ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
OUR MAIN IMAGE: The infamous 2014 instance when Pat. Bartholomew appears kissing the Pope’s hand.
By Markos (Helleniscope’s Religion Commentator)
There was certainly an era in the post-Ferrara history of our Orthodox Church when this title would have been seen as an “outrageously ignorant question”. Not nowadays, however, especially due to the “legacy” of Patriarch Bartholomew, who has been seen on camera for multiple years “meeting and greeting” Popes, with embraces and kisses, both during official Services (common prayer events) and “in the street”.
To start this controversial discussion, there is no debate that Patriarch Bartholomew allows his priests and hierarchs to “kiss the Pope’s hand”, even in his presence:
This video says it all about the state of Constantinople’s Synod these days… but there are some people who insist on “diluting the gnat” on this topic, and ask, “Alas…but have you seen Bartholomew do this himself?”
And hence begins a rather frivolous debate on whether or not Bartholomew has ever ACTUALLY “kissed the Pope’s hand” (on camera)…As if his smiling while his fellow Synodal hierarchs perpetrate this act in front of him absolves him of being complicit…
Part of the challenge in answering this question definitively is that oftentimes Papal visits involve a security detail that prevents cameras from getting that initial “conclusive angle” on how the Patriarch greets the Pope…however, there have been some interesting occasions that provide A LOT of fuel for discussion:
EXAMPLE 1)
This is from 2014; in this video, there is clear “movement” towards the Pope’s hand, and the Pope actually pulls it away at the last second…yet, the clear motion of the Patriarch raises the eyebrows of the faithful:
EXAMPLE 2)
Here is another case from a meeting in Jerusalem where, in the video, there is apparent movement that can be described as a “bowing of the Patriarch’s head towards the Pope’s hand”, after the Pope initiated the “kissing of hands”, but the camera angle is (intentionally?) obscured by the pamphlet that the Patriarch is holding…
And here is the exact moment of the bowing of Bartholomew before the Pope…
EXAMPLE 3)
Here is another case from a 2006 Papal visit to the Phanar, but there are so many bodyguards present that the camera angle is forced from the back of the heads of the 3 hierarchs that are greeting the Pope (Bartholomew in the middle). The left & right hierarch clearly bow their head (as if they are kissing) towards the position of the handshake, but it is impossible to determine from this video angle what Bartholomew actually did in this instance:
Below you can watch the full video:
So the foolish debate begins…the defenders of the Phanar will shift focus from the entire Synod kissing the Pope’s hand to whether or not the Patriarch did the same, as if he is “absolved” of the situation… And as a side note… to all “friends of Archbishop Elpidophoros”… who is the proudest among you for this “brilliant” moment in 2006?
We can debate all day about these obscure camera angles…whether or not Bartholomew kissed a Pope’s hand, if he “tried” to kiss the Pope’s hand and the Pope pulled it away at the last minute, or if he was just bowing his head in such a “movement” because he was a tired, elderly man. At the end of the day this is a bit of a “red herring” because the EQUALLY SERIOUS INFRACTION is taking place right IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS, during these services…
The Church Fathers took Common Prayer with heretics quite seriously. They also structured Divine Liturgy in a way that wisely “removed heretics” from the “Liturgy of the Faithful”, but in many Greek jurisdictions, this section of the Liturgy has been conveniently “forgotten”…and we say “conveniently”, because what do we see on camera in these “gatherings”?
We see a Pope reciting the Lord’s Prayer during one Orthodox Liturgy, reciting the Creed in another one (one of the two Creeds that the Vatican actually believes in, depending on whether they are in “Western or Uniate” mode)…
And just as egregious as “kissing the Pope’s hand when greeting him,” we see the Pope being invited into another Liturgical act: the “mutual kissing of love” that is customarily done by ordained CONCELEBRATING clergy (alone) in the Sanctuary these days. So what has the Patriarch been doing for over 20 years now? He steps out, and ALSO kisses the Pope at this moment, and this violation is IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS, FOR THE WORLD TO SEE…
It is a violation because heretics shouldn’t technically even be in the nave (according to original practice), let alone now “participating” in a service…it is a violation because the Patriarch is sending a message that in his heart he already potentially views the Pope as a “Concelebrant”, even though “technically” the hour is not quite mature to take that “final step” in the Altar…It is a violation because it is ANOTHER MOMENT where the Patriarch “includes” the Pope in a Liturgical act, via this KISS that is customarily reserved for ORTHODOX CONCELEBRANTS. Here is the instance:
And this OFFICIAL kiss, in the middle of Divine Liturgy, is just as serious a betrayal of Canonical order as “kissing the Pope’s hand”, but the laity doesn’t really understand it, so the cameras “keep rolling” because there is no “outcry of ANAXIOS” coming from the congregation…
So much for the debate…the “loyalists” of the Phanar want the faithful to focus on a deceptive narrative… “Don’t worry about all these Constantinopolitan priests and bishops kissing the Pope’s hand…as long as the Patriarch isn’t really caught much on camera doing that, it’s still ok”…
Meanwhile, the “other equally dangerous kiss”, during Divine Liturgy, passes over the average layman’s head, and it’s just as egregious a violation. This is because whether the Pope & the Patriarch are caught on camera “kissing each other’s hand” as an indication that they consider themselves to be valid bishops of the same Faith (that’s how Orthodox clergy of equal rank greet usually each other), this kiss in the middle of Liturgy is an identical acknowledgment of “mutual legitimacy”, during an ORTHODOX SERVICE, against all Canons and Liturgical Traditions that are designed to guard us against this type of provocation by an Orthodox hierarch…
EDITOR’S FOOTNOTE (Nick Stamatakis). Let us close this article with a “Helleniscope Classic,” an article documenting the many displays of “mafioso”-style hand-kissing by the virtuoso “brown-noser” Karloutsos (link here). Among his many acts of hand-kissing—to Biden, Cuomo, and others—the one that takes the prize is his kiss of the Pope’s hand, carried out before the approving smile of Patriarch Bartholomew.
When submission to the Pope becomes part of the culture of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, scenes such as this are no longer shocking; they are simply regarded as normal.
July 31, 2026, www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
There is no outcry from the congregation because they are anesthetized. They are being prepared for the upcoming one world religion in the New World Order.
For what it’s worth (?), the main photo of this post does not show the Patriarch kissing the Pope’s hand. Instead, it shows the Patriarch nodding at the Pope while the Pope has his hand toward the Patriarch’s chest. Most likely the Pope was hoping that the Patriarch would kiss his hand, but it didn’t happen.
The mutual greeting, the “kiss” in the video, is on the cheeks, and then in a spontaneous moment, the Pope lowers his head, bowing towards the Patriarch. In an awkward moment, the Patriarch kisses the top of the Pope’s head.
https://youtu.be/ouYlhmahXUc?is=mgETJTsM96DeFH0H
Joseph,
For what it’s worth, that picture was extracted from the video, and when one looks at the video, one wonders what would have happened if the Pope didn’t “pull his hand” at the last moment…
The video shows momentum… Arguing if it is “nodding” or “bowing” or “approaching” or “attempting to kiss” becomes a frivolous debate from that point. By your “at a minimum interpretation”, he’s “nodding” / “bowing” to a heretic, if you want to call it that…sure. In that case, you should also extend congratulations to Bartholomew on modern reminder of a 1439 “Ferrara moment”…
You left out the other part of the conversation:
What about all those Synodal members who kiss the hand in front of Bartholomew?
What about Elpidophoros himself who kissed the hand?
What about “inclusion of the Pope in a Liturgical Kiss” during Divine Liturgy?
It’s interesting that you insist on that “narrative” that the article calls out, as if Bartholomew is “absolved” for not protesting against any of this “Synodal behavior” by your interpretation of the images…
Do you understand what the word “complicit” means, or should someone spell it out for you?
Markos, I don’t know why non-Catholic people would kiss the Pope’s hand, but some apparently do, including the current Patriarch of Serbia.
Do non-Catholic people recognize the Pope’s priesthood? Probably not. So it is probably just paying respect.
For that matter, why do people insist on using quotation marks for non-Orthodox bishops, but not for the Pope? Why does nobody on this blog refer to “Pope” Francis or “Pope” Leo? After all, the Pope was considered Orthodox a thousand years ago, but not now.
REPLY BY MARKOS:
Joseph,
Does it really pain you SO much to be transparent, and to add the phrase “and Elpidophoros, Karloutsos, and multiple other hierarchs and clergy of the Phanar” to your valid mention of the Patriarch of Serbia (who betrayed the 1+ million Serbs who were “enthnically cleansed” in the 1990’s from their historical Kraina region homeland by the predominantly “Roman Catholic” Croatians?
Are you that afraid to publicly admit that Elpidophoros and many of his fellow hierarchs and Phanariote clergy have acted improperly and violated Canons that could legitimately have them deposed according to the Canons?
And by the way, the “Liturgical Kiss” in the middle of Liturgy is definitely a form of acknowledgment of Priesthood (although the ignorant laity doesn’t know enough to scream “ANAXIOS” at that moment), because that’s what clergy customarily do in the Greek-speaking Churches by custom these days at that moment in Liturgy when they concelebrate….so who exactly do you think you are fooling here?
The “quote” angle you are reaching for is rather lame…try again. There are certainly people out there who apply quotations or even lower case to differentiate the Orthodox Church from another “Church” or church (lower case)…maybe they do it occasionaly or always for “Priest” or “Pope” or not….but so what? Is the quotation the material item here, or the fact that they are heretics and they are never mentioned in the Diptychs? That’s some gnat you are focusing on…quite shameful and lame, even for your standards.
Markos, to my knowledge, the others that you mention have not publicly defended or stated their reason for kissing the Pope’s hand. As before, I don’t know why any non-Catholic person would do it, but at least the current Patriarch of Serbia gives us some explanation. He defended his own kissing of the Pope’s hand by stating that he did not consider it a betrayal but rather that he acted in “the spirit of the Gospel”.
As for the highly unusual Kiss of Peace where Patriarch Bartholomew came out of the altar and exchanged this with the Pope in the nave of the church, we can only speculate about the meaning of this without any official explanation. Notably, it did not happen in the altar, and presumably it only happened after Patriarch Bartholomew first exchanged the Kiss of Peace with the Orthodox clergy in the altar.
Being that the Pope was the personal guest of the Patriarch, I would speculate that this atypical Kiss of Peace (not in the altar and likely after it was exchanged with Orthodox clergy) only signifies being at peace with one’s neighbor before communion, the same as when it is done by some Orthodox churches, even today, in the nave by the laity.
This is mind blowing. I didn’t think I would ever see this. Question: What does GOARCH tell its flock about how to greet Roman Catholic clergy? I now see Orthodox Bishops kissing the hand of a Catholic Pope/Bishop. What would they expect us lay folk to do? Not that I would listen to what GOARCH instructs on this, but I’m just curious.
What an incredible waste of energy and time! As Fr. Anthony Coniaris often said, (paraphrased)—we need to focus on the majors, not the minors.
Kkp,
Fr. Anthony Coniaris said many great things, but he didn’t clarify to you if he felt this situation was “major or minor”, so even if you have your opinions, don’t involve the memory of Fr. Anthony in this situation…
Try reading what St. Mark of Ephesos said instead…it’s not ambiguous at all…”On matters of Faith, there is NO compromise”, and “the Latins are heretics, not schismatics”…
And on that last point, do the Canons consider Orthodox clergy “praying with”, getting a blessing from a heretic, or involving one in formal Liturgical Acts (including Elpidophoros giving a censer to a Cardinal during Pascha service to “bless” the Orthodox flock) a “minor” or a “major” infraction?
The Canons are clear, yet you present an obscure quote from Fr. Anthony as “backing” to your own biased conclusion about what is “major and minor”, (and not Fr. Anthony’s in this very explicit situation, and certainly not the conclusion the Fathers and Canons of the Church stipulated). The readers will “see” right through this diversional rhetoric, thank God.
I can safely say Fr. Anthony would have no issue praying with Christians of other traditions. I suppose you have no Jewish doctors? There is a canon against that. And are you aware of the very close ties of the Orthodox and Catholics in the Middle East, even to the point of intercommunion? Different historical circumstances require discernment. And Orthodox monasteries on Mt. Athos who welcome all to worship? I was recently spent several days at a much respected and known women’s monastery in Greece, and a non-Orthodox woman who is not sure what she believes and was there for an academic project was welcomed to worship and treated with love, honor and respect. To me, that is the witness of the love of God in Jesus Christ. The exceptions to your arguments on the basis of one Father of the Church are numerous. And, if we look to Christ and the numerous times he “broke” the law of the OT, we can learn a lot. Finally, for Fr. Anthony of blessed memory, the “Major” of all things was the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Kip: Based on your statement, may I request your response to my question?
Do you feel we should have Orthodox Christian churches open to all faiths?
Have you done your research on the New World Order and the focus by elites on one world religion?
Kkp,
We are talking about Canons that protect the wider Church from the plague of heresy, from repeating “dangerous mistakes of the past”, that adhere to the Letter to Titus about “abandon a heretical man after the first and 2nd counseling” (not unending/pointless “interfaith dialogue”), and NOT administrative Canons, or Canons of contemporary historical necessity (for whatever reason)…
Concerning your “Middle East” comment…What happens in the Middle East today “DIDN’T HAPPEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST YESTERDAY”… The Middle East is the land of St. John of Damascus, who wrote the famous dogmatic book “Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” (no sympathy for heretics there)…Jerusalem is the first place where outrage was expressed when the Latins showed up on a pilgrimage and first recited the “Filioque”…Have you read the writings of Dositheos of Jerusalem, to “see” how “welcoming” he was to “intercommunion” with other faiths? How does your shameful propaganda measure to these Orthodox Church Fathers?
And as for Mt. Athos, it is common knowledge that 7 Mount Athos Monasteries voted in favor of sending a delegation to the “enthronement” of Epiphanios. They have also “concelebrated” with Epiphanios and his gang…Also, one of those Monasteries produced the abomination depicting Bartholomew in the iconography at St. Nicholas in Ground Zero…So, the legitimacy you are trying to base your argument upon comes into question if you are citing one of these monasteries, simply because while they are on Mt. Athos today, their leadership’s “Bartholomaic” actions in recent years has “wildly strayed” from the historical conservatism that we are accustomed to from Mt. Athos. Why don’t you ask the “κελιωτες” of Mt. Athos what they think, as they comprise the majority of the peninsula’s population anyway?
And as for nuns you cite (“welcome to worship” vs. “welcome to observe” for her research project comes into question)…you didn’t explain the context. Meanwhile, try the example of the OTHER nuns from Aegina, who refused to allow Epiphanios and his delegation to set foot upon the sacred grounds that St. Nektarios himself established.
Marcos, taking your thinking to its logical conclusion, one could never invite a non-Orthodox to a wedding or a baptism, unless the invited individual promises to not pray. Surely, many of us have friends, school mates, neighbors who are not Orthodox that we would wish to share in the joy of a marriage or baptism. With your thinking these heretics would not be allowed to enter the church. Absolutely ridiculous.
Thousands of heretics visit the monestary on Aegina every year. There are no police officers or nuns requesting Orthodox credentials before entering the monestary.
Amen. Truth in love
JK,
Isn’t it more the case that Christ prefers the phrase “love the Truth”?
When everyone learns to “Love the Truth”, there won’t be any more heresies, will there?
St Paul says speak the truth in love.