ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΗ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙ
Pat. Bartholomew and AB Elpidophoros both served in the Turkish Army – some informants say in the intelligence units! Greeks of the Diaspora, we are living in a schizophrenic situation as we try to promote Greek causes while the hierarchs of the Istanbul Patriarchate are working for the Turkish Foreign Ministry!! Pat. Bartholomew had an extravagant celebration of his 84th birthday – ominously, he was born on February 29!!
By Nick Stamatakis
As we celebrate Greek Independence Day throughout America, it is helpful to remind ourselves of our major leadership problem as a Church and community. I frequently argue with many journalists and political leaders in Greece who praise the role of the Diaspora and ask us to do more to help the “mother country.” My response is this: “How can the Diaspora play the role that it played for centuries and recently during, for example, the leadership of AB Iakovos, when we are so compromised by agents of different interests and, above all, by Turkey? The Turkish Foreign Ministry has a direct open line to all Archbishops of the Istanbul Patriarchate in America, Canada, Australia, Britain, and many European countries… How can we produce any results with such a disadvantage? We are living a schizophrenic situation!! We are trying to push for Greek causes (Cyprus, EEZ, etc) while we are undermined by our ecclesiastical leaders, who are acting as if they were agents of Turkey. And make us wonder what is their true role…!!”
Our main photo (from Greekflash.com) shows Patriarch Bartholomew at a young age, when he was a young officer of the Turkish Army. Pat. Bartholomew and AB Elpidophoros both served in the Turkish army, and some informants say they enlisted in the intelligence services. One year before Elpidophoros arrived in NY, we had the enthronement of Metropolitan Nathanael in Chicago on Saturday, March 24, 2018. The following Monday, the first visitor to his office was the Turkish consul!! This was over a year before the enthronement of Elpidophoros. Two years later, we had the despicable presence of Elpidophoros at the Turkish House NYC, where he bowed before Erdogan!! Later, in a private conversation, he insisted that it was his duty as a Turkish citizen to be there and behave like he did!! Are we living in a schizophrenic situation or not?
Are we then surprised that in January 2018, Pat. Bartholomew blessed the Turkish Army as it illegally invaded Syria, where they killed thousands of civilians (Kurds mostly)? (Please link here for the report from the most prominent Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet). What will he do if this same Turkish Army invades Greece? Who will he bless? At the same time, Pat. Bartholomew, a hypocrite beyond belief, has the gall to recently criticize Patriarch Kirill for blessing the Russian Army (link here)!!
Please do not give me excuses for such behavior. We had many Patriarchs who were forced to operate under the Turkish boot for centuries – but none reached this despicable level. The reason is that the Turks know many personal secrets and have many ways to blackmail Bartholomew. He has to explain himself; if he can’t, HE HAS TO RESIGN IMMEDIATELY!
Then we are dealing with a heretic Patriarch, prone to flattery and uniquely self-centered. Orthodox hierarchs historically do not celebrate birthdays. Orthodoxy celebrates only three birthdays: Jesus, Panagia, and St. John the Baptist. Yes, I know that some of our hierarchs, including Iakovos, celebrated their birthday, but they did it in a closed family circle. Karloutsos celebrated his birthday a couple of days ago – but he did not advertise it (if you see any photos, let me know…) But please look at the pictures below (photo credit: vimaorthodoxias.gr) from Pat. Bartholomew’s birthday at the most expensive restaurant overlooking Bosporus (“Emmanuella” was responsible for the ceremonies). You get the impression that this is the birthday of an American teenager, a “sweet 16” or something like that… This is sickening, but observing Bartholomew and the people surrounding him having lost touch with reality is more sickening. Unfortunately, the whole Western leadership is unrealistic, arrogant, and self-centered. And because of that, they are about to collapse… Hopefully, they will not take all of us down with them, leading the planet to a world war. God help us all!
After all that, one wonders how ominous is the fact that Bartholomew was born on February 29!!
No more comments!! I am speechless!!
April 7, 2024, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
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Η ρίζα των προβλημάτων μας: Ο Τούρκος, αιρετικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος
Ο Πατ. Βαρθολομαίος και ο Αρχ. Ελπιδοφόρος υπηρέτησαν και οι δύο στον Τουρκικό Στρατό – στις υπηρεσίες πληροφοριών λένε κάποιοι πληροφοριοδότες! Οι Έλληνες της διασποράς ζούμε μια σχιζοφρενική κατάσταση καθώς προσπαθούμε να προωθήσουμε τα ελληνικά θέματα, ενώ οι ιεράρχες του Πατριαρχείου Κωνσταντινούπολης εργάζονται για το τουρκικό Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών! Ο Βαρθολομαίος έκανε έναν ξέφρενο εορτασμό για τα 84α γενέθλιά του – είναι ασφαλώς δυσοίωνο ότι γεννήθηκε στις 29 Φεβρουαρίου!!
Του Νίκου Σταματάκη
Καθώς γιορτάζουμε την Ημέρα της Ελληνικής Ανεξαρτησίας σε όλη την Αμερική, είναι χρήσιμο να υπενθυμίζουμε στους εαυτούς μας το μείζον πρόβλημα ηγεσίας μας ως Εκκλησία και κοινότητα. Συχνά μαλώνω με πολλούς δημοσιογράφους και πολιτικούς στην Ελλάδα που επαινούν τον ρόλο της Διασποράς και μας ζητούν να κάνουμε περισσότερα για να βοηθήσουμε τη «μητέρα πατρίδα». Η απάντησή μου είναι η εξής: «Πώς μπορεί η Διασπορά να παίξει τον ρόλο που έπαιξε για αιώνες και πρόσφατα κατά τη διάρκεια, για παράδειγμα, της ηγεσίας του Αρχ. Ιακώβου, όταν είμαστε τόσο υπονομευμένοι από πράκτορες διαφορετικών συμφερόντων και, κυρίως, της Τουρκίας; Το Τουρκικό Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών έχει άμεση ανοιχτή γραμμή προς όλους τους Αρχιεπισκόπους του Πατριαρχείου Κωνσταντινούπολης στην Αμερική, τον Καναδά, την Αυστραλία, τη Βρετανία και πολλές ευρωπαϊκές χώρες… Πώς μπορούμε να παράγουμε αποτελέσματα με τέτοιο μειονέκτημα; Ζούμε μια σχιζοφρενική κατάσταση!! Προσπαθούμε να πιέσουμε για ελληνικά θέματα (Κύπρος, ΑΟΖ κ.λπ.) ενώ μας υπονομεύουν οι εκκλησιαστικοί ηγέτες μας, που ενεργούν ως πράκτορες της Τουρκίας. Και μας κάνουν να αναρωτιόμαστε ποιος είναι ο πραγματικός τους ρόλος…!!
Η κεντρική μας φωτογραφία (από το Greekflash.com) δείχνει τον Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίο, όταν ήταν νεαρός αξιωματικός του Τουρκικού Στρατού. Ο Βαρθολομαίος και ο Αρχ. Ελπιδοφόρος υπηρέτησαν και οι δύο στον τουρκικό στρατό και ορισμένοι πληροφοριοδότες λένε ότι είχαν καταταγεί στις υπηρεσίες πληροφοριών. Ένα χρόνο πριν έρθει ο Ελπιδοφόρος στη Νέα Υόρκη, είχαμε την ενθρόνιση του Μητροπολίτη Ναθαναήλ στο Σικάγο το Σάββατο 24 Μαρτίου 2018. Την επόμενη Δευτέρα, ο πρώτος επισκέπτης στο γραφείο του ήταν ο Τούρκος πρόξενος!! Αυτό έγινε πάνω από ένα χρόνο πριν από την ενθρόνιση του Ελπιδοφόρου. Δύο χρόνια μετά, είχαμε την αξιοθρήνητη παρουσία του Ελπιδοφόρου στο Turkish House NYC, όπου υποκλίθηκε στον Ερντογάν!! Αργότερα, σε μια ιδιωτική συνομιλία, επέμεινε ότι ήταν καθήκον του ως Τούρκος πολίτης να είναι εκεί και να συμπεριφέρεται όπως έκανε!! Ζούμε σε σχιζοφρενική κατάσταση ή όχι;
Ξαφνιαζόμαστε λοιπόν που τον Ιανουάριο του 2018 ο Πατ. Βαρθολομαίος ευλόγησε τον Τουρκικό Στρατό καθώς είχε εισβάλει παράνομα στη Συρία, όπου σκότωσε χιλιάδες αμάχους; (Συνδεθειτε εδώ για το ρεπορτάζ της πιο σημαντικής τουρκικής εφημερίδας Hurriyet). Τι θα κάνει αν ο Τουρκικός Στρατός εισβάλει στην Ελλάδα; Ποιον θα ευλογήσει; Ο Βαρθολομαίος έχει μετά το θράσος, σε κρεσέντο υποκρισίας, να επικρίνει τον Πατριάρχη Κύριλλο γιατί ευλόγησε το Ρωσικό Στρατό (σύνδεσμος εδώ)!!
Παρακαλώ να μη μου δικαιολογείτε τέτοια συμπεριφορά. Είχαμε πολλούς Πατριάρχες που αναγκάστηκαν να λειτουργούν κάτω από την τουρκική μπότα για αιώνες – αλλά κανένας δεν έφτασε σε αυτό το ποταπό επίπεδο. Ο λόγος είναι ότι οι Τούρκοι γνωρίζουν πολλά προσωπικά μυστικά και έχουν πολλούς τρόπους να εκβιάσουν τον Βαρθολομαίο. Πρέπει να δώσει εξηγήσεις. Αν δεν μπορεί, ΠΡΕΠΕΙ ΝΑ ΠΑΡΑΙΤΗΘΕΙ ΑΜΕΣΑ!
Μετά έχουμε να κάνουμε με έναν αιρετικό Πατριάρχη, επιρρεπή στην κολακεία και μοναδικά εγωκεντρικό. Οι ορθόδοξοι ιεράρχες ιστορικά δεν γιορτάζουν γενέθλια. Η Ορθοδοξία γιορτάζει μόνο τρία γενέθλια: τον Ιησού, την Παναγία και τον Άγιο Ιωάννη τον Βαπτιστή. Ναι, ξέρω ότι κάποιοι ιεράρχες μας, μεταξύ των οποίων και ο Ιάκωβος, γιόρτασαν τα γενέθλιά τους, αλλά το έκαναν σε κλειστό οικογενειακό κύκλο. Ο Καρλούτσος γιόρτασε τα γενέθλιά του πριν από λίγες μέρες – αλλά δεν το διαφήμισε (αν δείτε φωτογραφίες, ενημερώστε με…) Ρίξτε όμως μια ματιά στις παρακάτω φωτογραφίες (από το vimaorthodoxias.gr) από τα γενέθλια του Βαρθολομαίου στο πιο ακριβό εστιατόριο με θέα στον Βόσπορο (η «Εμμανουέλα» είχε την ευθύνη των τελετών). Έχει κανείς την εντύπωση ότι αυτά είναι τα γενέθλια ενός Αμερικανού έφηβου, ενα “sweet 16” ή κάτι τέτοιο… Πρόκειται για τελείως αρρωστημένη κατάσταη, αλλά πιο αηδιαστικό είναι να παρατηρείς τον Βαρθολομαίο και τους ανθρώπους γύρω του να έχουν χάσει τελείως την επαφή με την πραγματικότητα. Δυστυχώς, ολόκληρη η δυτική ηγεσία είναι μη ρεαλιστική, αλαζονική και εγωκεντρική. Και εξαιτίας αυτού πρόκειται να καταρρεύσουν… Ας ελπίσουμε ότι δεν θα μας πάρουν όλους μαζί τους, οδηγώντας τον πλανήτη σε παγκόσμιο πόλεμο. Ο Θεός να μας βοηθήσει όλους!
Μετά από όλα αυτά, αναρωτιέται κανείς πόσο δυσοίωνο είναι το γεγονός ότι ο Βαρθολομαίος γεννήθηκε στις 29 Φεβρουαρίου!!
Όχι άλλα σχόλια!! Είμαι άφωνος!!
April 7, 2024, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
TO SUPPORT HELLENISCOPE OR BECOME A SUBSCRIBER, LINK HERE!!
Θα προτιμούσα να τοποθετήσω τον λίθον…..και να σφραγίζω τον τάφο
μετά´ της κουστωδίας ………παρά να
βάλλω τον δάκτυλόν μου επί των
πλήκτρων και να κάνω σχόλια για
όλα τα φοβερά και τρισάθλια που
εγράφησαν από τον συνεργάτη μου.
Nick- The photos with AB Bart and the old-timer mafia looking kingpins surrounding his Eminence are classic! These pictures are comical and represent complete and utter embarrassment to today’s modern generations of Americans of Greek descent who work hard to earn their money and give generously to the church. A mere slap in the face for those who see through these foreign machinations and fail to create change in the church.
Why is it that do we not ever see anyone younger than 70 years old standing with this ancient heretic? Maybe it is because we all know: Once a Turk, always a Turk! Anaxios!
Stop supporting their corruption. Do not donate to any GOA church. Abandon ship. There is no other way. Stand for Orthodoxy. Otherwise drown.
Orthodox bishops celebrate their birthdays. Find me one that doesn’t. Here’s a letter from Patriarch Kiril congratulating ROCOR Bishop Luke on his 70th birthday:
https://www.hts.edu/news_211118_1
They may do it now… But our tradition is different. I grew up in Greece in the 1960s and 1970s and I can assure you that as kids it was not a sure thing that we celebrate our birthdays. Our name days were very pronounced and our birthdays subdued. I can also assure you that the previous generation, our parents, had no idea what a birthday was… You can imagine our priests and bishops. For them there was not such a thing as a birthday. I can guarantee you that when Old Bart was growing up in Imvros there was no such a thing as a birthday. But he decided to westernize everything in his life and in the Church.
My friend is not only the celebration
It’self but the way and the expense ,
the size of spending , at times that
people die from food shortage.
Hi Joseph,
I believe you need some historical background here, to understand Helleniscope’s angle…
To echo Helleniscope’s comment, my grandparents didn’t even know their exact birthday…neither did their own mothers record it, nor any mother of that era (unless it was on the day of some very big feast, which made recollection easier)…they were born in an era that didn’t have too much documentation and record keeping, especially in rural communities where midwives delivered babies in the home. The focus was on Christian Initiation (baptism) for the newborn infant, not the date of birth. Every living person in their generation was forced by the government to put a birth date down on their national ID cards at some point, but for the most part those dates of birth were fabricated, and that was a well known secret. Sometimes they were registered as being born in a different year (to purposely appear younger or older)…usually the parents would remember the year and month, but not the day that the children were born…furthermore, prior to 1924, many of these “birth dates” were recorded based on the old Julian Calendar, to complicate matters even further, and the imposition of the “New Calendar” upon the Church didn’t correspond to an “adjustment” of existing Identification Records to align with the New Calendar. {In fact, the bi-centennial celebration of Greek Independence in 2021 was not historically accurate, because March 25th in 1821 was the day of Annunciation under the Julian Calendar…technically, we should be adjusting to celebrate Greek Independence day on April 7th with the New Calendar, if we want to be exact in our calculations…} My own grandparents and pretty much the entire region they came from had a similar story to tell with this laxed societal attitude about the importance of recording an actual “birth date”…
As an interesting side note, until recently, Greek legislation allowed for declaration of the birth of a boy or a girl, without specifying a name, which would be given on the day of Baptism. Culture influenced government, too…also, the legal requirement to carry a government ID (apart from a passport) was legislated to begin at the age of 14 (at least up until recent years). This means that many people are still alive, walking around with an inaccurate birth date (although most of them are quite old now).
As a result, these old-timers NEVER, EVER celebrated their secular birthdays…only namedays. I remember the final days of the “old” era in Greece as well, where “birthday” celebrations were super-rare and “strange”, but name day celebrations were not only the social norm, but a personal visit to the home, or acknowledgement by phone was a mandatory expectation in order to ensure a healthy relationship with those individuals. It was expected that on your nameday you would be at home in the afternoon & evening, to host any visitors that were going to stop by.
{…And as a side note (discussion for a different day), those old timers maintained the tradition of exchanging gifts on St. Basil’s day, not on Christmas Day…that was predominant Greek Tradition up until the 1960s – 1970s…}
The Orthodox Church tradition of over two millenia also support this mindset of focusing on the name day vs. the birthday. The term “γενεθλιον” (birthday) of a saint is written in Canons of the Synods and it meant the “day of martyrdom” of the saint…and that is what is celebrated….that’s why Name Days are also celebrated in traditional Orthodox Tradition by people who share a name with a saint, who the Church in turn celebrates on that “γενεθλιον”. Their day of baptism was their “birthday” into the Church, but typically people didn’t remember that, so they defaulted to the day of their Saint instead. We won’t get into the details of some variants and exceptions (a.ka. the transfer of St. John the Forerunner from August 29th to Jan 7th, or St. John Chrysostom from September 14th to November 13th). The point is, that Orthodox Tradition always focused on the Name Day, and celebration of a birthday was reserved for a handful of “Salvific personalities” of our Church, always within a spiritual context (Birth of Christ, Birth of the Theotokos, Birth of St. John the Baptist, etc…). The traditional Orthodox believer never put emphasis on “celebrating” years upon the earth…in the words of one contemporary priest-monk…”What exactly are we celebrating with a birthday party? The fact that we have accomplished to sin for another year on this earth…?”
So how did we end up with Orthodox people (and bishops) celebrating their secular birthdays? Very simple…
1) an unending appetite to consume every secular tradition that is Western, especially after WW2.
2) A continual willful erosion of the boundaries between spirituality and secularism, that bishops are normally expected to defend with their own life.
3) Influences from a surrounding society increasingly focusing on individualism, materialism (idolatry) and ego-centric “self-gratification” in general…(and also the “need to be a lemming”…to “follow the crowd off the cliff…”… Individualism is one thing…standing out from the crowd is not viewed favorably these days)
St. Kosmas said it best in the 18th century….”There will be a day when the clergy will become secular ( turn into laity), and the Laity will turn into demons…”
Excellent reply Markos, very illuminating…
Markos – great analysis bro,
you must publish a book…
always enlightening —
btw: yes my Greek yaya was never sure of her birthday.
Bravo Nick for telling only truths! It’s absolutely despicable to watch them celebrate as they vigorously destroy and change our Orthodoxy and traditions. They must all be dethroned including all the elite Archons! Shameful….stop funding the beast machine, GOA, and stop listening to their rhetoric; sermons, pseudo, anti-Orthodox Lenten programs which are blessed by the Fordhamites. A house of horrors and let them know, we are on to them and will continue to call them out!
Team Jesus:
you’re spot on to say all that,
even Fr. John Vlahos sold out to Fordhamites and bending the knee.🤮
Have you forgotten who had a hand in the devastation of Ukrainian Orthodox?
Point of clarification: Metropolitan Nathanael’s didn’t make his first appearance to the Metropolis offices until 2.5 weeks after his Enthronement. He met with the Turkish official outside the official Metropolis offices.
Maybe you can clarify if it was Met. Nathanael who visited the consul? You can also clarify if any of Met. Nathanael’s predecessors EVER had a visit with the consul? And finally, you could also clarify how many months after his enthronement did Met. Nathanael met with the Greek consul in Chicago? I am not sure if it was five months or six or seven…
Following the Enthronement of “Nate Full of Hate” in Chicago, His Eminence was busy meeting with people that his predecessor Metropolitan Iakovos of Blessed Memory did not wish to rely on. These were wealthy individuals who would only give money to the Church if they got something out of it. Just look at the priests of her got moved around or left the Metropolis within the first year. How much “donations” did the Metropolis receive to enact the transfer of all these clergymen. Metropolitan I Iakovos wasn’t going to be blackmailed like that, but Nate had no issue taking money with strings attached.
My understanding was that hierarchs were meeting with Turkish officials because of the Archon initiatives being driven by Father Alex Karloutsos (who cannot step foot in Turkey because he will likely be arrested). There are a number of Greek families in the Chicago area who came from Constantinople and I believe those meetings prior to Nate’s arrival were intended to extend cordial friendship to counter the attacks by the Turkish government aimed at the Greeks.
Nate chased the wealthy benefactors in the Metropolis of Chicago and chased out all the faithful volunteers who gave much of their time and talents to serve the Church.
He is an extreme egotist: this has been known about him for many years; which means that his synod and those others around him share much of the blame and perhaps more as they have not kept him in check. The consequences are already manifest, which were known by the ancients: hubris of a ruler brings the destruction of a state. Had he been humble, he could have ruled and indeed as first-among-equals in the ecumene. Instead, he acted like a geopolitician: hubris. If the geopolitical pretensions were all of it, I wouldn’t worry so much (if, more-so, the folly went only so far licentiousness and greed in himself and his ranks, I wouldn’t be so upset; and if he had gone only so far as others in the 20th century who stretched ecumenism to the limits and even changed the calendar, I wouldn’t be so very upset); but he and his circle have gone farther, taking us into manifest heresy, actually altering our ecclesiology and — like the heretics of old — becoming persecutors or accomplices in the persecution of the Orthodox Church (Ukraine). He jostled to become patriarch, so he is. He wanted to become famous in history (hence, his ill-conceived fiasco of a council at Crete), so he will be. Just as our ancestor resisted the great heretics of old and remained Orthodox, we must resist him in our times. He does not merit a single iota of respect from us now but only anathema.
Would you please tell us where the man lives in Istanbul or suburbs. It seems to be another one of his circle’s secrets. Anyone in the city must be able to see where he goes. It is undeclared to us as far as I can see. His predecessor Patriarch Demetrios of blessed memory lived in the complex at the Phanar (and once called it “blessed poverty”, if I remember correctly: all the more significantly as the patriarchate’s complex had not been refurbished at that time). I doubt Bartholomew lives there, who fine-dines on chairs covered with purple cloth especially for him as if he were royalty (as I’ve seen this with my own eyes; and I am stopping myself from giving a short list from a catalogue of such pretences of his). He is a parasite. We are paying for it. So, we should know. Where does the creature actually live?
He is known to live in a multi-million dollar villa overlooking Bosporus, purchased partly with money from Greek-Americans donors, the “Archons of Disaster”. One of them was Spanos from California – my sources tell me that he sent to Istanbul $2 million through Karloutsos (of course Kalroutsos got his “cut”). He lives a life of luxury and he cares more about indulging himseld in all kinds of material pleaseures. He cares about nothing else. Oh, I forgot! The environment!… Ha..ha.. “The (dollar) Green Patriarch…