EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). As the Greek PM, Mitsotakis is preparing to visit Ankara this coming Monday. “Sultan” Erdogan uses the bag of old Turkish tricks to welcome him. First, he turns Moni’s Horas, a wonderful World Heritage site, into a mosque. Then, he refused to allow a visa (to return to Turkey) for the Archdeacon of the Patriarch (Theodoros Meimaris – but we are waiting to verify this name) who was visiting Athens… Did the Greek Foreign Ministry say anything? No, at least not so far. Does Mitsotakis plan to cancel his trip? Of course not. In addition, he made an unfortunate statement calling “Moni tis Horas” a “Byzantine mosque.”… Erdogan created the climate for more demands from Greece on the supposedly “suffering” Muslim minority of Thrace – 60 years after he expelled over 200,000 Greeks of the Christian minority of Constantinople!
This is yet one more step towards the expulsion of the Patriarchate from its ancient seat. Pat Bartholomew and all of us can blame the Turks, as usual, but the Patriarch and his policies are the main culprits. In 2015, a phone call from President Putin led to the re-opening of the sacred Monastery of Panagia Sumela of Pontos after a hundred years. In recent memory, this was the ONLY advancement of the Patriarchate’s religious rights. At the same time, the State Dept. and the supposed power of the US, NATO, and the EU were unable to accomplish the re-opening of the Halki Theological School. The Russian leadership could quickly stop the turning of Hagia Sophia and Moni Tis Horas into mosques. But they will not lift a finger after Bartholomew’s hugely mistaken “Ukrainian Autocephaly” move.
NOBODY can instill into the Turks the “fear of God” more than the Russians. This is a known fact in all diplomatic circles. Yet Bartholomew, Elpidophoros, the “Archons of Disaster,” and all other useless “agents” of the Patriarchate keep playing the same one-sided, losing game: They abandoned their natural allies in Orthodoxy, and they are looking for allies in the “Globo-homo” Western elites… The result of this is in plain sight: First, they will be expelled from Constantinople, and at the same time, they will lose their flock – as all faithful will seek the original Orthodoxy elsewhere, mainly under the Moscow Patriarchate.
BELOW IS THE NEWS IN ENGLISH AND IN GREEK
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Erdogan expelled the Patriarch’s Archdeacon!
Guilty silence from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which does not ask for an explanation
The oriental bazaar, which Tayyip Erdoğan has set up between Athens and Ankara, also touched the core of the Patriarchate, as, according to exclusive information of the “dimokratianews.gr”, the “sultan” showed the exit door from Constantinople to the Patriarch’s archdeacon. (According to our information, he is Theodoros Meimaris, but we are waiting for verification on this one.)
The expulsion of the archdeacon, who has been decommissioned in Athens for a few days, amounts to an attempt to functionally “decapitate” the Patriarchate, as this particular person had a key role, acting as an informal representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch, while also coordinating all his organizational needs.
His expulsion from Constantinople is, therefore, a direct challenge to Athens but also another attempt to brutally blackmail the Patriarchate while the Greek government continues to trumpet that the wolf of Ankara has turned into a… lamb.
But things become even more complicated if one considers that the specific aggressive act of Tayyip Erdoğan went unanswered by Athens.
Full update
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has complete information about what is happening inside the Patriarchate; however, for unknown reasons, it keeps silent about the fact and refuses to “raise” the issue, asking for explanations.
This silence seems… guilty, just as the overall strategy of the government, which has decided to preserve the supposedly good climate of the Athens Declaration at any cost and in any way, also seems guilty.
However, the main question that arises in knowing the logic of Turkey is whether it will attempt to put the question of the archdeacon’s return on the negotiation table with Athens. In general, if he will raise the issue of his return to Constantinople in exchange for freedom of movement to the pseudo muftis of Thrace or to other nationalist organizations that operate in the region with the blessings of the “sultan”.
It is worth noting that the Turkish authorities planned the expulsion of the archdeacon, deciding not to renew his residence permit in the country.
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Αποκάλυψη! Τον αρχιδιάκονο του Πατριάρχη έδιωξε ο Ερντογάν
Το ανατολίτικο παζάρι, που έχει στήσει μεταξύ Αθήνας και Άγκυρας ο Ταγίπ Ερντογάν, άγγιξε και τον στενό πυρήνα του Πατριαρχείου, καθώς, σύμφωνα με αποκλειστικές πληροφορίες της «δημοκρατίας», ο «σουλτάνος» έδειξε την πόρτα της εξόδου από την Κωνσταντινούπολη στον αρχιδιάκονο του Πατριάρχη.
Η εκδίωξη του αρχιδιακόνου, που εδώ και λίγες ημέρες βρίσκεται παροπλισμένος στην Αθήνα, ισούται με προσπάθεια λειτουργικού «αποκεφαλισμού» του Πατριαρχείου, καθώς το συγκεκριμένο πρόσωπο είχε ρόλο-κλειδί, λειτουργούσε ως άτυπος εκπρόσωπος του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη, ενώ συντόνιζε και όλες τις οργανωτικές ανάγκες του Πατριαρχείου.
Η εκδίωξή του, λοιπόν, από την Κωνσταντινούπολη αποτελεί ευθεία πρόκληση προς την Αθήνα, αλλά και μία ακόμα προσπάθεια ωμού εκβιασμού του Πατριαρχείου, σε μια περίοδο που η ελληνική κυβέρνηση συνεχίζει να διατυμπανίζει πως ο λύκος της Άγκυρας έχει μετατραπεί σε… αρνάκι.
Τα πράγματα γίνονται όμως ακόμα πιο περίπλοκα αν αναλογιστεί κάποιος πως η συγκεκριμένη επιθετική πράξη του Ταγίπ Ερντογάν έμεινε αναπάντητη από την Αθήνα.
Πλήρη ενημέρωση
Το Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών έχει πλήρη ενημέρωση για τα τεκταινόμενα εντός του Πατριαρχείου, όμως, για λόγους που παραμένουν άγνωστοι, αποσιωπά το γεγονός και αρνείται να «σηκώσει» το θέμα, ζητώντας εξηγήσεις.
Η σιωπή αυτή μοιάζει… ένοχη, όπως ένοχη μοιάζει και η συνολική στρατηγική της κυβέρνησης, που έχει αποφασίσει να διαφυλάξει με κάθε κόστος και κάθε τρόπο το δήθεν καλό κλίμα της Διακήρυξης των Αθηνών.
Το βασικό, όμως, ερώτημα που προκύπτει, γνωρίζοντας τη λογική της Τουρκίας, είναι κατά πόσο θα επιχειρήσει να βάλει στο τραπέζι των διαπραγματεύσεων με την Αθήνα το ζήτημα της επιστροφής του αρχιδιακόνου. Κοινώς, αν θα θέσει ζήτημα επιστροφής του στην Κωνσταντινούπολη με αντάλλαγμα ελευθερία κίνησης στους ψευδομουφτήδες της Θράκης ή σε άλλες εθνικιστικές οργανώσεις που δρουν στην περιοχή με τις ευλογίες του «σουλτάνου».
Αξίζει να σημειωθεί πως οι τουρκικές Αρχές σχεδίασαν την αποπομπή του αρχιδιακόνου, αποφασίζοντας να μην ανανεώσουν την άδεια παραμονής του στη χώρα.
Can you actually do some research. Theodoros was ordained to the Priesthood in March 2021. He is no longer the Archdeacon!
As I said this was an initial report. I saw that Theodoros Meimaris was placed in the position of the Archdeacon last October. But the main issue in this news is not the name but the office he holds. We will learn the truth soon. But for now here is the link stating he is the Archdeacon:
https://www.romfea.gr/oikoumeniko-patriarxeio/17349-anakatatajeis-stin-patriarxiki-auli-apo-ton-oikoumeniko-patriarxi
This comment may sound irrelevant to Linda, but allow me to speak from an erstwhile Anglican frame of reference. The archdeacon of an Anglican diocese is usually a priest. Not only that, he is normally one of the most respected senior priests of the diocese and he exercises authority second only to the bishop ordinary himself. Although clerics of higher rank seldom are called upon to condescend to the rôle of a cleric of lower rank – a rank which all have previously occupied – subsequent ordinations to higher orders do not abrogate the charism of a prior, inferior ordination. For instance, a priest does not cease to be a deacon once he’s priested, and a bishop has within himself the fullness of grace of all three major orders. Thus, from this point of view, it is entirely logical that a priest retain within himself the ability to function as a deacon – even an archdeacon – if so called upon by the bishop and blessed for that rôle. We should note that the patriarch is simply a bishop for the sake of this argument. Those more familiar with Orthodox theology will correct me if I’ve gone astray here.
Christ is risen!
I’m afraid you’re confusing Orthodox Christianity with Anglicanism. Orthodox priests are no longer deacons, and never serve as such again; we have no concept of condescending to a lower degree of the priesthood.
At ordination (not “priesting”!) the Deacon x. is made into the Presbyter x. We don’t “dress up” (or in this case “dress down”) into another order.
An Archdeacon is a leading deacon to a hierarch. He’s never a priest.
The conversion of the Moni Tis Choras to a mosque looks like its designed to coincide with Mitsotakis’ visit. It must be a new war on nerves and an escalation, which will result in new dogfights over the Aegean. Otherwise, why would he not wait, until after Mitsotakis left?
The decision was made by Erdogan two years ago. But they picked the right moment to apply it.
I wonder what Bartholomew has to say about this. Let me guess. Is it “ΣΚΑΣΙΛΑ ΜΟΥ” ? Or, perhaps that is what Moscow is now saying about Bartholomew’s plight. Ε, ρε, Βαρθολομαιε, κουνια που σε κουναγε! Did you really think that you could do all that you did with no repercussions? Every little thing you did will come back to bite you. You have picked all the wrong “friends” (enemies of Orthodoxy) but as the old Greek saying goes, “show me your friends and I’ll tell you what kind of person you are.” You are going down in more ways than one. Repent before it’s too late for you!
Roya, you are SPOT ON. Bartholomew fell into his role of CIA puppet just like Mike Pompeo told him to. May he reap all the he has sown. And may Elpi and all of his minions do the same.
Ελληνική Πολιτεία και Ελληνική
Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία υπό διάλυση.
Παρά ταύτα κανένας δεν ανεβάζει τους
τόνους στρουθοκαμηλίζουμε και
προχωράμε συνεχίζοντας να λέμε
business as usual…….
Κατακαυμένη Αράχωβα τι σούμελε
να πάθεις.
Ετοιμαστήτε άρχοντες η μάλλον
ξεκουμποθείτε…. για το βαρέλι δίχως
πάτο .
There’s a ton of additional testosterone required to be demostrated upon the international stage before an international puppet like Mitsotakis can change his name to “Mitsaras”… Erdogan knows this, that’s why he’s easily able to “taunt the little ones” again by doing things like this…all Mitsotakis will do is “cry to a mommy that doesn’t care” again…
The EU doesn’t care because Germany is too invested in Ankara.
The US doesn’t care, for known geopolitical reasons.
The UK hasn’t cared since the days the British naval sailors were chopping of the hands of those refugees trying to board their vessels at the port of a burning Smyrna in 1922…
The Russians “used to marginally care” (only slightly, due to some tangential historical/religious ties), until Mitsotakis stabbed them in the back by sending weapons to the Ukraine, not putting pressure on Hieronymos to withdraw support for the Ukrainian tomos, and voting in favor of EU embargos which stupidly hurt the Greek economy (while the Italians smartly abstained from the vote and secured cheap Russian natural gas for themselves)…his “childish” policies even ended up getting a Greek tanker confiscated by Iran, if you remember…Erdogan had a great laugh with that one…
Now, he will keep enjoying the fruits of his “strategic” labor, but unfortunately those fruits will likely continue to translate into disturbing headlines into the future…