When Selfishness Overcomes Our Height!

EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis): This is an excellent piece by Sotiris Tzoumas, a piece that contains a characteristic episode between the late AB of Greece Seraphim and one of his Metropolitans, someone who was as pretentious as Elpidophoros!! Looking around GOARCH, we can give the same prize that Seraphim gave to his pretentious Metropolitan, to quite a few of our hierarchs… The first one that comed to mind is the GOARCH, Archimandrite Nektarios (aptly nicknamed “inept”), whose appearance of “one hunderd Cardinals” is beyond description… 

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source – exapsalmos.gr

When Selfishness Overcomes Our Height!

By Sotiris Tzoumas

When selfishness exceeds our limits, it often becomes uncontrollable and leads us to make the wrong choices and decisions. The Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros, visited the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymos during his short stay in Athens. It was an unofficial visit, but he saw fit to arrive wearing his full… armor, apparently to create the relevant impression since the television cameras his subordinates had called to capture him were waiting for him (some people live for such moments ).

Although a Phanariot, supposedly with knowledge of the strict Patriarchal standard, wore a “epanokalymmachus” and an engolpium (a shame he forgot the episcopal cane!!!) as he crossed the threshold of the Archbishopric, as if he was equal to the Archbishop of Athens. And he continued to wear them until the end of the meeting, even though the Archbishop of Athens. However, Primate of an Autocephalous Church and not a Metropolitan of a Province like Elpidophoros, was uncovered, with the “esorasus” and a small engolpion.

I found that during the joint statements that followed with Archbishop Ieronymos (really why statements were made, was the trip official?) until he left the Palace and said goodbye to the Archdiocese’s Chancellor Archim. Barnabas still wore this official accessory, which he could easily remove! He felt no inhibition, no qualms about presenting himself as more Archbishop than the true Archbishop!
But how does one cast off the cocoon when one’s ego exceeds one’s height? He wants it for protection!

And this fact reminded me of the case of the pure, good, and good-natured late Metropolitan Spyridonos of Zichna and Nevrokopi, who, in the first years of his High Priesthood, used to walk even in the main streets of Athens with the re-opening collar.
So one day, as he was walking around the shops with ecclesiastical articles, around the Archdiocese, Archbishop Seraphim saw him on Apollonos Street, arriving in a car at the Archbishop’s Palace. He was surprised when he saw from a distance a clergyman in official garb in the middle of the street, conversing with the shopkeepers and sharing wishes. And after he asked in his familiar style his late driver, the dear to all of us unforgettable Kyr Christos:
– Hey Christos, are we having a carnival? And he asked him to stop.
He nervously opened the window of the car. He said to Spyridon, who had remained like a pillar of salt and was speechless at the sight of the archbishop’s car, with Seraphim looking at him in amazement through the car window:
– Who are you, lad? Seraphim asks him.
After Spyridon bowed down and kissed the Archbishop’s hand with respect, he replied:
– Your blessing, Your Beatitude! Didn;t you recognize me? Didn’t you meet me? You made me. I am Zichnos, Spyridon, he tells him in the style of 40 cardinals..
– Are you Zichnon? Allegedly full of wonder, the brilliant Seraphim, who at that time was playing with him, tells him!
And it continues:
– What are you saying to me, my lad! Well done! Well done!

He closed the window and left! But she looks at him again and tells him the unrepeatable:

– Here is me who made you, here is you who became!!
And he gives the air two “mountzes”, one to himself and one to Spyridon.
This was Archbishop Seraphim. Direct and real.
What he wanted to say with this symbolic gesture and phrase – which was bordering on farce – is easily understood and, to this day, has the same timeless value and symbolism!
I do not believe that Patriarch Bartholomew, when he saw this snapshot of Elpidophoros in front of the Archbishop of Athens, would feel the same or do something similar! After all, he is a man of a different mentality and education and a Prime Minister!
And apparently, he wants even more “writing samples” of Elpidophoros so that he himself will understand the wrong choice he made.
And as long as he leaves him in this position, he risks turning all this boomerang on the Patriarchate!
Whoever sows winds, reaps storms!

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