Source: Newsbreak.gr
“Slava Ukraini” / “Glory to Ukraine” by the Ecumenical Patriarch
The stance of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has sparked intense reactions, as during a public appearance, he raised his cross like a trophy and shouted the slogan “Glory to Ukraine” (“Slava Ukraini”), which many associate with the Nazi past and the crimes of collaborators with the Germans during World War II.
The outcry was immediate!
The event caused shock, as instead of standing with the Orthodox Christians who are being persecuted and massacred in the Middle East, or speaking about the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its clergy, the Patriarch chose to highlight the Tatar Muslims, historical enemies of Hellenism and allies of Zelensky’s regime.
In a video that circulated on social media, Bartholomew is seen raising his staff with a triumphant look, while Archbishop Elpidophoros of America stands beside him, smiling and approving.
The image, which to many resembled more of a political rally than a religious ceremony, sparked a storm of reactions.
Several commentators pointed out that the Patriarch’s role is not to act as a “propagandist” nor to propagate divisive slogans, but to spiritually guide the Orthodox world.
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«Σλάβα Ουκραΐνα» από τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη
Πηγή: Newsbreak.gr
Έντονη αντίδραση έχει προκαλέσει η στάση του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίου, ο οποίος σε δημόσια εμφάνισή του ύψωσε την πατρίτσα του σαν τρόπαιο και αναφώνησε το σύνθημα «Σλάβα Ουκραΐνα» («Δόξα στην Ουκρανία»), το οποίο πολλοί συνδέουν με το ναζιστικό παρελθόν και τα εγκλήματα των συνεργατών των Γερμανών στον Β΄ Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο.
Έφριξε το πανελλήνιο με την ιαχή Βαρθολομαίου!
Το γεγονός προκάλεσε σοκ καθώς, αντί να σταθεί στους Ορθοδόξους που διώκονται και σφαγιάζονται στη Μέση Ανατολή ή να μιλήσει για τον διωγμό της κανονικής Ουκρανικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας και των κληρικών της, ο Πατριάρχης προτίμησε να αναδείξει τους Τατάρους μουσουλμάνους, ιστορικούς εχθρούς του ελληνισμού και συμμάχους του καθεστώτος Ζελένσκι.
Στο βίντεο που κυκλοφόρησε στα κοινωνικά δίκτυα φαίνεται ο Βαρθολομαίος να υψώνει την ράβδο του με ύφος θριαμβευτή, ενώ στο πλάι του ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αμερικής Ελπιδοφόρος χαμογελά και επιδοκιμάζει.
Η εικόνα, που για πολλούς θύμιζε περισσότερο πολιτικό συλλαλητήριο παρά εκκλησιαστική τελετή, προκάλεσε θύελλα αντιδράσεων.
Αρκετοί σχολιαστές επισήμαναν ότι ο ρόλος του Πατριάρχη δεν είναι να λειτουργεί ως «προπαγανδιστής» ούτε να αναπαράγει συνθήματα που διχάζουν, αλλά να καθοδηγεί πνευματικά τον Ορθόδοξο κόσμο.
Η στροφή του Φαναρίου υπέρ του καθεστώτος Ζελένσκι, η σιωπή απέναντι στους διωγμούς των κανονικών Ορθοδόξων στην Ουκρανία και η προσέγγιση με ομάδες εχθρικές προς τον Ελληνισμό δημιουργούν ολοένα και μεγαλύτερη αποξένωση μεταξύ του Πατριαρχείου και του ίδιου του ποιμνίου του.
There is a real concept called “spiritual prostitution”, where instead of the “corpus” it is the “soul” that is sold for money & worldly powers/glory in exchange for a specific immoral action that the one offering the money/power/glory is requesting. Judas and his betrayal of Christ in exchange for 30 pieces of silver is a classic Scriptural example of this concept of “spiritual prostitution”.
The betrayal of Orthodox Church Unity, Tradition, Canons (accepting clergy deposed by another jurisdiction, etc), as well as the introduction of Schism in exchange for the “Poroshenko donations” (and by similar extension the Greek government “capital infusions” into Alexandria, etc) to assist world powers with their geopolitical goals (in Kiev) is undeniably the immoral action and “exchange” that occurred here, and which qualifies under the disgusting category of “spiritual prostitution”.
Once such an “exchange” takes place, the perpetrator establishes a “client” and a “service provider” relationship. As a result, the rules of “sales & marketing” take over, and it is not surprising that the perpetrators of such “spiritual prostitution services” will continue to display “unspeakable and provocative conduct” to continue “pleasing their clients” into perpetuity both on and off camera. When a “leader” is compromised, he is compromised and becomes a “marionette” of the “client” (2nd master) he chose to serve…period.
And as a side note, I don’t recall any public photo of Elpidophoros smiling as brightly and enthusiastically as you see him smiling in the above photo WHILE CONDUCTING ANY Orthodox Service that he has officiated in the past 6 years (perhaps with the only close exception being the baptism in Glyfada)…He really looks pleased with this terrible scene. Is it perhaps the case that the “shine of pieces of silver” invokes greater joy and elation than the “light of Christ” and the “Unity of the Faith”???
Very well said, Markos, and to add even more tears to the situation, we see this happening after such a heart wrenching appeal from Bishop Theodosius of Cherkasy to righten the spiritual wrongs and end the persecution of the Orrhodox faithful in Ukraine! So what happens now? Where is that synod we are all waiting for, to depose Bartholomew and to anathematize and reverse, so far as they can be reversed, his deplorable actions? If the problem is “who would replace him,” let his throne stand empty. It would be better to have no “ecumenical” patriarch at all, than someone who is the “first with no equal” to cause so much injury to the Orthodox Church.
Irene, if you are familiar with what Fr. Efrem of Arizona said about this situation, it will not end for a while. So unfortunately, these people will be suffering much longer. Metropolitan Neophytos is also explaining this situation in several of his videos and refers to what Fr. Ephraim said. We should certainly listen to these holy men.
Markos, unfortunately you are so right. On the EP’s current visit to the US he didn’t invite his Hierarchs from The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. Yet he did a photo op with a Khazarian. Guess the Ukies in the US couldn’t pony up enough money.
Yet Bartholomew and Elpidophoros still remain in power…
The silence is deafening
Instead of Glory be to God, the “first without equals” shouts glory to ukraine… And of course Ukraine will lose the war… How can they win a war without God? And what will they say “glory to” after the war is lost?
I can’t imagine a lower morale for the pious Ukrainian Orthodox soldiers, that go to war against the evil Russians, while their evil ukrainian government is beating up their old mothers and fathers and grandparents that are guarding the Churches… How can a war be won this way? No way… These actions will lead to self destructions and few of them will be standing in the end… And Barto will not be standing. And his title will not be “first without equals” for sure. This is God’s church, and unfortunately, it seems that Barto forgot he is a mortal, just like the rest of us. In the end UOC will prevail and barto and the ocu will be forgotten.
Sandy, you are very correct in that, while evil may seem to be prevailing now, it will always lose in the end. The Ukrainian Orthodox faithful are enduring martyrdom as we speak, and the Church Triumphant is growing ever larger. However, the Russian people are not evil. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, having endured more than we can imagine from those who have ruled over them for many centuries, and they endure silently, quietly agonizing over the loss of their beloved young men forced to fight in a war they don’t support or believe in. We must pray for both sides, for God to strengthen them spiritually and for the unity of the Church. Wouldn’t it be just amazing if both sides put down their weapons and embraced each other as brothers in Christ, refusing to fight? That is what we must pray for. Loving your enemies (and the people are not even real enemies) and loving your (literally) neighbour as yourself could end this stupid war today! This could and would completely disarm both Putin and Zelenskyy and nullify the evil behind them. “Ask and ye shall receive.” We have His promise that whatever good thing we ask we will receive. Therefore, We should start holding litanies and vigils for the soldiers themselves to end this war, since the powers that be have so wholeheartedly sold themselves to the demons of self interest.
Irene,
I was being sarcastic about the “evil russians”, I have many russian friends and love many russian saints–certainly some of my favorite that shaped who I am as a Orthodox Christian. But the point is, Barto and Zelensky have low regards for patr. Kirrill and the Russian government, and don’t see what themselves are doing. What Patr. Barto and Ukrainian government is doing is infinitely much worse and they are hurting the SAME people, the Ukrainian people, as well the Church of God.
Shameful unChristian conduct. What’s next? A reconsideration of lucifer/heosphoros by the minions at Fordham? His pride and arrogance is revealed in the video.
Bartholomew is pretending that he is a political leader when all he is, is simply a bishop with the title of Patriarch. He is neither pope, nor president, nor prime minister, nor king of anything. He has rejected his true identity and wants to play the role of a political leader and spiritual leader only when that part suits him. He is desperately trying to be relevant in world politics, however how hard he tries, all he does is make a mockery of himself. No one, especially world leaders view him as a political leader or anything more than a member of the clergy-which is all that he really is. He is not a Byzantine King, he is not a modern day “Churchill” either. If he wants to play politics, the best thing he could do is resign and go run for a political office. Otherwise, he should stop embarrassing himself and with the few remaining years he most likely has, repent and focus on being a spiritual leader that brings people to Christ and defends the Orthodox church.
Ukraine may soon look like Turkey, a predominantly muslim country or at least it will look like a country where orthodox Christians are a minority. Everything Barto touches, kills orthodoxy, just like in Turkey. The “one without equals” loses churches in Turkey and gains nothing, so to become relevant, he decided to steal some churches from Patr. Kirril. His only problem is that the Ukrainian people are not stupid and do not want to follow him, but he would rather destroy the UOC and gain a few fake OCU buildings, just so his numbers are “up”. This will destroy Ukraine and of course the war has a lot to do with it, but also Barto has a lot to do with it. Those people that left due to the war, most likely won’t return to a country with no canonical OC and little economic opportunity after the war. So how will Ukraine look like?
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Quote: “There won’t be anything good for us in terms of population. We are in a negative trend. It was already the worst in Europe even before the war. Therefore, we may have to open the country for migration. Bangladesh, Nepal, India, the Philippines, Vietnam – they will gladly come.” The same opinion is shared by Ella Libanova, Director of the Institute of Demography and Social Studies, and many other politicians and officials.
link here
https://spzh.eu/en/zashhita-very/88270-demography-in-the-ukrainian-way-orthodox-christians-expelled-muslims-brought-in
Greeks speak again against the desecrations of relics of Lavra, the Ukrainian Mt. Athos:
https://spzh.eu/en/news/88287-greek-press-holy-relics-desecrated-in-the-kyiv-pechersk-lavra
Where is the “one without equals”? Still giving away coins? Does he not hear the Greeks speaking louder and louder?
I applaud honesty, integrity, and truth. I am glad someone is speaking out, there should be a lot more.
“Сatherine Whiteford urged the judges to defend the law, not tyranny, and reminded them that America and the entire world are watching what is happening in Ukraine, and that “accountability is coming.”
American politician addresses judges on the eve of the UOC hearing
https://spzh.eu/en/news/88322-american-politician-addresses-judges-on-the-eve-of-the-uoc-hearing
I guess we are going to find out soon if this visit takes place. While the UOC is being disintegrated and hit without mercy, the schismatics from OCU once again, with the blessing of schismatic in chief, Barto, are pushing their way on Mountain Athos to show that they are a legitime church. Shame on Barto for putting pressure on the monks in Mt. Athos like this! The schismatics are not welcomed by most of the monks! I hope the monasteries lock their gates, as they did before and Mt. Athos is not hit with earthquakes like it was last time.
https://spzh.eu/en/news/88323-details-of-a-possible-visit-of-dumenko-to-athos-have-become-known