EDITOR’S NOTE (Markos): The duplicitous language is incredible… For example, on the surface, this statement is a re-affirmation that women were never “celebrants of the Divine Mysteries…”, but the photographs of a woman dressed like a male deacon reading (presumably) deacon’s petitions and also distributing Holy Communion with the lavida are in direct, obvious contrast with the Alexandria Patriarchate’s comment:
“….It is particularly pointed out that deaconesses were never established in the history of the Church as women ministers of the Holy Mysteries but as dedicated women-helpers of the general pastoral, liturgical, and sanctifying work of the Church, addressed only to women, where local conditions and customs excluded them from church life.….”
And then, after admitting that Met. Seraphim acted on his own without having a final decision by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate, the statement provocatively proceeds to ask all of us to “Trust the Patriarchate of Alexandria”…
“…Let us have confidence in our Church and especially in the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa, which sacrificially, quietly, and selflessly proclaims Christ and this Crucified One to the ends of the African land, based on the tradition and practice of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church…”
Finally, in a very inappropriate manner, the Patriarchate tries to “deflect attention” by asking public opinion to shift on the Russian Exarchate issue, but without summarizing the back-stabbing reasons why Moscow proceeded with that move…
“…May the same sensitivity be demonstrated, which now appears in the case of the intention to revive an ancient pastoral act of our Holy Church properly and in the matters of staffing the sacred clergy of the Patriarchal Throne of Saint Mark, of the systematic and practical support of the Apostolic work in Africa or to the major issue of the illegal entry of another Autocephalous Church into the jurisdictional limits of the Palaeate Patriarchate of Alexandria and to the blasphemous attempt to split His native flock, which came to know Christ through the intense sacrificial ministry and the death of even humble Greek missionaries, to the glory of God and illumination of our African brothers who are “in darkness and the shadow of death…”
In short, it seems that Patriarch Theodore’s “Zimbabwe Experiment” has backfired a bit, and caused more commotion and reaction than he wanted, but this non-convincing PR statement posted on Romfea.gr constitutes an insult to our intelligence, and another spiritual provocation for the faithful who expect more honor & repentance, and not duplicitous dismissiveness and deflection of a “mistake” from an Orthodox Patriarchate…
BELOW THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN ENGLISH AND IN GREEK
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Το Πατριαρχείο Αλεξανδρείας για την χειροτονία διακόνισσας
Τις τελευταίες ημέρες ηγέρθη λόγος εξ αφορμής της ενεργείας του Σεβασμιωτάτου Μητροπολίτου Ζιμπάμπουε και Αγκόλας κ.Σεραφείμ, ο οποίος προέβη κατά την παρελθούσα Μ.Πέμπτη, 2α Μαΐου 2024, σε χειροτονία διακονίσσης για τις ιεραποστολικές ανάγκες της κατ’αυτόν Ιεράς Μητροπόλεως.
Το γεγονός προκάλεσε πλήθος αντιδράσεων, έδωσε δε αφορμή για την διατύπωση ελευθέρως διαφόρων απόψεων και προσεγγίσεων.
Προς αποφυγήν συγχύσεων λοιπόν διευκρινίζονται τα κάτωθι:
– Η ιεραποστολή στην Αφρική έχει ανάγκη τις διακόνισσες, κυρίως για το ποιμαντικό έργο και για τις βαπτίσεις των ενηλίκων γυναικών, καθώς και σε ιδιαίτερες περιπτώσεις, ως της χηρείας, σε αυστηρότερα ανδροκρατούμενα περιβάλλοντα, όπου επί μακρόν η χήρα γυναίκα απεκόπτεται του κοινωνικού και εκκλησιαστικού βίου.
-Η Εκκλησία γνωρίζει άριστα την θέση, την τάξη και τους όρους-προϋποθέσεις καταστάσεως μίας διακονίσσης, όπως αυτοί περιγράφονται στα Ευχολόγια, τους Κανόνες των Αποστολικών Διαταγών και της εν Τρούλω Συνόδου.
Επισημαίνεται ιδιατέρως ότι οι διακόνισσες δεν κατεστάθησαν ποτέ στην ιστορία της Εκκλησίας ως γυναίκες- λειτουργοί των Ιερών Μυστηρίων, αλλά ως αφιερωμένες γυναίκες-βοηθοί του εν γένει ποιμαντικού, λειτουργικού και αγιαστικού έργου της Εκκλησίας, απευθυνομένων μόνον σε γυναίκες, όπου οι τοπικές συνθήκες και τα ήθη τις απέκλειαν από την εκκλησιαστική ζωή.
Η πρώτη Εκκλησία ευρέθη μπροστά στο ποιμαντικό αυτό πρόβλημα και βρήκε την λύση, διά των διακονισσών.
Όταν βεβαίως οι κοινωνίες προχώρησαν πνευματικώς, ωρίμασαν, ανεγνώρισαν τα δικαιώματα των γυναικών, ο θεσμός των διακονισσών περιήλθε σε αχρησία.
Αλλά τεκμηριωμένως ο θεσμός υπήρξε και σίγουρα παραμένει στο “πνευματικό οπλοστάσιο” της Εκκλησίας προς αντιμετώπιση παρομοίων καταστάσεων και σήμερα, υπό ειδικές τοπικές συνθήκες.
-Ενώπιον της αδιακόπου εξαπλώσεως του Ευαγγελικού λόγου στην Αφρική και της διαρκούς προσελεύσεως γηγεγών αδελφών στην Ορθοδοξία ηγέρθησαν ποιμαντικά ζητήματα, αφορώντα τις Αφρικανές γυναίκες, ακριβώς όμοια με αυτά που αντιμετώπισε η Εκκλησία των πρώτων χριστιανικών χρόνων.
Η Ιερά Σύνοδος του Πρεσβυγενούς Πατριαρχείου Αλεξανδρείας και πάσης Αφρικής έλαβε κατ’ αρχήν την απόφαση της αναβιώσεως και ενεργοποιήσεως του θεσμού των Διακονισσών εντός της ποιμαντικής δικαιοδοσίας του.
Ομως, παραπέμφθη η Απόφαση αυτή σε περαιτέρω μελέτη προς τελική διαμόρφωση των επιμέρους λεπτομερειών, όπως είναι η αμφίεση, ο τρόπος διακονίας και η λειτουργική θέση των διακονισσών στην ζωή της Εκκλησίας σήμερα.
Ωστόσο, ο Σεβ. Μητροπολίτης Ζιμπάμπουε κ.Σεραφείμ, επί σειρά πολλών ετών ιεραπόστολος στην Αφρική, προσχώρησε στην υλοποίηση της αρχικής αποφάσεως της Ιεράς Συνόδου, η οποία όμως δεν έχει καταστή ενεργή έως σήμερα, αφού δεν έχει ολοκληρωθή η επί του θέματος μελέτη προς λήψη της τελικής Συνοδικής Αποφάσεως.
Ας έχουμε εμπιστοσύνη στην Εκκλησίας μας και δη στο Πρεσβυγενές Πατριαρχείο Αλεξανδρείας και πάσης Αφρικής, το οποίο θυσιαστικώς, αθορύβως και ανιδιοτελώς κηρύσσει Χριστόν και τούτον Εσταυρωμένον στα πέρατα της Αφρικανικής γης, βασισμένο στην παράδοση και στην πράξη της Μίας, Αγίας, Καθολικής και Αποστολικής Εκκλησίας.
Μακάρι να επιδεικνύετο η ίδια ευαισθησία, η οποία τώρα εμφανίζεται στην περίπτωση της προθέσεως ορθής αναβιώσεως μιας αρχαίας ποιμαντικής πράξεως της Αγιωτάτης Εκκλησίας μας και στα θέματα στελεχώσεως του ιερού κλήρου του Πατριαρχικού Θρόνου του Αγίου Μάρκου, της συστηματικής και εμπράκτου συναρωγής του Αποστολικού έργου στην Αφρική ή στο μείζον θέμα της αντικανονικής εισπηδήσεως ετέρας Αυτοκεφάλου Εκκλησίας στα όρια δικαιοδοσίας του Παλαιφάτου Πατριαρχείου Αλεξάνδρειας και στην βλάσφημη προσπάθεια της διασπάσεως του γηγενούς ποιμνίου Του, το οποίο εγνώρισε τον Χριστό μέσα από την έμπονη θυσιαστική διακονία και τον θάνατο ακόμη ταπεινών Ελλήνων ιεραποστόλων, προς δόξαν Θεού και φωτισμό των ευρισκομένων «εν σκότει και σκιά θανάτου» Αφρικανών αδελφών μας.
Εκ του Πατριαρχείου Αλεξανδρείας και πάσης Αφρικής
Αλεξάνδρεια, 11 Μαΐου 2024
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The Patriarchate of Alexandria for the ordination of a deaconess
In the last few days, there was talk about the decision of the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Zimbabwe and Angola, Mr. Seraphim, who, last Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, ordained a deaconess for the missionary needs of his Holy Metropolis.
The event caused many reactions and gave rise to the free expression of various opinions and approaches.
To avoid confusion, the following is clarified:
– The mission in Africa needs deaconesses, mainly for the pastoral work and for the baptisms of adult women, as well as in special cases, such as widowhood, in stricter male-dominated environments, where for a long time the widowed woman is cut off from social and church life.
The Church is well aware of the position, order, and preconditions of the status of a deaconess, as described in the Prayers, the Rules of the Apostolic Orders, and the Synod in Trullo.
It is particularly pointed out that deaconesses were never established in the history of the Church as women ministers of the Holy Mysteries but as dedicated women-helpers of the general pastoral, liturgical, and sanctifying work of the Church, addressed only to women, where local conditions and customs they were excluded from church life.
The first Church faced this pastoral problem and found the solution through deacons.
Of course, as societies progressed spiritually, matured, and recognized women’s rights, the institution of deacons fell into disrepair.
However, it is documented that the institution existed and certainly remains in the “spiritual arsenal” of the Church to deal with similar situations even today, under special local conditions.
-In the face of the continuous spread of the Gospel word in Africa and the continuous influx of local brothers to Orthodoxy, pastoral issues were raised, concerning African women, exactly similar to those faced by the Church of the early Christian years.
The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa decided in principle to revive and activate the institution of Deaconesses within its pastoral jurisdiction.
However, this Decision was referred for further study to finalize the individual details, such as the vestment, the way of ministry and the functional position of the deacons in the life of the Church today.
However, Rev. Metropolitan of Zimbabwe Mr. Seraphim, who was for many years a missionary in Africa, joined the implementation of the initial decision of the Holy Synod, which, however, has not become active until today since the study on the subject of taking the final Synodal Decision has not been completed.
Let us have confidence in our Church and especially in the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa, which sacrificially, quietly, and selflessly proclaims Christ and this Crucified One to the ends of the African land, based on the tradition and practice of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
May the same sensitivity be demonstrated, which now appears in the case of the intention to revive an ancient pastoral act of our Holy Church properly and in the matters of staffing the sacred clergy of the Patriarchal Throne of Saint Mark, of the systematic and practical support of the Apostolic work in Africa or to the major issue of the illegal entry of another Autocephalous Church into the jurisdictional limits of the Palaeate Patriarchate of Alexandria and to the blasphemous attempt to split His native flock, which came to know Christ through the intense sacrificial ministry and the death of even humble Greek missionaries, to the glory of God and illumination of our African brothers who are “in darkness and the shadow of death”.
From the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa
Alexandria, May 11, 2024
Theodore is a schismatic and herectic. I wouldn’t spend too much time thinking about that sorrowful clown, nor the other clowns that make up the fallen Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Theodore is not a leader and this is the whole problem.
I guess I am getting cynical in my old age, but I was waiting for the “he acted on his own” line.
The stars falling from heaven in Revelation are the Hierarchs.
No longer is this one holy apostolic church. This is more evident each day.
By the way, 1 Corinthians 11: 14 states that it is shameful for a man to have long hair. It amuses me that people turn to 1 Corinthians 11 to demand that women cover their heads in church but disregard the mandate against long hair for men .
“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, for as much as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” Paul Corinthian 11
JK… while I admit I do not read scriptures every day like you and I may not be a smart person, I do know that Paul was way ahead of his time if we followed what he thought was not a theological mandate , but a mandate of Nature at the time to fully distinguish what a man is in comparison to a women ..
Hence, all these Transgender, Gays, and Cross Dressers parading thru the U.S. government and Christian churches of America offend God . in portraying themselves as women or wives or mothers , rather than men in the ” image and Glory to God.!
Paul’s point was to put Women in there right place ..in his church, with their husbands and as wives, and producing future leaders of the Church of Christ!
And unless you live in another planet .. Men with long Hair ..have rarely been perceived as Men , but more like Women.. and in the Nature of things , a problem for Paul and God plans , and if you don’t understand why our church has been offended by Gays, Transgenders, Cross Dressers and Deaconess Women ..well as i have recommended to you .. you need to begin bible studies in the Greek Orthodox Church not one of the “Reformed” Christian churches of America!
Michael, thanks for all the valuable information. You seem to be a storehouse of knowledge. Do you think the Bible classes are taught in English?
Michael, I do attend a bible study group at a GOA church. However, it is my understanding that many parishes do not have bible study groups. Do you attend a study group.Thanks for the wise advice.
Really JK .. well the last I heard , and where I began my Bible studies ..was in the Sunday School Classes of all Greek Orthodox Churches, and as a matter of fact received my first personal Bible, upon Graduation ! Importantly, those “Bible Toting” Sunday School students , actually perform in front of the Altar of my church.. many bible stories of the Bible ..like the Birth of Christ , you know, like they used to to do on Broadway many years ago ! However , you can also sign up for the Orthodox Church retreats which which they offer during the summer seasons , which are centered around the Greek Orthodox teachings and social interaction!
lastly, All Greek Orthodox Priests, not only take personal confessions of Sin by their flock, but will personally answer any question you have about the Bible! This is Tiring JK.. because if I have to tell you all of this , then I have t question whether you are really a member of the GOA!