By Markos (Helleniscope’s Theological Commentator)
It was only natural, after the “banning” of the UOC by Zelensky for the Kiev regime, to also contrive a way to “banish” Ounoufry from Ukrainian lands. Perhaps the rapid loss of territory on the front lines accelerated this action, but it was most likely always in the plans.
This has always been another episode of a long-standing religious war that started long before any of us were born…the Vatican-sponsored Uniates brought the lines of religious division to the Ukrainian lands centuries ago, as part of their grand vision to continue their quest to subjugate Orthodox under the Vatican (emulating the bloody model of the 4th Crusade)….the Uniate invasions in the Ukraine during the 1600-1700s were when the seeds of hatred were planted, and these seeds tragically resulted in a generational hatred of Moscow by the “Pro-Vatican Uniates”, with a climax under Stalin’s regime, a hatred that was sufficient to survive the Cold War…a hatred that was leveraged by greedy, expansionist Western governments, “think tanks”, and industrial interests, upset that their “drunken, corrupt buddy-for-sale” Yeltsin was replaced by someone that didn’t “play along” with their imperialistic dreams of a complete takeover of former Soviet bloc territorial assets, leading to a 2014 coup that triggered a civil war in the Ukraine (Pro-Vatican Western Ukrainians vs. Pro-Moscow Eastern Ukrainians Donbass, etc), and manifesting into the bloodshed that we see today.
It was not an accident that Pope Francis’ “Pharisaic prayers for peace in the Ukraine” resulted in the doves he released being attacked… what other signs from God do we need in such cases?
Of course, any educated Constantinopolitan knew this history well. But Constantinople went along in a treasonous way, reversing 27 years of a consistent policy validated by Bartholomew’s signature affirming that Kiev belonged to Moscow’s jurisdiction, because the Patriarchate was also being “leveraged” by the same “global chess-players”…
The “leveraging of Constantinople” to “assist” the centuries-old Vatican Uniate vision for the takeover of the Ukraine was not difficult however, because over the last century, and especially the last few decades, much of the Synod of Constantinople have already betrayed their hierarchical obligations to preserve Orthodoxy, and have “accepted the sin of false Union within their hearts”, and have even proceeded to visibly display what is in their hearts by tangible actions, such as “publicly kissing the hand of the Pope”, effectively receiving the blessing of a heretic, which is explicitly banned by the Canons, and penalized by deposing of clergy that do so (in theory):
…and several more “tangible actions” (violations of Canons) that underscore the “Uniate mindset” that has infiltrated the Synod of Constantinople the past several decades include common prayer with Vatican clergy, including the official recitation of the Lord’s Prayer by the Pope during Divine Liturgy at the Phanar, Elpidophoros allowing Cardinals to “bless” the Orthodox with a censer during Paschal services two years ago, Elpidophoros celebrating Divine Liturgy at a heretical place of worship (St. Barts), multiple crazy inter-faith prayer services at places like St. Nicholas shrine in ground-zero, etc….
Here’s a simple reminder of some violations perpetrated by Bartholomew when Popes attended services at the Phanar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAwXYzLBFMk&list=RDAAwXYzLBFMk&start_radio=1 (see recitation of the Lord’s Prayer at 1:51:18)
Also:
Reminder of the infamous “it’s your Cathedral as well” and other “Uniate” statements:
Reminder of Cardinal Dolan “blessing” the Orthodox with the “myrrh-vessel” on Good Friday
Reminder of the ordination to bishop of the controversial Theophan, an ordination vehemently protested by Anastasios of Albania, and which proceeded even AFTER Theophan recited the Filioque during the most sacred moment of his Confession of Faith (as part of the ordination service):
Reminder of what our tradition says about “common prayer with heretics”:
Example of a classic “Ukrainian Uniate” (dressed in Orthodox-like vestments, but bowing down to the Pope of Rome):
Bottom line, Scripture tells us a sin is already committed by someone when he accepts it in his heart.
When examining the publicly recorded “Vatican-friendly” (Uniate-like) behavior of the Patriarch of Constantinople and his Synodal followers under the prism of this Scriptural reference, the conclusion is tragically simple: A large number of our hierarchs have either “accepted” Uniate dogma in their hearts, or for unknown reasons are acting intentionally as “pro-Vatican agents” dressed in Orthodox vestments, instead of defending Orthodoxy like they are obligated to. They have also seemingly subjugated themselves to the authority of a single bishop (Bartholomew), who demands “obedience” in a Papist-like manner, and are penalized when the slightest perception of difference in opinion with the “Pope of the East” is interpreted, even if they are not part of the Synod of Constantinople, as was recently shown with the treatment of Tychikos of Cyprus, who simply didn’t feel that he could accept the same levels of “Oikonomia” that the Metropolis of Chicago was dispensing, but has now been “punished” for this “disobedience”, making him an example for others who would “dare” to do the same in the future. The propaganda machine that started in the late 1990s by subtly introducing the outrageous phrase “spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox” to describe the Patriarch of Constantinople (effectively attempting to “cancel” our Synodic tradition) was a pre-cursor to this “neo-papist-like” mindset. This neo-papist authoritarian mindset is precisely why we have a Schism in Orthodoxy today.
Conclusion
The Vatican always had “blood on its hands” with centuries of Uniate activity in the Ukraine…but starting in 2017-18 the Patriarch of Constantinople officially decided to join and partake in the “Uniate blood sacrifice” in the Ukrainian lands on the side of the Uniates, and to facilitate the age-old Vatican dreams by granting a “tomos” of autocephaly to Uniate-friendly/backed Schismatics, and setting the stage for a future total “Uniate absorption” of the traditional core Orthodox Church in the Ukraine under Ounoufry (a “tomos” that also resulted in Schism within Orthodoxy – again, another Uniate dream). The forceful takeover of the Kiev Caves as well as multiple church buildings across the land was only the symbolic beginning. At what point will the Patriarch of Constantinople and his like-minded Synodal followers officially be declared Uniates by Church historians, just like the term Λατινοφρονες was used to describe the Constantinopolitan traitors of the Ferrara pseudo-council of 1439? How much more pro-Uniate activity do we all need to witness?
What do you mean by entrapment? It sounds as if Patriarch Bartholomew shares no guilt, where is fact, he has all the blame. How much has he profited: $15 million? $20 million? And the promise to be the head of the merged churches”. If it wasn’t for him and his willing complicity, none of this would have happened. Plus, has he repented? He needs to be defrocked and ex-communicated formally (he has already excommunicated himself and continues to do so). And yet, he and his gang of Archbishops, in the U.S., Australia…what else remains for them to do?
The original word used was ensnarement – we will change back to that
The Orthodox Church has a long tradition of Confessors of the Faith and Martyrs, who were faced with all sorts of trickery and attempts to ‘entrap” / “ensnare” / “lure” them into false dogma, etc…those who we commemorate as Confessors and Martyrs today refused to be “entrapped” or “ensnared” or “lured” into losing their souls in that manner. Those who either willingly or out of weakness refused to be Confessors or Martyrs of the faith became “Deniers” and “Compromisers” (heretics) of the Faith…There is also a long history and list of those individuals too. Denial of Faith (betrayal), and the “serving of two masters”, whether it is out of love of money or any other reason, carries both guilt AND blame. As for “repentance”, it doesn’t appear that:
– the desecration of the Kiev Caves & other Churches,
– the beatings and murders of clergy,
– kangaroo courts for and imprisonment of bishops,
– or even the “outlawing” of the UOC
have elicited a single honest statement of outrage and condemnation against the Zelensky / Epiphanios regime from Constantinopolitan circles. Just the opposite in fact for those who follow the visitor schedule at the Phanar, and have seen the “statements of solidarity” that Bartholomew has read to those Ukrainian officials that showed up recently. Yet, the Vatican hasn’t complained either…”it takes 2 to tango the Uniate music”, they say…and that is why this article refers to Uniate ensnarement, whether it was out of willingness or out of weakness that it occurred.
Marcos, it may be the first time we are in agreement when you quote Jesus when he stated “you can’t serve 2 masters because you will love one and hate the other”. This is the fundamental challenge to the GOA- you can’t serve Christ and Hellenism. Thanks for the reminder.
If we are opening the discussion about examples concerning “serving 2 masters”…a person cannot claim to be Orthodox but retain a Protestant mindset at the same time either, by applying “selective theology” and ignoring the Commandment “honor thy mother and father” (by not honoring and continuing their ancestral heritage, language, and culture)…That “sinister sin” is manifested by any individual who claims to have Greek heritage but has chosen for unknown reasons to “bury their God-given talent” for learning and reading, and making active choices in the many years of God-given life NOT to learn Greek, while reading entire libraries of other things…but that’s their choice and normally it won’t affect anyone else around them…However, as an additional “sin of ego”, sadly these types of individuals, in order to make themselves “feel better” and “overcome some sort of hidden complex”, and “bury their conscience of sin”(that St. Dorotheos speaks about), people like this frequently and aggressively advocate the eradication of anything that is Greek, attempting to sabotage other people’s desire “to honor their mother and father”, possibly because they selfishly may not be happy with the fact that others may understand the original language of their Religious Tradition and culture a bit better than them, in light of tons of translational anomalies and problems of English scriptural text…and yet, they have a God-given talent to learn, and they still refuse to invest the effort in doing so, for DECADES… this condition is a spiritual ailment that requires a spiritual father and a lot of prayer and an increase in self-awareness to recover from…GOARCh has already made a lot of concessions to accomodate those who don’t know Greek over the years, but continued efforts to sabotage other people’s generational opportunity to fulfill the God-given Commandment to “honor their mother and father” via a propaganda campaign to eradicate everything that is “Greek” in the diaspora is not an acceptable goal either.
Wow, an incredibly interesting interpretation of honor thy father and thy mother. Is this a patristic interpretation or just your interpretation. Again, you fail to acknowledge that there are many saints who knew no Greek.
If you read carefully, this referred to those who claim to have Greek heritage…St. Kosmas the Aitolian spoke to many of them very specifically about this subject, since you are interested in patristic sources. Have at it… :)
It is my understanding that St. Kosmas Aitolos encouraged the people of Greece (who became largely illiterate during the 1700’s) and current day Albania to become literate in Greek because that was the only language used in the Church. Therefore, if you didn’t learn Greek, you couldn’t understand or read anything in Church. I’m guessing that if the liturgy and scripture was available in both Greek and Albanian, he would not have approached it the same way. Again, only a guess…I am nobody…not a theologian, not a priest, just someone that has read a fair amount about the life of St. Kosmas Aitolos and discussed with many others more knowledgable than myself.
Ο. Βοθρολομαίος και τα διαχρονικά
τσιράκια του έχουν κάνει τόσο
μεγάλη ζημιά στον απανταχού Ελληνισμό ( τρώγοντας τις σάρκες του) και την Ορθοδοξία που οι πράξεις
επισκιάζουν και εκείνες του αναθεματισμένου Μελετίου Μεταξάκη.
What’s currently keeping the Vatican from declaring a “Holy War” against Eastern Orthodoxy?
When the Vatican does declare a “Holy War” against Eastern Orthodoxy, and I believe it will happen soon, then the current diplomacy of Eastern Orthodoxy with the Vatican will make more sense in retrospect.
It’s not just Patriarch Bartholomew engaging with this either. It’s pretty much across the board with all the autocephalous local churches cozying up to the Vatican to some degree. There’s a method to the madness, and it’s not about unia. It’s about protection of Orthodoxy and it’s survival.
The 4th Crusade set the stage for the Uniate model as a “hostile takeover” of Orthodox lands, the forceful takeover of all churches for 57 years…for those who know the historical details, this 57 year takeover resulted in the loss of an entire tradition of the ancient traditional Parish services, which resulted in the introduction and challenging application of the monastic typikon in parishes, because after 57 years, there were no parish priests left who remembered the old tradition, only monks who had to reconstruct Orthodox spiritual life when the Latins eventually left Constantinople…that was a very effective and destructive model, in the Vatican’s “how to dominate” book. The same model was attempted in the Cyclades islands, where the miraculous appearance of the icon of the Theotokos in Tinos put a miraculous stop to the “Vaticanization” of the Aegean, but left its mark even until today, given that Tinos and Syros have the highest per capita populations of Roman Catholics in the entirety of Greece. And what we are seeing in the Ukraine is the application of the same blueprint from 1204 AD, but with the silent consent of Constantinople this time. That’s exactly why the conclusion is that Constantinople is facilitating the Uniate playbook with the issuance of the “tomos” that fueled the religious atrocities that ensued.
The “success” of the 4th Crusade from the Vatican’s perspective expanded to other methods of “passive aggressive” behavior by the Vatican, such as the “blackmail” choice in 1439 between accepting subjugation under the Vatican in exchange for promised assistance, or allowing the Ottomans to take over what was left of the Byzantine empire… St. Kosmas the Aitolian was very clear in his comments about that choice…in his opinion, Orthodoxy was actually preserved by NOT COMPROMISING (“cozying up to the Vatican” as you call it), despite the atrocities that the Ottomans subsequently perpetrated. This is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what you are inferring, and St. Kosmas was slaughtered by the Ottomans, too, so he probably knew a thing or two more than we do about dealing with the Ottomans, and his testimony is far more valid than anyone’s modern “couch-bound opinion”…
There’s not going to be another Unia. Even the Vatican recognizes that it’s a failed model that doesn’t work. I would even posit the Uniates themselves acknowledge that it’s a failed model that doesn’t work. The proof of the later is that the Uniates are generally frustrated with the Vatican, and vice versa.
Once the Vatican feels politically threatened by Orthodoxy, and I believe that will happen soon, then they will declare “Holy war” against Orthodoxy.
It’s important now for the Orthodox Churches to maintain friendly relations with the Vatican and not be the aggressor when the war breaks out.
Interesting perspective, but if
– the atrocities of the 4th Crusade and the ugliness of Unia that followed (including 1439,
– the August 15th 1940 murderous attack of the Italians on the island of Tinos while religious festivities were in progress,
– the savagery that ensued in the earlly 1990s when Germany single-handedly triggered a bloody civil war in Yugoslavia, starting with their WW 2 [Roman Catholic] ally Croatia, exiling a minority of 1.5 million Orthodox Serbs from the Craina region [at a time when Greece was pleading with them not to be the first to recognize Croatia as independent],
– what is going on in the Ukraine with Ounoufry’s parishes, priests)
– etc
…were not all clear examples of some sort of ongoing “Holy War”, what is left to escalate in order to call whatever you are referring to a “real Holy War”? And why would St. Kosmas the Aitolian say what he said about the Papists back in the 1700s, if you feel you are correct 250 years later? You’ve missed the boat of history, it appears…
St. Kosmas said “curse the Pope, because he will be the reason”. Apparently he foresaw there would be a great temptation to blame the Orthodox Patriarch for future calamities, and that is already happening.
Joseph,
He made additional statements about the Pope/Papacy too, and quite intentionally in the “present tense”, not the future tense…I know this point of information doesn’t help the version of prophesy you are trying to “sell” today, but feel free to research and try again next time.
The ‘Patriarch’ of Constantinople is a Uniate. Let’s all just accept that as fact.
Why are you all accepting this? How much mor3 proof do you need? When will you act?