritarian, yet history classifies them as the greatest leaders. These are not simply my assessments. These assessments were signed by the number one authority in international relations globally for decades, Sir Basil Markesinis. He died two years ago and he happened to be the most educated Greek of our times.

      • Nick
        Thank you for this conversation, on your own site.
        However, I have to digress that Putin is a great leader, comparable to Alexander and Napoleon. In order for someone to be considered a great leader, he must have done a great service to his country, but also to the world.

        Alexander transmitted Hellenic civilization and created a world that remains into our own day. Such as Christianity. If Alexander wasn’t a conqueror and hadn’t spread Hellenistic civilization and philosophy, plus the Greek language as the common tongue of the empire, Christianity would have remained a small, parochial Jewish sect. And of course, he built cities, explored the then known world and transformed society. Yes, he was involved in brutal wars, but, that’s how things were accomplished then. And even in war, he proved his worth as a leader, loved by his armies and as a great strategist, who treated enemies fairly

        Napoleon, even though plenty of soldiers lost their lives, he also did lots of good. Such as the Napoleonic code, the building of Paris, the archeological discoveries, and the idea of the freedom of nations, which ideas inspired our own Greek revolution.

        What benefits has Putin bestowed on the world?

        • Are you serious? He was a true patriotic leader who saved Russia by returning it to its traditional roots and values and especially Orthodoxy after 70 years of communism! Russia without Orthodoxy is not Russia – ask Nuland and Pyatt. That alone would classify him among the greatest leaders in modern history. As for his global significance, the world is just recently starting to figure it out. Does anyone disagree that Russia could have finished the war in a few months if it applied all its power? He chose to grind NATO to insignificance and he achieved it. By doing it he disarmed the west: right now Russia is 10-15 years ahead in missile technology and can produce annually 10x ammunition than the whole NATO!. By insisting on proposing peace negotiations even though he has the upper hand he takes away any opportunity the globalists have to take us to WWIII – which would be catastrophic for humanity.

        • That’s a flawed argument.
          A leader leads people…usually his own. It’s of secondary importance if they are liked by “other nations”…

          A Great Leader is voted upon by those who feel that he has contributed “greatness”. It really depends on perspective. If you go to Persia, they hate Alexander the Great, and they don’t call him “Great” at all…they call him a demon.

          Therefore, if the Russians call Putin a “great leader”, and everyone else calls him a villain, it’s not much different than if we call Alexander the Great a Great leader, while the Persians refer to him as a demon…

          Either way, surviving 24 years at the helm of a country like Russia is undeniably remarkable. People hated Fidel Castro too, and in theory especially in his country, but somehow he survived and governed even longer than Putin…

          “Kafeneio Philosophy” is not going to be very effective. You are dealing with a fairly intelligent audience here.

          as a P.S., Helleniscope’s observation that the resistance to wokism and protection of Orthodox Tradition as part of Russian cultural heritage is definitely a legacy that will not be unnoticed by history, despite Western historians’ insistence on focusing on “bad publicity”..

          • The fact that Alexander is considered a Great, is undeniable. Its the consensus of historians. Not our opinion.

            You’re saying “if I go to Persia”. Have you been there? Can you show me proof that the Persians consider him a demon? I have not heard of that, so I believe it is a figment of your imagination and a made up story to impress others with your knowledge, which obviously you have none. As a matter of fact, the Persians, during and after Alexander’s death came to respect him and look up to him, because he integrated them into the Macedonian society and army. So much so, that the Macedonians were angry and threatened to leave him and go back to Greece. Alexander married a Persian princess and wore Persian dress.
            If Putin is actually great. history will judge him. And that would be when we are no longer on this earth. When you say he is great because. So far he is wanted as a criminal by the Internationa Criminal Court. So, you are actually supporting a criminal. Does that matter to you? Or you consider the ICC illegitimate?

          • Lambros I remind you that the evaluation about Putin being a great leader came from Sir Basil Markesinis who during the last 20-30 years of his life was considered to be the number one authority on International Law globally. Do you think that an academic like him – who wrote many books on history etc – has not checked his facts? Or that he thought he should wait until Putin dies? P-lease… Markesinis like many historians considers someone a great leader when he has a clear vision for his people, too among other qualities. And Putin does have a vision for Russia and already applied it.

          • Nick. I had not known of Markezinis. I googled his name. He certainly has a resume worth admiring. I didn’t see anywhere that he said anything about Putin.

            However, I take your word for it. One man’s opinion, no matter how educated he is, does not mean much. It has to be a consensus of historians. And preferably not while the subject is still alive. You know what Greeks say : no one in Ayios in his life time.

          • Take my word for it – you can also take it to the bank. There are not many “historians” to match Markesinis intellect.

          • Hey everyone. Even Fox News published it. A consensus of 175 historians ranked Trump as number 45, out of 45 presidents. Obama is ranked as number 8. Here’s the study, if you want to google it:

            Official Results of the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey
            Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Houston
            Justin S. Vaughn, Coastal Carolina University

          • Lambros I used the other day the term “intellectual masturbation” on a title. This exactly what I meant. Someone please make a poll of these historians and ask them where they work. No need. I know that 100% of them work as professors in academia. If they say that Trump is among the top five or ten American Presidents- which he is – they lost their job… please Lambros wake up…

          • Lambro,

            Really, man…this is basic knowledge…Look around…find a Persian…there are plenty in this country…most of them are highly educated….they will gladly tell you their version of the history of Persepolis and their reluctance to refer to Alexander as “Great” (Similar to us Greeks who don’t like referring to Suleiman as “Magnificent”)…I really don’t need to show you any other proof…make the effort and go verify on your own instead of lazily requesting to be “spoon-fed”…I’m sure you are capable of this effort….Nevertheless, I will graciously supply you a couple of quick internet “starters” on the “Persian perspective” to get you started on your newly desired research path:

            https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18803290

            from a wiki link:
            In Middle Persian literature
            Alexander is mentioned in the Zoroastrian Middle Persian work Arda Wiraz Nāmag as gizistag aleksandar ī hrōmāyīg, literally “Alexander the accursed, the Roman”,[1][2][3] due to his conquest of the Achaemenid Persian Empire and the burning of its ceremonial capital Persepolis, which was holding the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism in its Royal Archives. The book Arda Wiraz Nāmag was written in the late period of Sassanid Persian Empire, when the rivalry with the Romans was intense.

            They say that, once upon a time, the pious Zartosht made the religion, which he had received, current in the world; and till the completion of 300 years, the religion was in purity, and men were without doubts. But afterward, the accursed evil spirit, the wicked one, in order to made men doubtful of this religion, instigated the accursed Alexander, the Roman, who was dwelling in Egypt, so that he came to the country of Iran with severe cruelty and war and devastation; he also slew the ruler of Iran, (6) and destroyed the metropolis and empire, and made them desolate.

            — Book of Arda Viraf, I 1.1–6.

    • Hey Lambros , i love how you benevolently confess to all the crimes the U.S government has done to the world , Central America , and of course Yugoslavia , Ukraine and Russia , and the Middle East or how about Asia .Vietnam and Korea ! The issue Lambros ,,,,if the law enforcement of the United States …you know the one who says they are the Policeman of the world .would, not just America! Pentagon Papers , Twitter files , Durham report, Julian Assange , International Criminal Courts , House Judiciary committed , are tell us ….
      Putin has not colluded with anybody including Donald trump to meddle in the Internal Affairs of all the countries of the world, but their is plenty of evidence that the leaders of the Republican Parties have …unless you want to retrack your post have! The exceptional thing lambros does ..is what the deranged fanatics of the EU and U.s media do! They literally and without shame tell us to Hate Russia, China or all the other enemies of the Crime Syndicate, but not the people ! What has Russia done to America or for that matter Chinal , Iran , libya, Syria , Iraq etc etc ? Tell everyone , Lambros please , you just posted all the crimes of America , while dehumanizing Putin which is the only way without facts that you rely on!
      How about you Nick …what in modern time or sonce the breakup of the Soviet Uniion or for that matter over the last 35 years to europe or America? And then tell me ..why the United States has 890 bases in 80 countriries of the world , while Russia has two ! America has 22 aircraft Carriers built to police the whole world… Russia has two! The point is ..you have such disrespect for the Populist of the world ~

    • Lambro,

      If you try to compare retaliation to political opponents in Greece to those in Russia, just make sure you explain to everyone what exactly happened to the following prominent individuals in “post-Junta, democratic” history (so that we can put all evidence on the “comparison scale”):

      Γεωργιος Καραιβαζ
      Κωστας Τσαλικιδης (Vodafone wire-tapping scandal “suicide” victim)
      Κωνσταντίνος Ανδρουλιδάκης
      Παναγιώτης Ταρασουλέας
      Παυλος Μπακογιαννης
      Νικόλαος Μομφερράτος
      Δημήτρης Αγγελόπουλος
      etc…

      There’s a reason why the E.U. has cited Greece for corruption and transparency problems…(The Ευα Καιλη incident didn’t help either…she was every Greek politician’s “golden girl”, until the scandal hit the media…).

      Also, perhaps the jury is still out on the following:
      Archbishop Christodoulos (strangely seems to have had the same conclusion as Yasser Arafat, some folks on the street say, as a retaliation to the famous I.D. referrendum)…

      And can you please explain who is behind the 4th detonation / sabotage of the water line to Aegina? What interests are involved?

      Finally, when an elected Parliamentary representative is “forced” to tow the party line (under internal threat) and not vote according to what the citizens in his/her district want, can we call that chronic Greek political phenomenon a “democracy” or does that compare a bit more to a “banana republic” that you eloquently reference above?

      Comparing different quantities of manure to each other doesn’t change the fact that both things you are comparing consist of manure…you can’t logically argue that there exists “good” manure and “evil” manure…

      • To Nick.
        Nick, it takes of my time to reply to posts that are addressed to me. Can you please, publish the post of my reply to Markos? Two of them were deleted. It is not conducive to a good dialogue, when my posts are obviously seen as hostile by you. You personally invited me to refer to Marko’s replies. Please, give me the chance to reply.

          • Can you tell me what the parameters are? How do I know when the line is crossed. Do you allow two replies? If that’s what the parameters are, I’ll follow them. Just so I dont waste my time writing and you reading them. Dont forget that you encouraged me two times to reply to Markos.

          • Lambros you cannot monopolize the dialogue here. You gave your answer… but when you drop the level of discussion to “you are wrong as usual”, among other things, then I have to stop you.

  2. Putin is a hero for exposing the Globalist elites and rebuilt Russia into a great nation. Putin put in the 13% flat income tax rate for all Russians….rich Russians pay 13% flat income tax rate! A Russian making $40,000 a year pays 13% flat income tax. Putin kicked out all illegal immigrants. Putin kicked out all Soros, Globalists, CIA NGOs. Putin kicked out all corrupt oligarchis. Putin promotes Russian young people to marry and helps ethnic Russians with loans to buy home or live in condo. Russians own firearms.

    • Spartacus
      All of the above might be correct. I have not checked out statistics for Russia. However, I have a few reservations on how the measures imposed by Putin are affecting everyday Russians. The 13% flat income tax does not sound fair to me. If you’re an oligarch and make billions, it doesn’t hurt to pay 13%. If you’re a middle or lower class, it hurts much more to pay 13% of your income in taxes. And of course, it all depends on the services the citizens receive for the taxes paid. The fact that he might have “kicked out” Soros and all the others that you mention, has that made Russian society better for its citizens? My position is that it has not. Now, oligarchs and corruption are eating away at Russia’s society. I have seen him promote more births, but, so are every other European nation. Greece does also. It makes no difference. Births are still declining. As for firearms, Russia’s following the example of America. And we have seen the loss of life they cause.

      Overall, Russians are voting with their feet. Russians entered America illegally, on the Southern border at the highest rate ever. Over 30,000 last December alone. I haven’t heard of more of ten Americans, including Steven Segal who entered Russia. And obviously, you decided to immigrate to America, instead of Russia. As I have, and the millions of other Greeks. How many have gone to Russia?

      • Lambros, yes Russia is a lot better because Putin kicked out Soros.. Have no doubt at all! Did you hear that he, Siros, already bought hundreds of radio stations in America? Also, right now millions of Americans are moving south to red states… where do you think they will go if the deep state succeeds in turning the whole of America into a dictatorship? As Americans we traditionally love the concept of the “Last Frontier” and the vast expanses of Russian lands can serve as such. Or you forgot that thousands of us have already moved to Russian Orthodoxy in America? Soon many more thousands will have to make the decision and move to ROCOR, OCA or Antiochian. GOA has largely abandoned Orthodoxy so we will have to abandon her..

        • The fact that these wealthy people are snapping up radio stations, TV stations and newspaper is not a novelty. Musk bought twitter. The Murdochs bought newspapers and own Fox news.

          That’s why every thinking citizen should not be influenced by media. The wealthy want to control the world. We should not give them the pleasure of doing that. Let’s make up our own minds.

          As for us, GOA moving to other Orthodox churches, I believe it is self-defeating. I have thought plenty of times of moving myself. Not because I am looking for genuine Orthodoxy, as you are alluding to. I believe that if we stay within the church, we can influence it. Moreover, I find it unpatriotic and un-Orthodox, because we abandon churches that have connection to Greece and you hear Greek, and un-Orthodox, because the patriarchate of Konstantinople is the ORIGINAL Orthodox church. Russians and all the others are not part of the original 4 patriarchates of the East.

          I am not sure how you believe that GOA has abandoned Orthodoxy. there are no gay marriages or women priests. The Gospel is read in its original Greek every Sunday. As the Creed and other hymns. The fact that Elpidoforos baptized the two children of the gay couple, is not anti-cononical. After all, children of all kinds of people, even murderers are baptized. The sins of the father should not hound the children. I agree that he did it wrong and by stealth, and what I dont like the most is that he has not baptized any poor children, only the wealthy, is certainly a valid point to criticize.  
          Do you have any numbers of actual GO transferring to other Orthodox churches? I would like to see those.

          • The Patriarchate of Constantinople is the “original Greek Church”?
            Quite inaccurate…sounds like propaganda, actually.

            Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem all preceded Constantinople historically in both timing and stature (for 300 years), and with the exception of very, very recent history in the case of Antioch, they were always considered “Greek” Churches…

            In fact, Ephesus was far more important than Byzantium originally…Byzantium wasn’t mentioned in the book of Revelations as one of those “early Greek Churches”, was it?

          • To MARKOS
            Markos. Let me assure you. I don’t peddle propaganda. Only historical facts. I have no interest to sell you any propaganda. Why should I?.

            You’ve disappointed me gain. Either you dont read well, or you dont comprehend what you’re reading. I never said “Greek church”. There is no such entity. There’s the ECUMENICAL patriarchate of Konstantinoiple. Do you know why its designated as ecumenical? Because it grew in importance after Konstantine made Byzantium the capital of the Roman empire. The church, however, was established in 47 A.D. by Saint Andrew himself. An original apostle. So, yes, it is one of the four oldest churches of the East. The Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria were also patriarchates, and still are, but they are not ecumenical. The Russians broke away in about 1640, from Konstantinople, because they had become more powerful, due to the fact that the City was under the Turks. Then, Bulgarians, Romanians and all the others, that were once part of the ecumenical patriarchate also broke away.

            Bottom line: They are all schismatics. The only ecumenical original church is the patriarchate, which we, G.O. of America belong to.

          • Lambros I think you will be disappointed once again when Mario’s explains to you the historical facts of the declaration of the Constantinople Patriarchate as “ecumenical”. It’s not as pure and sanitary as you think. And the whole story about Apostle Andreas is exaggerated if not fiction.

          • Lambro,

            Your “Bottom Line” statement is quite amusing…partly because it contradicts your opening statement by “selling additional propaganda”… perhaps someday soon you might also promote & agree with this propagandist (and “slightly” heretical) statement that was authored and signed by Elpidophoros back in the day?

            Ἐὰν θέλωμεν νὰ ὁμιλήσωμεν περὶ πηγῆς ἑνὸς πρωτείου εἰς τὴν ἀνὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἐκκλησίαν, αὕτη εἶναι αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἐκάστοτε Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ὁ ὁποῖος, ὡς ἀρχιερεὺς εἶναι μὲν πρῶτος «μεταξὺ ἴσων», ὡς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ὅμως, καὶ συνεπῶς ὡς Οἰκουμενικὸς Πατριάρχης, εἶναι πρῶτος δίχως ἴσον (primus sine paribus).

            Και εις ανωτερα, μεγαλε!

            If the Bulgarians, Russians, Romanians “broke away” from a Konstantinople, why are they still commemorated in Bartholomew’s Diptychs? Since when are Schismatics commemorated in Diptychs? (or do you even know what Diptychs are?)…a totally illogical concept, indeed.

            By extension, this also means that by your own definition, the “tomos” of Ukrainian autocephaly constitutes a Schism too, but this time perpetrated by the hand of Bartholomew himself…

            And by the way, since you love history, the Canons are written in a way that if even 2 of the Ancient Churches (Antioch / Jerusalem / Alexandria / Cyprus) were to ever call a Synod and declare the bishop of Constantinople (or any other Ancient Church) a heretic, it would be “bye bye Felicia” for your so-called “ecumenical throne”… And thank God for these checks and balances, because it’s one of the reasons that when the “ecumenical throne” you are so proud of signed over allegiance to the Pope back in 1439, it did NOT take hold. St. Mark of Ephesos did not sign the dotted line, and he happened to have “power of attorney” to represent Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria…The Pope admitted that “nothing was accomplished”(εποιησαμεν ουδεν) without Mark’s signature…The people rejected the Patriarch and his band of traitors, and aligned with Mark of Ephesos, resulting in a rejection of the pseudo-council of Ferrara. Certainly, the Papacy did not assist Constantinople against the Turks as “punishment”, and the events of 1453 followed, showing us for a 2nd time after the 4th Crusade how “Christian” the Papacy was… and now folks like you are advocating a new “Papacy of the East”, which is the intended underlying definition of “ecumenical” in the way that you present?

            The Church Fathers were quite wise, but I guarantee you that if they could fully comprehend how people would twist and promote this “first among equals” concept in our days, they would have written some additional footnotes and limitations in order to prevent this nonsense that we are witnessing from ever manifesting….

  3. Please see “Scott Ridder on Who was Navalny”, YouTube, https://youtu.be/Hk6eZIsp7N4

    Furthermore, isn’t it a bit coincidental that Victoria Nuland, on her return from Kyiv ten days ago, said that “there will be a surprise for Mr Putin.” And so close in time to Tucker Carlson’s influential interview, now dampened by the chorus of accusations. Cui bono?

  4. Just think Markos and Helleniscope …. whether it is Lambros , Evangelical Zionist anchorwomen Shannon Brean and Fox News or CNN or Patrick Theros ..in house state department columnist…everything lambros has written in all his threads , have been used to manipulate the public to spread Hate and fear against Putin and all the leaders of the world to dehumanize them and their religions and cultures to oppress their influence and relationships with Europe , Greece and the world ! Importantly , the public does not have the opportunity to read what Markos or Helleniscope reveal that Lambros and Mainstream and Greek Media have had a “Negative Influence” on the democratic countries of the world ,including Greece and Cyprus which have undermined the democracies of the world , and forment unrest and destabilise the peace of the civilian populations of the world ! More imortantly, ..neither Markos, I or Helleisope are censored from having access to the public to reveal their lies to the public by TNH, HALC , AHEPA, Mistotakis , and the Greek Orthodox Church of Western World ! In the end , Lambros and Greek and American Media’s only Goals , lacking truth, is to “Dehumanize” all the enemies of America and Israel ..to discredit and demean the legitimacy of their criminal complaints against Joe Biden Zelensky, Netanyahue, Mistotakis, and the EU Parliament which have violated the laws of God and Man …to ethnically, religiously, Economically, and Politically cleanse from Greece , Cyprus and Europe all countries that do not “Toe their Political interest and lines and threaten their monopoly of Europe! Their Manifesto is simple … Russia and any orther country should not be allowed to replace the “Negative influence of America on Europe and the world, with ” their political influence and relationships …and that is the only reason 500, 000 Ukrainian Orthodox Christiansw are dead ! So Markos and Helleniscope …jsut think if you were allowed to respond to Lambros , in the TNH letters to the Editor or comments section …. maybe we would not be watching MIstotakis and Biden destroy the world!

  5. To Markos
    Where to start. First, I admit that you have a wider knowledge of many of the minutiae of ecclesiastical history than I do. I won’t challenge you there.

    However, the fact remains that the Patriarchate of Konstantinople is considered ecumenical. I realize it doesn’t mean much nowadays, but that’s what it is. If we examine the history of every church, we will find many instances of actions that we, in hindsight consider treasonous or cowardly. However, it signifies that the person judging those actions is playing Monday morning quarterback, such as you are, instead of looking at the actions as product of one man -the patriarch-, or the content of the time. Yes, in 1439 the patriarch of Konstantinople, recognized the supremacy of the pope, because of the Ottoman threat. We can look at that as a historical fact, but not as a way to condemn the whole church as heretical. Throughout a span of two thousand years, the church, as a living organism undergoes many changes. So, your second guessing and condemnation is unwarranted and useless.

    As for the concept of first among equals, I agree that it was not the intention of the church fathers. Churches were established in various parts of the East, as the Christian religion grew. A leading church was a necessity, to keep heresies from taking hold. And the result is that, dogmatically, the Orthodox church is monolithic. I attribute that to the primacy of the church in Konstantinople, during Christianity’s formative years. The fact that the church in Konstantinople is considered first among equals is due to its primacy for over a thousand years and for being the church that formed today’s Orthodoxy as we know it. The fact that it faced difficulties, due to the conquest of its home and made errors, which are not denied, does not take that away from its standing. The Catholic church employed torture and executions, during the Middle Ages, for almost 700 years, as a policy. It is still a predominant church, even after the abuse scandals of its latter years.

    As for the Ukrainian church being schismatic, as the other national Orthodox churches were designated by me, there’s a big difference, which, in your haste to prove your worth as a polemist, forgot to consider. The Ukrainian church ASKED to be recognized. It did NOT break away, as the national churches did. Moreover, it is autocephalous, as the church of Greece, not patriarchal, as the other churches are.

    And you are wrong, and as usual jump to nonsensical conclusions, which negate your knowledge of historical facts, by saying that I advocate a Papacy of the East. I don’t have to jump to conclusions about your posts. You advocate the belittlement of the church, by selectively picking and choosing facts out of their context. If you consider yourself a student of history, you need to present facts as they are. Not by using words such as “bye bye Felicia”, or “traitors”,which serve no purpose, other than to disqualify you as a neutral observer.

    So, I say to you. Bye bye Felicia

    • No no no. The Ukrainian church did not ask to be recognized. The legitimate Ukrainian Orthodox Church which is presently facing persecution has enjoyed autonomy given to it by Moscow more than thirty years ago. It had no desire for autocephaly and Constantinople had no right to grant autocephaly to a Church that is not its own.

      Constantinople granted autocephaly to deposed and unordained psychopaths who dress up as bishops and priests and who now steal Churches and beat the faithful of the real Church.

      What you are asserting are serious factual errors about what is happening with Orthodoxy in Ukraine. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is making claims to authority that it has no right to. I think this is a shame because the Church of Constantinople has achieved much in history and has produced many holy Patriarchs.

      It has also produced heretics such as Nestorios. Based on the current policies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, it is clear that it needs to be reigned in or possibly abolished. Patriarch Bartholomew is collaborating with the US to carve up the Russian Church. Considering the State Department’s role in ignoring the Turkish government’s policies after the 1955 pogroms and the 1964 ethnic cleansing of Greeks from Constantinople, the Patriarch’s collusion with Washington is even more depraved since the the State Dept contributed to the demise of Constantinople’s flock by its pro Turkish policies.

  7. Ugh this entire thread is hijacked by tlhe self consumed leftist…
    it’s like the smog of Elpidoforos’ gay agenda infiltrating the church.

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