Editorial Note: Below are two responses from attendees at the Toronto Q&A Meeting at the Greek Archdiocese on 7/19/2020. Key takeaways are that it was very peaceful, respectful, and there are no legal mandates in writing from any level of the Canadian Government for use of multiple communion spoons. Read below for more information from Toronto. An updated Open Letter has been drafted and is posted below. You can click here to skip to it directly, available in both English and Greek (thanks Giannis for the translation). May the Holy Trinity Bless and Keep us All!
Dear Friends in Christ:
May God be glorified for the outcomes of the Q&A Tour that began today (7/19/2020) at our Holy Archdiocese.
I was delighted to meet some of you there for the first time face to face, and to be reacquainted with others whom I had known from before. There was a very special atmosphere of Christian Orthodox Fellowship there today, which we had greatly missed during the Covid-19 lockdown and the subsequent calamity that befell our Church surrounding the issues of Holy Communion. We have renewed hope that this will be set aright, so here are the updates for those who could not be there:
- The gathering was large but not too large to be accommodated by the outdoor area in front of the main door of the Archdiocese with the social distancing.
- The gathering was very peaceful. We sang hymns, prayed the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed and we also sang the Greek and Canadian national anthems. We could be heard by those inside who were holding the meeting (described below)
- There was no aggression and no police. The signs people made were very impressive with true Orthodox messages about the sanctity of Holy Communion.
- Before I arrived, his Eminence, Archbishop Sotirios, also polite and courteous, invited some people inside for a face to face meeting. Only 8 people were allowed to go in due to social distancing. These people were as follows:
- His Eminence
- MPP Christina Mitas
- 4 lay people representing two groups
- 2 independent persons
- A member of the media also arrived but was not permitted to attend the indoor meeting as no recordings were permitted by his Eminence.
- His Eminence did not permit anyone to voice record the meeting but he recorded it himself
- After the meeting, MPP Christina Mitas spoke to the crowd and affirmed that there is NO provincial law that mandates how Holy Communion can be distributed in Ontario Churches. In other words, there is NO provincial law against the common spoon. I have attached two of the most recent government documents that were sent to AK, along with a letter from her MPP, in response to our template letters. Most of us have seen these before but didn’t know if or how they applied to Holy Communion as we are not lawyers. In fact, they don’t apply, for, as we had thought, they are not laws but recommendations. Therefore, despite these documents, and despite that we are currently still operating under the Emergency Act which has been extended until July 29th, these are still just recommendations and NOT laws that prevent us from taking HC with a common spoon.
- His Eminence also affirmed he had nothing in writing from any level of government mandating how the Orthodox Church may or may not distribute Holy Communion. He had a few verbal conversations with some government officials and he gave the directive to adopt multiple communion spoons based on a complaint from a Greek parishioner to the Public Health Department.
- His Eminence also mentioned that he wrote a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew two days ago, regarding the issue of multiple spoons in Canada.
- Now that we have ruled out the Province, we still need to confirm with the City of Toronto whether or not any directive came from this Municipality, but if it did, it too, was not in writing.
Conclusions:
- His Eminence Archbishop Sotirios failed to do his due diligence in procuring and producing written directives from government officials regarding changes he had already made to the distribution of Holy Communion
- His Eminence Archbishop Sotirios failed to do due his due diligence in procuring and producing written permission and consent for the use of multiple communion spoons from his All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew. He said he wrote the patriarch a letter regarding his initiative days after implementing the multiple communion spoons.
- This information was derived directly from four people – three of the individuals who were present at the meeting and from MPP Christina Mitas who spoke to the crowd after the meeting.
If further information becomes available you will be the first to know. In the meantime, please continue to pray. We were all nervous about today but nothing unpleasant or “extremist” took place.
God has heard our heartfelt prayers and the intercessions of the Holy Virgin who was moved by the tears of the faithful. Indeed, He is an infinitely compassionate and merciful God.
However, we cannot “rest on our laurels” as there is much work to be done.
May He forgive my sins,
Irene
Additional Update from an Attendee:
There was a good representation of all our parishes at the Archdiocese yesterday and also MPP Mitas office has put an FOI in with the City.
A lawyer and parishioner of Agio Panteleimon has reached out to me and I have since gave him MPP Mitas & George’s contact information. I would like to forward this email to him and to my friends relatives etc whom are completely confused about this entire situation. At least now they can see a glimpse of what we have been trying to find out.
With love in Christ
Dora
An Open Letter to his Eminence, Archbishop of Canada, Sotirios
Your Eminence, on Sunday, July 5th, your flock was unexpectedly shocked and deeply grieved during Divine Liturgy, to learn that the Holy Eucharist would not be offered at all; and one week later, on July 12th, we were again shocked to learn minutes before its distribution, that the Eucharist would be offered with multiple spoons. It was also reported by various clergy during the announcement of this new directive, that in the weeks prior, you had numerous meetings with them. However, at no time did you invite any faithful laity to participate or to garner their opinion, nor did you reach out to us to forewarn us with pastoral comfort. The circulating reasons as to why you would want to keep us in the dark until the last possible moment are as numerous as they are grievous.
From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, you, your Eminence, made only two public statements: that you would follow the directives of (i) our local Government and (ii) our Patriarchate. Meanwhile, up until June 2nd, 2020, our Patriarchate made only one public statement regarding the pandemic, that each jurisdiction should follow the directives of their local government. Other than this, there was absolutely no leadership and no pastoral support of the parishes in Greece or Canada from our hierarchs. Instead, our churches were closed and with only two unwavering statements for guidance, we were abandoned to suffer completely alone, fearing for the fate of our Church, worrying about the various circulating conspiracy theories regarding our Church, fending off on our own the insults and abuses of Orthodox worship in the media, and enduring Greek government officials who took advantage of the Covid-19 crisis to silence the voice of the gospel even on the internet. These are just a few examples of the trials and tribulations we were left to endure alone. During this darkest of times, only a handful of grass roots priests and monks from across the miles, tirelessly and courageously offered pastoral and spiritual support to us by every electronic means possible. Neither you nor our Ecumenical Patriarchate gave any indication of negotiating on our behalf with government officials regarding the re-opening of churches or made any attempt to have governments classify church worship as an ‘essential’ service. A huge list of Heterodox churches petitioned the Ontario Provincial government on this matter, but sadly, the Greek Orthodox Church of Canada was not on this list.
Even worse, here in Canada, our clergy were chastised and forbidden from discussing any matters pertaining to the opening of churches and the distribution of Holy Communion with any of their parishioners during the Covid-19 crisis. This directive for silence to our clergy is in your letter to them dated June 5th 2020. Here, you make reference to the June 2, 2020 letter of our Patriarch Bartholomew. Whereas his All-Holiness Bartholomew eventually gave the Orthodox faithful his formal reassurance that the mode of distribution of the Holy Eucharist should and would not be compromised even in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic (which we received like precious drops of water in the desert), you misquoted his words in your June 5th letter in order to silence our clergy.
In your letter of June 5th, you falsely state, “his All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with his respected letter dated 02/06/2020, to all the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, asks from them: ‘Avoid making statements, comments and interviews through the use of mass media and avoid engaging in other initiatives regarding the current situation.’” In fact, there is no such statement in the June 2, 2020 letter from the Patriarch.
You go on to say, your Eminence, that you “will continue not to make statements, without first obtaining instructions from our Ecumenical Patriarchate, because [you] believe that the Church is the Body of Christ. It is One and Holy. It is one family. No one should speak on their own authority (hierarchs, priests, deacons, professors or any other Orthodox Christian) regarding these very serious matters.” When our Lord and the Holy Fathers of our Church spoke of ONE church and ONE body of Christ and ONE spiritual family, and being ONE with each other and God, it was always in the context of our union with the ONE God and never in the context of taking away our spiritual freedoms or our freedom of speech.
On June 26, 2020, our Ecumenical Patriarch circulated the following statement in which he explicitly writes that two criteria are necessary to exercise any type of ‘economia’ as relates to the distribution of Holy Communion: (i) there must be a specific or national state law that prohibits Holy Communion and following this, (ii) the consent and permission of the Ecumencial Patriarchate is still required to exercise any type of ‘economia’.
Your Eminence, on Sunday July 12th, our parish priests in Ontario suddenly announced for the first time, your new directive that because of legal requirements, Holy Communion will now be distributed using multiple spoons in the Greek Orthodox churches of Canada. The phrase because of legal requirements was never provided by you in writing your Eminence. Rather, it was verbally uttered from the pulpits of the Greek Orthodox churches of Ontario by the clergy to whom you had given the verbal order.
To clarify further, in the Province of Ontario, only the City of Toronto under the jurisdiction of Mayor John Tory, has indicated in writing that all communion services should be suspended. This is not state law, as Toronto is a city and not a state. It can also be argued according to our legal sources, that this is not even law, but a recommendation or advice which requires the free cooperation of the individual since such a recommendation or advice is contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Indeed, many jurisdictional public health updates which recommend the suspension of communion services, are titled, “Covid-19 Advice” or “Covid-19 Guidance”. To date, and as confirmed by MPP Christina Mitas at today’s Q&A Tour which began at the Canadian Archdiocese, there is no national Canadian or provincial Ontario (state) law that interferes with communion services, even under the Emergency Act.
Furthermore, the Toronto recommendation was to “suspend” communion and made no reference to its mode of distribution, meaning, NO communion whatsoever, not even with multiple spoons. It was further clarified at today’s Q&A Tour, a peaceful gathering of Orthodox faith confessors at the Archdiocese, that you never received any written directives from the Province of Ontario regarding the mode of distribution of Holy Communion and that such discussions were carried out verbally and over the phone.
This means, your Eminence, that in your July 15th Encyclical: Coronavirus and Holy Communion: A Chronicle of Events, your statement “I contacted the government authorities and it was decided that Holy Communion should take place as described below:” the directive to commune with multiple spoons was decided by you and you alone.
To fulfill the criteria of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the implementation of multiple communion spoons in the Greek Orthodox Churches anywhere in Canada, not only must you provide a document of National or Provincial law, which we now know does not exist, you must also demonstrate documentation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, giving you consent and permission to use multiple communion spoons, which you clearly do not have. Since, in Ontario, only Toronto churches were affected by the recommendation (not law) to suspend communion services, this patriarchial consent and permission only pertains to Toronto churches and not to all the Greek Orthodox churches of Canada. Your over-reaching and unlawful directive, however, addresses all Greek Orthodox churches in the entire country.
Your inability to provide any such documentation explains why you went to the trouble of holding multiple meetings with our clergy subsequent to May 29th, why you surprised us with last minute liturgical changes and why you deliberately misquoted our Patriarch’s letter of June 2nd to justify your chastisement of our clergy into silence. Because you have no meritorious legal or ecclesiastical basis for imposing multiple spoons on the Greek Orthodox parishes of Canada, you must use force and fear on our suffering clergy and subversive manipulation of the faithful to fulfil your agenda, which also explains why you have felt it necessary to retain a lawyer regarding this matter.
Speaking of your agenda, can you please tell us what that is? The same question was asked of Archbishop Elpidophoros in a letter posted June 15th 2020, when he introduced multiple communion spoons in the United States, and we are still waiting for his reply.
To date, besides you, Archbishop Elpidophoros is the only other hierarch who introduced multiple communion spoons in North America, and also by means of secrecy. According to the Greek News article, Archbishop Elpidophoros directed the parish priests of New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. to offer Holy Communion by using multiple metal spoons for single use during the distribution. He gave this directive in a memo dated May 18th, which was marked “for priests only” and which “should not under any circumstances be posted, shared or copied to email or social media.” His message eerily echoes your message to your clergy in your June 5th letter to them. After his introduction of multiple communion spoons with little resistance in the United States (or perhaps he ignored it), you followed suit, using the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse and the complaint of a single misguided parishioner to municipal health authorities, which was blown out of proportion.
Archbishop Elpidophoros’ memo of May 18th 2020 was circulated exactly one day after both of you received our Patriarch’s May 17th letter to the Orthodox Primates which prohibited any changes to the mode of distribution of Holy Communion. However, the Patriarch’s letter was not made public until June 2nd 2020. The reasons for this delay are unclear but the delay gave Archbishop Elpidophoros enough time to implement the multiple communion spoons thereby eluding the perception of disobedience to our Ecumenical Patriarchate.
It is disappointing that our Patriarch has not removed him for his blatant disobedience but there is a plausible explanation for this apparent idiosyncrasy which we will suggest below. Is it a coincidence that the only two Archbishops of the North American continent have both of them, and with no undue pressure from their civil authorities, their clergy or the faithful, arbitrarily implemented the use of multiple communion spoons with the full knowledge that they were doing so in direct opposition to their Patriarch and with no repercussions from him?
Perhaps his All-Holiness Bartholomew is a very kind and forgiving man; or does he have a secret agenda of his own? For years now, the Orthodox world has watched Orthodox Primates make step by step progress towards ecumenism, a controversial movement which they and the Popes of Rome support. It is their ardent desire to unite with Rome and other Heterodox churches. This achievement would be most acceptable, admirable and holy, but only if Heterodox churches and other schismatics returned to the embrace of Orthodoxy, the Mother Church.
Praise be to God that we have witnessed such returns, but not so much because of the efforts of Orthodox Primates. In most cases, it is the Heterodox individual who embarks on a personal search for the Truth which leads them to the Orthodox Faith. What we have seen from many Orthodox Primates is a systematic deterioration of Orthodox practice and dogma, as with the acceptance of Heterodox baptism for example, to encourage a non-canonical union with Heterodox churches. The ultimate step, of course, would be the non-canonical sharing with them, of our Holy Chalice, in a way that did not require their conversion. After all, would it not be much easier to change our communion canons than to change the hearts and minds of all the Heterodox?
This last step would make Ecumenism complete and the Holy Orthodox Chalice could be offered, unimpeded by any dogmatic restrictions, to all persons, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike. Then, everyone would be free to belong to the church of their choice, believe in the dogmas of their choice, but also participate in each other’s church services and sacraments without any impediment. What better way, then, to bring about a change to the canons regarding Holy Communion than using a virus as a pretext for altering the mode of its distribution for the ‘safety’ of the laity who in reality need no protection from the immaculate Body and Blood of Christ.
If the practice of the multiple communion spoon successfully takes root in the West – in New York and Ontario – It will only be a matter of time before the weeds spread to the remainder of the continent and across the Atlantic. The more accustomed the laity become to the multiple communion spoons, the easier it will be to gain more skeptical converts and the harder it will be for the Orthodox to go back to the Holy Tradition of the “common” element. Some hierarchs may be hoping that the reason for continuing adherence to the multiple communion spoons will gradually evolve into a more modern belief that the Eucharist may, in fact, be capable of transmitting disease. The recurring experience and knowledge that communicable diseases have never been transmitted through the common cup or spoon will eventually be forgotten. Instead, more modern scientific principles will prevail and an eventual change in dogma would be the outcome. Perhaps the Covid-19 opportunity has made it too hard to resist such a diabolical experiment on the North American Continent.
Nevertheless, this is exactly how the Popes corrupted the church in the West: by deliberately misinterpreting Holy Scripture, by fabricating documents to alter dogma, by bullying conscientious clergy into silence, and by using secrecy, coercion and even inquisitions. The tragic end result of this corruption is well known as it led to the Protestant Reformation and culminated in the ecclesiological modifications of the second Vatican council of 1962.
But what is the position of our Patriarchate? After two letters stressing that the mode of distributing Holy Communion should not change, the third made an exception for extenuating circumstances for the sake of ‘economia’. The problem, however, is that our Patriarch has not enforced what he has written, not with Archbishop Elpidophoros and not with you, your Eminence since both of you are still occupying your posts. Instead, our Patriarch barely objected to the disobedience you both showed. One may wonder if this could have something to do with his close relationship with the Pope of Rome.
One may also wonder if our Patriarch, himself, wishes to introduce the multple communion spoons but rightly considers that doing so may be too risky in Greece where there is a much larger and more concentrated Orthodox population which would probably be up in arms if he dared introduce this concept there. The attempt would run a very high risk of a very quick failure. In North America, however, the climate is, literally and figuratively, very different. Our Orthodox people are greatly outnumbered by other faiths and creeds and most of the Orthodox here are immigrants or descended from immigrants. In other words, they are generally either sufficiently poorly educated or sufficiently immersed in the North American culture so as to pose a much smaller threat to the success of such a hypothetical, but diabolical scheme – the scheme to use North America as the experimental ground for the introduction of the common communion spoon and eventually, the shared chalice. If accepted, this type of ecumenism will destroy Holy Orthodoxy, but will render much greater power to the new hierarchs of a non-canonically united global church with all its secular perks.
At this point, you may once again characterize us as ”self-destructive…extremists…so willingly ready to inflict harm.” The truth is, that if there are such people, they are not us. Just like the Covid-19 virus has uncovered the hearts and minds of a great many people, time will also reveal who the destructive extremists really are. We hope and pray that this will not be you, your Eminence.
We also hope that we are very wrong about our Holy Patriarch Bartholomew. If we are wrong, please realize that you and Archbishop Elpidophoros have, by your covert methods and unlawful actions, given rise to the grievous fears and postulations we have outlined here in this letter. The two of you have cast a shadow of mistrust and defamation upon our Holy Patriarch by impaling the hearts and souls of Orthodox believers with your arbitrary heresy of multiple communion spoons.
Your speedy removals as Archbishops will be the only satisfactory proof that his All-Holiness Bartholomew is innocent of such allegations and is a right and true Orthodox leader.
Respectfully,
I Polidoulis
Irene Polidoulis MD, CCFP, FCFP
cc His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew
cc His Eminence Archbishop Elpidoforos
Προς – Τω Σεβασμιοτατω Αρχιεπισκοπω Καναδα, κ. Σωτηριον
Σεβασμιωτατε,
Την Κυριακη 5 Ιουλιου, κατα την διαρκεια της Θ. Λειτουργιας, το ποιμνιο σας ευρεθη αιφνιδιως σε κατασταση αμηχανιας και βαθυτατης θλιψεως, μαθαινοντας οτι η Θεια Ευχαριστια δεν επροκετο να προσφερθει. Και μια εβδομαδα αργοτερα, στις 12 Ιουλιου, σοκαριστηκαμε και παλι με το να μαθουμε λιγες στιγμες προ της μεταδοσεως της, οτι η Θεια Κοινωνια θα προσφεροταν με πολλαπλα «κουταλια». Επισης, κατα την διαρκεια της ανακοινωσης αυτης της καινης οδηγιας, αναφερθηκε απο διαφορους κληρικους οτι κατα την διαρκεια των προηγουμενων εβδομαδων, ειχατε πολλαπλες συσκεψεις με τους ιδιους. Εκ τουτου ομως, ουδεποτε προσκαλεσατε τον πιστο λαο να συμμετασχει, η να περισυλλεξετε την γνωμη του, και ουτε καν μας προσεγγισατε για να μας προειδοποιησετε με την ποιμαντικη σας στοργη. Οι λογοι που κυκλοφορουν για τους οποιους θα θελατε να μας κρατησετε «εν σκοτια» μεχρι τελευταιας στιγμης ειναι τοσοι πολλοι οσο και θλιβεροι.
Απο αρχης της πανδημιας του Covid-19, εκαματε μονο δυο ανακοινωσεις – οτι θα ακολουθουσατε τις οδηγιες α) της τοπικης μας Κυβερνησεως, και β) του Πατριαρχειου μας. Εν τω μεταξυ, μεχρι και τις 2 Ιουνιου του 2020, το Πατριαρχειο μας εξεδωσε μονο ενα δημοσιο ανακοινοθεν περι της Πανδημιας, οτι εκαστη επισκοπη θα πρεπει να ακολουθησει της οδηγιες της τοπικης της κυβερνησεως. Εκτος τουτων, δεν υπηρξε ουδεμια απολυτως ηγετικη και ποιμαντικη υποστηριξη των ενοριων απο τους ιεραρχες, εν Ελλαδι και Καναδα. Αντιθετως, οι εκκλησιες μας εκλεισαν, και με παρα μονο δυο βασικες δηλωσεις σαν «οδηγια», εγκαταλειφθηκαμε για να υποφερουμε εντελως μονοι, φοβουμενοι το μελλον της Εκκλησιας, ανησυχουντες για τις διαφορες θεωριες συννομοσιας που αφορουν την Εκκλησια μας, υπερασπιζοντας μονοι μας τις υβρεις και τις φραστικες επιθεσεις κατα της Ορθοδοξης λατρειας στα μεσα ενημερωσης, και υπομενοντας Ελληνες κυβερνητες αξιωματουχους οι οποιοι επωφεληθηκαν της κρισης του Covid-19, για να φιμωσουν την φωνη του Ευαγγελιου, ακομη και στο διαδυκτιο. Αυτα ειναι μονο λιγα παραδειγματα απο τις δοκιμασιες και τις δυσκολιες τις οποιες αφεθηκαμε μονοι να αντιμετωπισουμε. Κατα αυτους τους σκοτεινοτατους καιρους, μονο μια χουφτα κοινων-απλοϊκων ιερεων και μοναχων, απο μεγαλης αποστασεως, ακουραστα και θαρραλεα, μας προσεφεραν ποιμαντικη και πνευματικη υποστηριξη δια παντος δυνατου ηλεκτρονικου μεσου. Ουτε Εσεις, ουτε το Οικουμενικο Πατριαρχειο εδωσε καποια ενδειξη οτι διαπραγματευοταν υπερ ημων με κυβερνητικους αξιωματουχους για το θεμα της επαναλειτουργιας των εκκλησιων, ουτε καν κανατε αποπειρες να καταταξουν οι κυβερνισεις την εκκλησιαστικη λατρεια ως «αναγκαια» υπηρεσια. Πληθος ετεροδοξων εκκλησιων υπεβαλλαν αιτηματα στην Περιφεριακη κυβερνηση του Ονταριο περι αυτου του θεματος, αλλα μετα θλιψεως, η Ελληνικη Ορθοδοξος Εκκλησια του Καναδα δεν συμπεριλαμβανοταν στον ιδιο καταλογο.
Ακομα χειροτερα, εδω στον Καναδα, ο κληρος μας «κατσαδιαστηκε» και του απαγορευτηκε να συζητησει οποιοδηποτε θεμα σε οτι αφορουσε το ανοιγμα των εκκλησιων και της μεταδοσεως της Θειας Κοινωνιας, με οποιονδηποτε ενοριτη, κατα την διαρκεια της κρισης του Covid-19. Η σχετικη φιμωτικη οδηγια προς τους ιερεις μας βρισκεται στην επιστολη σας της 5ης Ιουνιου, 2020. Εντος αυτης, αναφερεσθε στην απο της 2ης Ιουνιου επιστολη του Πατριαρχου μας Βαρθολομαιου. Ενω ο Παναγιοτατος κ. Βαρθολομαιος εν συνεχεια εδωσε στους Ορθοδοξους πιστους την επισημη διαβεβαιωση του οτι ο τροπος μεταδοσεως της Θειας Κοινωνιας δεν θα επρεπε και ουτε πρεπει να υποστει καμια μετατροπη, ακομη και ενωπιον της πανδημιας Covid-19, (και την οποια διευκρινιση λαβαμε ως σταγονες υδατος εν τη ερημω), εσεις δε, παρερμηνευσατε τα λογια του στην επιστολη σας στις 5 Ιουνιου, για να φιμωσετε τον κληρο μας.
Στην κατα της 5ης Ιουνιου επιστολη σας, ψευδως δηλωνετε οτι, «ο Παναγιωτατος Οικουμενικος Πατριαρχης Βαρθολομαιος, με την επιστολη του στις 02/06/2020 προς παντας τους ιεραρχας του Οικουμενικου Πατριαρχειου ζητει απ’αυτους: – «Αποφυγετε να κανετε δηλωσεις, παρατηρησεις, και συνεντευξεις δια των μεσων μαζικης ενημερωσης, και να αποφευγετε την ενασκηση αλλων πρωτοβουλιων δια την παρουσαν κατασταση».» Εκ των πραγματων ομως, ΔΕΝ υπαρχει καμια τετοια δηλωση στην απο την 2ης Ιουνιου, 2020 επιστολη του Πατριαρχου.
Συνεχιζετε Σεβασμιωτατε, να δηλωνετε οτι εσεις (ο κληρος) «θα συνεχισετε να μην κανετε δηλωσεις χωρις πρωτα να λαβετε οδηγιες απο το Οικουμενικο μας Πατριαρχειο, επειδη πιστευετε οτι η Εκκλησια ειναι το Σωμα του Χριστου. Ειναι Μια και Αγια. Ειναι μια οικογενεια. Ουδεις πρεπει να ομιλει κατα την δικη του αρμοδιοτητα (ιεραρχες, ιερεις, διακονοι, καθηγητες, η κανεις αλλος Ορθοδοξος Χριστιανος) για αυτα τα πολυ σοβαρα θεματα.» Οταν ο Κυριος μας και οι Αγιοι Πατερες της Εκκλησιας μιλουσαν για ΜΙΑ εκκλησια, και ΕΝΑ σωμα του Χιστου, και ΜΙΑ οικογενεια, οντας μια ΕΝΟΤΗΤΑ με ολους και τον ΘΕΟ, ηταν παντα υπο του πλαισιου της ενοτητος μας με την ΜΙΑ Θεοτητα, και ουδεποτε στα πλαισια της υφαρπαγης της πνευματικης και εκφραστικης ελευθεριας μας.
Στις 26 Ιουνιου 2020, ο Οικουμενικος μας Πατριαρχης κυκλοφορησε την ακολουθη δηλωση, στην οποια συγκεκριμενα γραφει οτι δυο κριτηρια χρειαζονται για να ασκηθει οποιαδηποτε «οικονομια» σε ο’τι αφορα την μεταδοση της Θειας Κοινωνιας: α) να υπαρχει ενας συγκεκριμενος η κρατικος νομος που απαγορευει την Θεια Κοινωνια, και κατ’εξακολουθηση β) χρειαζεται η συγκαταθεση και αδεια του Οικουμενικου Πατριαρχειου για να ασκηθει οποιαδηποτε «οικονομια».
Το πρωτοτυπο:
α) να υπάρχει από τον νόμο του κράτους κάποια απαγόρευση σχετικά με τη θεία λατρεία λόγω της πανδημίας, και
β) ύστερα από τη σύμφωνη γνώμη και την προς τούτο άδεια της Μητρός Εκκλησίας Κωνσταντινουπόλεως.
Πάντως δεν αφορά στην αλλαγή του τρόπου μεταδόσεως, πολλω δε μάλλον στη χρήση πολλαπλών ή μιας χρήσεως αγίων λαβίδων.
Σεβασμιωτατε, στις 12 Ιουλιου 2020, οι ενοριακοι ιερεις μας στο Ονταριο αιφνιδιως ανακοινωσαν για πρωτη φορα, την νεα σας οδηγια, οτι λογω νομικων προυποθεσεων, η Θεια Κοινωνια θα μεταδιδεται τωρα δια της χρησεως πολλαπλων «κουταλιων» στις Ελληνορθοδοξες Εκκλησιες του Καναδα. Η φραση «λογω νομικων προυποθεσεων» δεν δοθηκε απο εσας εγγραφως, Σεβασμιωτατε. Μαλλον, εκφραστηκε προφορικα απο τους αμβωνες των Ελληνορθοδοξων εκκλησιων του Ονταριο απο τους ιερεις στους οποιους δωσατε τις προφορικες σας οδηγιες.
Περαιτερω, στην περιφερεια του Ονταριο, μονο η Πολις του Τοροντο υπο την δικαιοδοσια του δημαρχου John Tory εξεδωσε εγγραφως ανακοινωση οτι ολες οι λατρευτικες εκδηλωσεις που συμπεριλαμβανουν την Κοινωνια θα πρεπει να ανασταλλουν. Αυτο δεν ειναι νομος του κρατους, επειδη η Πολις του Τοροντο ειναι πολη και οχι Πολιτεια. Μπορει επισης να αγορευθει κατα την αποψη των νομικων μας πηγων, οτι δεν ειναι καν νομος, αλλα μια προταση η οδηγια η οποια απαιτει την ελευθερη συνεργασια του καθε ατομου, επειδη τετοιου ειδους προταση η οδηγια ειναι αντιθετη με το Καναδικο Καταστατικο των Δικαιωματων και της Ελευθεριας. Αληθως, πολλαπλες τοπικες δημοσιο-υγειονομικες αναφορες οι οποιες προτεινουν την αναστολη της λατρευτικης Κοινωνιας, εχουν τον τιτλο «Συμβουλες» η «Οδηγιες» για το Covid-19. Μεχρι σημερα, και οπως επιβεβαιωθηκε απο την Κοινοβουλευτρια κα. Christina Mitas στην σημερινη περιοδεια ερωταποκρισεων η οποια ξεκινησε στην Καναδικη Αρχιεπισκοπη, δεν υφισταται κανενας κρατικος Καναδικος η πολιτειακος (του Ονταριο) νομος που να προξενει παρεμβολες στο τελετουργικο της Θειας Κοινωνιας, ακομη και υπο του Νομου περι Εκτακτης Αναγκης. Περεταιρω δε, η προταση του Τοροντο ηταν η «αναστολη» της Κοινωνιας, και δεν διατυπωσε καμμια αναφορα στον τροπο της μεταδοσεως της…δηλαδη ΚΑΘΟΛΟΥ κοινωνια, ουτε με πολλαπλα «κουταλια». Διευκρινιστηκε δε στην σημερινη περιοδεια ερωταποκρισεων, μια ειρηνικη συγκεντρωση ομολογητων της Ορθοδοξου Πιστεως στην Αρχιεπισκοπη, οτι ουδεποτε λαβατε γραπτες οδηγιες απο την Περιφερεια του Ονταριο, σχετικα με τον τροπο μεταδοσης της Θειας Κοινωνιας, και οτι τετοιες συζητησεις ειχαν διεξαχθει προφορικως δια του τηλεφωνου.
Αυτο σημαινει Σεβασμιωτατε, οτι η δηλωση στην εγκυκλιο Σας της 15ης Ιουλιου – «επικοινωνησα με τις κυβερνητικες αρχες και αποφασιστηκε οτι η Θεια Κοινωνια θα πρεπει να διεξαχθει ως ακολουθως:» – δηλαδη η οδηγια να διεξαχθει η Θεια Κοινωνια με πολλαπλα «κουταλια» αποφασισθηκε απο Εσας, και μονο Εσας.
Για να εκπληρωθουν τα κριτηρια του Οικουμενικου Πατριαρχειου σε οτι αφορα την επιβολη πολλαπλων «κουταλιων» σε Ελληνορθοδοξες Εκκλησιες οπουδηποτε στον Καναδα, οχι μονο πρεπει να προσκομισετε κειμενο Κρατικου η Πολιτειακου νομου, το οποιο γνωριζουμε πλεον οτι δεν υφισταται, αλλα πρεπει επισης να αναδειξετε κειμενο του Οικουμενικου Πατριαρχειου, δινοντας Σας συγκαταθεση και αδεια για την χρηση πολλαπλων «κουταλιων», την οποια προφανως δεν εχετε. Επειδη στο Ονταριο, μονο οι εκκλησιες του Τοροντο ησαν επιρεασμενες απο την προταση (οχι νομο) να ανασταλλει η λατρευτικη Κοινωνια, αυτη η Πατριαρχικη συγκαταθεση και αδεια αφορα μονο τις εκκλησιες του Τοροντο, και οχι ολες τις Ελληνορθοδοξες εκκλησιες του Καναδα. Η υπερβολικη και παρατυπη σας οδηγια ομως, αναφερεται σε ολες τις Ελληνορθοδοξες εκκλησιες σε ολη την χωρα.
Η αδυναμια Σας να προσκομισετε τετοια εγγραφα, εξηγει τον λογο που δαπανησατε τοση προσπαθεια κανοντας πολλαπλες συσκεψεις με τους κληρικους κατοπιν της 29η Μαιου, οσο και τον λογο που μας αιφνιδιασατε με λειτουργικες αλλαγες της τελευταιας στιγμης, και επισης τον λογο που σκοπιμως παραφρασατε την επιστολη του Πατριαρχου μας, την απο 2ης Ιουνιου, για να δικαιολογησετε τον φοβερισμο του κληρου «εις σιωπην». Επειδη δεν εχετε θεμελιωμενες νομικες η εκκλησιαστικες βασεις για την επιβολη πολλαπλων «κουταλιων» στις Ελληνορθοδοξες κοινοτητες του Καναδα, αναγκαζεστε να χρησιμοποιειτε δυναμη εξουσιας και φοβου επι του υποφεροντος κληρου μας, οπως και υποχθονιες χειραγωγιες των πιστων για να εκπληρωθη ο σκοπος σας, το οποιο επισης εξηγει τον λογο για τον οποιο νιωσατε την αναγκη να συμβουλευθειτε δικηγορο για αυτη την υποθεση.
Αναφορικα με τον σκοπο σας, μπορειτε παρακαλουμε να μας πειτε ποιος είναι αυτος; Το ιδιο ερωτημα τεθηκε στον Αρχιεπισκοπο Ελπιδοφορο σε επιστολη της 15ης Ιουνιου 2020, οταν ο ιδιος εισηγαγε πολλαπλα «κουταλια» Κοινωνιας στις Ηνωμενες Πολιτειες, και ακομα αναμενουμε την απαντηση του.
Μεχρι σημερα, εκτος απο Εσας, ο Αρχιεπισκοπος Ελπιδοφορος ειναι ο μονος αλλος ιεραρχης ο οποιος εισηγαγε πολλαπλα «κουταλια» Κοινωνιας στην Β. Αμερικη, επισης με μεθοδους μυστικοτητος. Κατα το Ελληνικο ειδησιογραφικο αρθρο, ο Αρχιεπισκοπος Ελπιδοφορος καθοδηγησε τους ενοριακους ιερεις της Ν. Υορκης, Κονεκτικατ, και της πολης της Ουασινκτον να προσφερουν την Θεια Κοινωνια χρησιμοποιοντας πολλαπλα μεταλλικα «κουταλια», μιας χρησεως κατα την μεταδοση. Εξεδωσε την σχετικη οδηγια σε μια επιστολη της 18ης Μαιου, οι οποια επεφερε την επιγραφη «μονο για τους ιερεις» και η οποια «υπο ουδεμια συνθηκη πρεπει να αναρτηθει, μοιρασθει, η αναπαραχθει σε ηλεκτρονικη αλληλογραφια η στην κοινονικη διαδυκτιωση». Το μηνυμα Του φερει περιεργες αποχρωσεις της δικης σας επιστολης προς τους κληρικους τη 5η Ιουνιου. Επειτα απο την δικη Του εισαγωγη των πολλαπλων «κουταλιων» στις Ηνωμενες Πολιτειες, ακολουθησατε και Εσεις, χρησιμοποιοντας την πανδημια του Covid-19 ως δικαιολογια και την καταγγελια ενος παραπλανημενου ενοριτη στις υγειονομικες αρχες της πολης, το οποιο θεμα διεφυγε απο τα ορια και καταντησε υπερβολικο.
Η επιστολη του Αρχιεπισκοπου Ελπιδοφορου η απο της 18ης Μαιου 2020 κυκλοφορησε ακριβως μια ημερα αφ’οτου λαβατε την επιστολη του Πατριαρχου μας, την απο της 17ης Μαιου, στην οποια απαγορευοταν η αλλαγη στον τροπο μεταδοσης της Θειας Κοινωνιας. Ομως, η επιστολη του Πατριαρχου δεν δημοσιοποιηθηκε μεχρι της 2ης Ιουνιου 2020. Οι λογοι για αυτην την καθυστερηση δεν ειναι σαφεις, αλλα η καθυστερηση εδωσε αρκετο χρονο στον Αρχιεπισκοπο Ελπιδοφορο να επιβαλλει τα πολλαπλα «κουταλια», αποφευγοντας ετσι την «φαινομενικη αισθηση» τυχον ανυπακοης προς τον Οικουμενικο μας Πατριαρχη.
Ειναι λυπηρο το οτι ο Πατριαρχης μας δεν τον εκτοπισε για την εμφανη του ανυπακοη, αλλα υπαρχει μια πιθανη εξηγηση για αυτην την φαινομενικη ιδιοσυγκρασια, την οποια θα αναφερουμε κατωθι. Ειναι αραγε συμπτωση οτι και οι 2 μονοι Αρχιεπισκοποι της Ηπειρου της Β. Αμερικης, εχουν αυθαιρετως, και χωρις καμμια πιεση των πολιτικων αρχων, των ιερεων, η του λαου, επιβαλλει την χρηση πολλαπλων «κουταλιων» Θειας Κοινωνιας εν πληρη γνωση οτι το πραξανε σε αντιθεση του Πατριαρχη τους, και ανευ κυρωσεων απο Εκεινον?
Ισως ο Παναγιωτατος κ. Βαρθολομαιος ειναι ενας πολυ ευγενικος και συγχωρητικος ανθρωπος. Η μηπως εχει και εκεινος καποιο δικο του κρυφο σκοπο? Για αρκετα χρονια, ο Ορθοδοξος κοσμος εχει παρακολουθησει Ορθοδοξους Ηγετες να κανουν προοδευτικα βηματα προς τον οικουμενισμο, ενα αμφιλεγομενο κινημα το οποιο Εκεινοι και οι Παπες της Ρωμης υποστηριζουν. Φλογερος τους ποθος ειναι να ενωθουν με την Ρωμη και τις αλλες ετεροδοξες «εκκλησιες». Αυτο το επιτευγμα θα ηταν κατα πολλα αποδεκτο, αξιοτιμο, και αγιο, αλλα μονο εφ’οσον οι ετεροδοξες «εκκλησιες» και σχισματικοι επεστρεφαν στην αγκαλια της Ορθοδοξιας, ητοι της Μητερας Εκκλησιας.
Δοξα τω Θεω, το οτι εχουμε μαρτυριες τετοιων επιστροφων, αλλα οχι τοσο λογω των προσπαθειων των Ορθοδοξων Ηγετων. Στις περισσοτερες περιπτωσεις, ειναι το ετεροδοξο ατομο το οποιο ξεκινα μια αναζητηση της Αληθειας, και η οποια τον οδηγει στην Ορθοδοξη Πιστη. Εκεινο που εχουμε δει απο πολλους Ορθοδοξους Ηγετες ειναι μια συστηματικη φθορα της Ορθοπραξιας και των δογματων, οπως π.χ. με την αναγνωριση του ετεροδοξου βαπτισματος, για να ενθαρυνθει μια μη-κανονικη ενωση με ετεροδοξες «εκκλησιες». Το κορυφαιο βημα, βεβαιως, θα ηταν το αντικανονικο μοιρασμα του Θειου δισκοποτηρου, με καποιον τροπο που δεν θα προυποθετει τον προσηλυτισμο τους (προς την Ορθοδοξια). Δεν θα ηταν αλλωστε πιο απλο να αλλαξουμε τους κανονες μας περι Κοινωνιας παρα να αλλαξουμε τις καρδιες και το φρονημα ολων των ετεροδοξων?
Αυτο το τελικο βημα θα ολοκληρωνε τον Οικουμενισμο και πλεον το Αγιο Ορθοδοξο Δισκοποτηρο θα προσεφερετο, χωρις δογματικους περιορισμους, σε ολους, Ορθοδοξους και μη-Ορθοδοξους αντιστοιχα. Επειτα απ’αυτο, ολοι θα ειχαν την ελευθερια να επιλεγουν την εκκλησια τους, το δογμα τους, αλλα επισης και να συμμετεχουν στις αμφοτερες λατρευτικες εκδηλωσεις και στα αμφοτερα μυστηρια τους, χωρις εμποδιο η κωλυμα. Ποιος καλυτερος τροπος τοτε, παρα με την χρησιμοποιηση ενος ιου ως αλλωθι, για να επελθει μια αλλαγη στους κανονες της Θειας Κοινωνιας, με σκοπο την «ασφαλη» μεταδοση Της στον λαο, ο οποιος «δεν» χρειαζεται στην αληθεια προστασια απο το Αχραντο Σωμα και Αιμα του Χριστου.
Εαν η εφαρμογη των πολλαπλων «κουταλιων» Κοινωνιας ριζωσει με επιτυχια στην Δυση – στην Ν. Υορκη και στο Ονταριο – θα ειναι θεμα χρονου μεχρι τα αγριοχορτα να απλωθουν στην υπολοιπη Ηπειρο και στην αλλη οχθη του Ατλαντικου. Οσο πιο πολυ ο λαος συνηθισει στα πολλαπλα «κουταλια», θα ειναι ολο και πιο ευκολο να κερδιθουν πιο πολλοι επιφυλακτικοι προσηλυτοι, και τοσο πιο δυσκολο για τους Ορθοδοξους να επιστρεψουν στην Αγια Παραδοση του «κοινου» σκευους. Ισως καποιοι ιεραρχες ελπιζουν οτι ο λογος για την συνεχεια της παραμονης στα πολλαπλα «κουταλια» της Κοινωνιας σταδιακα θα μεταμορφωθει σε ενα πιο μοντερνο «πιστευω» οτι η Θεια Ευχαριστια, τυχον, εχει την δυνατοτητα μεταδοσης ασθενειων. Η διαχρονικη πειρα και γνωση οτι μεταδοτικες ασθενειες δεν εχουν μεταδοθει ποτε δια του κοινου ποτηριου η δια της κοινης λαβιδας θα ξεχαστει εν καιρω. Αντιθετα, πιο καινες επιστημονικες αρχες θα επικρατησουν, και το αποτελεσμα θα ειναι μια τελικη αλλαγη στο Δογμα. Ισως η ευκαιρια του Covid-19 καθιστα πολυ δυσκολη την αντισταση για ενα τοσο διαβολικο πειραμα στην Βορειοαμερικανικη Ηπειρο.
Ουτως η αλλως, ετσι ακριβως διεφθειραν οι Παπες την εκκλησια της Δυσης. Με την σκοπιμη παρερμηνευση των Αγιων Γραφων, με την χαλκευση εγγραφων προς αλλοιωση του δογματος, με τον εκφοβισμο των συνετων κληρικων προς σιωπην, και με το να χρησιμοποιουν μυστικοτητα, εξαναγκασμο, ακομα και ιερες εξετασεις. Το τραγικο τελος αυτης της διαφθορας ειναι πολυ γνωστο, οπως οδηγησε στην Προτεσταντικη μεταρρυθμιση και κορυφωθηκε με της εκκλησιαστικες μετατροπες του 2ου Συμβουλιου του Βατικανου το 1962.
Αλλα ποια ειναι η θεσις του Πατριαρχειου? Επειτα απο δυο κατηγορηματικες επιστολες υποδεικνυοντας οτι ο τροπος της μεταδοσεως της Θειας Κοινωνιας δεν πρεπει να αλλαξει, η τριτη εκανε μια εξαιρεση χαριν οικονομιας, υπο σπανιων συνθηκων. Το προβλημα ομως ειναι οτι ο Πατριαρχης μας δεν εχει εφαρμοσει αυτα που εχει γραψει, ουτε με τον Αρχιεπισκοπο Ελπιδοφορο, ουτε με Εσας Σεβασμιωτατε, επειδη ειναι φανερο οτι και οι δυο σας εξακολουθειτε να διατηρειτε τις εδρες σας. Αντιθετως, ο Πατριαρχης μας, ελαχιστως αντιφωνησε στην ανυπακοη την οποια και οι δυο σας δειξατε. Ισως να αναρωτηθει κανεις εαν αυτο οφειλεται με καποιο τροπο στην στενη του σχεση με τον Παπα Ρωμης.
Αρχιζει ισως να διερωταται κανεις εαν ο Πατριαρχης μας ο ιδιος θελει να εισαγει τις «πολλαπλες λαβιδες της Κοινωνιας», αλλα ορθως αναγνωριζοντας οτι ειναι διακινδυνευομενο να το πραξει στην Ελλαδα, οπου υπαρχει ενας πολυ μεγαλυτερος και συγκεντρωμενος Ορθοδοξος πληθυσμος, ο οποιος θα επαναστατουσε εαν τολμουσε να εισαγει αυτην την ιδεα εκει. Η τυχον αποπειρα θα διακινδυνευοταν γρηγορης αποτυχιας. Στην Β. Αμερικη αντιθετως, το κλιμα ειναι, και αοριστα αλλα και με ακριβεια, πολυ διαφορετικο. Ο Ορθοδοξος λαος μας ειναι κατα πολυ μικροτερος απο τον πληθυσμο των αλλων πιστεων και δογματων, και οι περισσοτεροι Ορθοδοξοι εδω ειναι μεταναστες η απογονοι μεταναστων. Με αλλα λογια, ειτε ειναι αρκετα χαμηλοτερης παιδειας, ειτε αρκετα εμπαιδομενοι στην Βορειο-αμερικανικη κουλτουρα ωστε να αποτελουν μικροτερη απειλη για την επιτυχια ενος τετοιου υποθετικου μεν, διαβολικου δε σχεδιου – το σχεδιο του να χρησιμοποιηθει η Βορειος Αμερικη ως πειραματικο κεντρο για την εισαγωγη της κοινης λαβιδος, και μετεπειτα, κοινου ποτηριου. Εαν γινει αποδεκτο, τετοιου ειδους οικουμενισμου θα καταστρεψει την Αγια Ορθοδοξια, αλλα θα παραχωρισει πολυ μεγαλυτερυ δυναμη στους «νεους ιεραρχες» μιας αντικανονικης, ενωμενης παγκοσμιας εκκλησιας, με ολα τα κοσμικα της προνομια.
Σε αυτη τη φαση, ισως για μια ακομη φορα μας χαρακτηρησετε ως «αυτοκαταστρεπτικους εξτρεμιστες οι οποιοι ειναι πανετοιμοι να επιφερουν ζημιες». Η αληθεια ειναι οτι και να υπαρχουν τετοιοι ανθρωποι, σιγουρα δεν ειμαστε εμεις. Οπως και ο ιος του Covid-19 εχει ξεσκεπασει τις καρδιες και τον νου πολλων ανθρωπων, ετσι και ο χρονος θα ξεσκεπασει ποιοι ειναι οι πραγματικοι καταστροφεις-εξτρεμιστες. Ελπιζουμε και προσευχομαστε, οτι αυτο το πραγμα δεν θα ειστε Εσεις, Σεβασμιωτατε.
Επισης ελπιζουμε οτι ειμαστε κατα πολυ λανθασμενοι περι του Παναγιωτατου Πατριαρχου κ. Βαρθολομαιου. Εαν κανουμε λαθος, παρακαλουμε να γνωριζετε οτι Εσεις και ο Αρχιεπισκοπος Ελπιδοφορος, δια των κρυπτων μεθοδων και παρανομων πραξεων Σας, εχετε δωσει αφορμη για την αναπτυξη των θλιβερων φοβιων και ισχυρισμων που εχουμε διατυπωσει εντος αυτης της επιστολης. Οι δυο σας απλωσατε την σκια της δυσπιστιας και δυσφημησης που εχει πεσει επι του Αγιου μας Πατριαρχου, με το να λογχευτουν οι καρδιες και οι ψυχες των Ορθοδοξων πιστων με την αυθαιρετη Σας αιρεση των πολλαπλων «κουταλιων».
Η ταχεια απομακρυνση σας απο το Αρχιεπισκοπικο αξιωμα θα ηταν η μονη ικανοποιητικη αποδειξη οτι ο Παναγιωτατος κ. Βαρθολομαιος ειναι αθωος τετοιων κατηγοριων και οτι παραμενει ενας ορθος και αληθινος Ορθοδοξος ηγετης.
Μετ’ευλαβειας
I Polidoulis
Irene Polidoulis MD, CCFP, FCFP
Κοινοποιηση:
Παναγιωτατω Οικουμενικω Πατριαρχη Βαρθολομαιο
Μακαριωτατω Αρχιεπισκοπω Ελπιδοφορο ΗΠΑ
There was Protestant opposition to church closings in Canada, but where was Archbishop Sotirios in the fight? 
Albert Pike, American Civil War general, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite’s Southern Jurisdiction, author of a book called Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
Therefore, if some of us lament the abysmal quality of some hierarchs in the Orthodox Church today, listen to what Christ said to His Disciples: “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70). Being the all-knowing God, and not interfering with the free will of His creatures, but giving them every opportunity to know Him and follow Him, Jesus knew in advance that Judas Iscariot, despite following Him closely for three years, would betray Him. He knew he would do it with a kiss and would not seek forgiveness, but would destroy himself. Christ gave Judas every opportunity to repent, but when Judas would not return to the Master, the Master used the devil to abolish the devil’s power over us by allowing his freely made choices to play out. Although one of the “twelve,” Judas did not cultivate the rock-like faith required for the gates of hell not to prevail against him. He succumbed to his final temptation, becoming “the son of perdition” (John 17:12). He was in the Church, but he was not of the church – a condition of the heart and mind that can apply to anyone, including bishops.
As She did from the very beginning, the Church continues Her struggle against both external and internal enemies. It is the “kissing” internal ones that pose the greatest threat to the flock, the ones that lie to the Holy Spirit when they say, “nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas.” The New Testament refers to such as these as Judaizers (refuted by St. Paul), the sexually immoral Nicolaitans (in Revelations), false teachers, false prophets and wolves masquerading in sheep’s clothing. While Papal heresies led to the Protestant Reformation in the West, the East struggled under the Ottoman yoke, keeping Orthodoxy alive by the 
Recent publication from our friends at Fordham University Press, home of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center which has extremely close ties to the Patriarchate of Constantinople
To his Eminence Archbishop Sotirios;
Fr. Demetrios has decades of experience as a priest. During his career, he has served under several bishops in more than one jurisdiction. He had reached out to us for technical assistance with a project he was working on. While we had him on the phone, we couldn’t help but ask him about the state of our Orthodox Church in the United States.
Fr. Demetrios explained to us that, in his experience, bishops are rarely interested in the opinions of their priests or the laity. We have seen multiple public confirmations of this. For example, most bishops did not ask for any input on how to deal with Covid at the parish-level. Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon was 
On a regular basis, bishops ignite firestorms. Sometimes it seems to be accidental. At other times, it is clear that they took controversial positions and steps on purpose, but it is hard to believe they were in any way prepared for the severity of the backlash that followed. If they listened to anyone at all in the preparation of their controversial texts or planning some of their controversial actions, then it was to individuals who agreed with them completely and looked at everything from the same perspective as the hierarchs. An echo chamber does not prepare you for contact with the real world.
Of course, the unfortunate “new age” wording has already spawned many negative responses. Among them are humorous memes such as the one to the right.
Bishop Benjamin of the OCA 
not suspended for participating in the rally. Despite the fact that this suspension had become an international news story, the chancellor refused to comment on why Fr. Mark was suspended, if not for participation in the rally. So of course, as you can see from the 
Archbishop Elpidophoros 
On the Feast Day of St. Bartholomew, June 11th, Archbishop Elpidophoros 
Cuban Communist dictatorship against the brave people of Cuba who are in the streets demanding their freedom. 
His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrosios, the former Metropolitan of the Metropolis of Kalavryta and Aigialeia in northern Greece, recently 
caused by the hysterical, harmful 
First and foremost, please do not combine the people that do not accept the existence of a Corona Virus or do not want to be vaccinated, together with the people that refuse to receive Holy Communion from multiple spoons. We are not the same. Most of the people that refuse to take Holy Communion with multiple spoons understand the Covid-19 problem and are fully vaccinated.
St Dosetheos of Jerusalem in his Apology against the Protestants explains what we get with Holy Communion. In Holy Communion we have the same body of Christ, the one that was conceived by the Virgin Mary, the one that was born in Bethlehem, the one that was baptized in the Jordan river, suffered, was buried, resurrected, ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
First, the government dictated it. They will issue fines or even close churches. This is wrong. The government has no authority to tell us how to take Holy Communion. It is called freedom of religion. They told us this over and over again. They insist we wear masks and keep proper distances in the church and we do that. If it was dictated by the government, then all Orthodox would have the same issue. How is it that the Old Calendar Orthodox, the Serbian, the Russian churches and so on, have no problem using the same Lavida ever since we had the virus and nobody is doing anything about it?
The “Jesus Prayer,” loved and practiced by many, misunderstood and discouraged by others, has been widely taught and discussed throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church has a great many beautiful and important prayers for numerous needs and occasions. However, the Jesus Prayer, often repeated continually, has gained high esteem by many saints and spiritual fathers as a way of learning to “pray without ceasing,” a practice which cleanses and opens up, first the mind and then the heart. Those who diligently practice the Prayer first acquire the Prayer of the Mind or the Noetic Prayer (Νοερά Προσευχή) and then the Prayer of the Heart (Καρδιακή Προσευχή). The Prayer of the Heart is considered to be the Unceasing Prayer that the Apostle Paul advocates in the New Testament, when he says “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
According to Wikipedia, the origin of the Jesus Prayer is probably the Egyptian desert, which was settled in the 5th century by the monastic Desert Fathers (such as St. Anthony the Great) and Desert Mothers (such as Saints Syncletica and Theodora of Alexandria). A formula similar to the standard form of the Jesus Prayer is found in a letter written by Saint John Chrysostom (347 – 407 AD). This letter speaks of “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy” and “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on us” being used as ceaseless prayer.
By this we see that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, speaks through us when we confess Jesus as the Messiah, and as the Son of the Living God, for the Son is the second Person of the Holy Trinity (i.e. God, Himself), and not some dead (false) god, for there are many false gods that people worship and refer to as “lord.” Therefore, when we say Lord (i.e. God), Jesus Christ (the anointed one), Son of God…” we are witnessing that Jesus is the Messiah (the anointed one) and God. The name of Jesus in the proper context carries so much power, that the Desert Fathers and Mothers who were sorely tempted by the demons in the wilderness used this prayer to strengthen themselves in their spiritual struggles against the dark forces of Satan. We, too, as we live our lives in the spiritual wilderness of today’s world, can use the Jesus prayer to protect ourselves from the daily temptations of the evil one.
Here we see that Jesus, Himself, teaches the Jesus Prayer and He completes it with the words, “a sinner.” Notice Jesus does not correct the prayer of the tax collector. He does not say the tax collector should have said “I thank you, I glorify you, lord have mercy on me.” Instead, He says the tax collector went home justified; whereas the Pharisee, who did thank God, but did so, proudly boasting of his good works, was not justified. This means that the Jesus Prayer has not only great power against demons because of the name of Jesus, but also the power to save us from sin because of the great humility and repentance found in the words of confession, “have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Note that Jesus did not correct the blind man who called out to Him in this manner, and also called Him Son of David, which, according to Old Testament prophecy, is the Messiah (the anointed Christ). The blind man did not call Jesus, ‘son of Joseph’ as had some others, who did not believe He was the Messiah. “Then they scoffed, isn’t this the carpenter’s son?…and they took offense at Him.” (Matthew 13:54-58) Instead, the blind man called Him “Son of David.” Despite being blind and unable to read, even the blind man knew that “Son of David” is a Messianic title which originates in the Old Testament, because God promised King David that one of his descendants would rule forever. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the City of David, and according to his earthly genealogy and Mosaic Law, He was understood as the son of Joseph, the carpenter, whose ancestor was King David. In Matthew’s Gospel, there are six instances where Jesus is called “Son of David.”
Therefore, dear reader, not only is the Jesus Prayer correct, but there are no other words which can substitute for the divinely inspired words, “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” With these words, we confess our faith that Jesus is the Master of all (Lord); that He is the anointed Messiah (Christ) who came to redeem the world from sin; that He is begotten of the father (Son of God) and is therefore of the same essence as the Father, meaning Divine. Furthermore, by uttering His human name, Jesus, we also acknowledge His dual nature as God and Man, or the God-Man, who was born of the Virgin Mary so that he could live, suffer and die like a man, to save mankind. As the only perfect and sinless human, He became High Priest for us, offering Himself on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice to make atonement for our sins and re-unite us with the Father. He alone became the Offerοr and the Offering. All of this was accomplished by none other than Jesus.
Our confession is the Jesus Prayer, which is supported by reams of Holy Scripture, contains volumes of Orthodox theology and great power. It was not just any “lord,” not Mohammad, not Allah, not Buddha, not Brahma, or any other deity who died for us and shattered the gates of Hell. Only the crucified Lord Jesus destroyed the power of Sin and Death and Satan’s hold on mankind. This is why the demons tremble at the name of Jesus. This is why the elders (Γεροντάδες) of our Holy Orthodox Church ceaselessly pray the Jesus Prayer – to ward off demonic temptations and spiritual attacks, by exercising humility and ceaselessly calling on the name of Jesus.
Third, by removing the name of Jesus, thousands of years of sacred prophecies, Biblical teachings and Patristic dogma become discounted and overturned, arbitrarily and for no good reason. This is unacceptable if we wish to maintain an Orthodox identity. On judgment day, when everyone rises from the dead, including all those who lived before us, it will be difficult to justify in the presence of God and His martyrs, any disobedience to the words of St. Paul, “Do not get carried away by various and strange teachings,” (Hebrews 13:9) even if the strange teachings came from someone that has the title of a bishop. Let us not forget that historically, the majority of heresies battled by the Orthodox Church, came from wayward bishops!
There is something we don’t do often enough, and that is put COVID-19 into generational perspective. We focus on arguments over statistics, masks in Church, endless hand sanitizing, studies proving 
From the beginning of Summer 2020, Archbishop Sotirios of the Canadian Greek Archdiocese presented challenges for the Faith and the Faithful by embracing 
The GCT could have stood up for the faith. The Archbishop could have as well. But neither did, and so over the past year many of the Orthodox Faithful of Toronto have made their choice to move on. By not standing strong for the Orthodox Faith, the GCT now finds itself financially imperiled and looking to sell at least one of its properties. If you look below at the list, you will realize that the GCT may actually sell an Orthodox Church building. Since we live in an era when Church buildings are purchased to become bars, skate parks, dance clubs, and even strip clubs – what future awaits for these formerly sacred grounds?
When the Church and related organizations sound exactly like the world, why bother getting up on a Sunday morning? Many nominal (“cultural”) Orthodox Christians have simply fallen away and taken their donations elsewhere. No dance classes or competitions, no Greekfests – without the cultural attractions, the “Christmas and Easter” crowd has found other uses for their time and money. After all, by being willing to close the parishes and cutoff communion, are you not implicitly telling your members that the Church is 
This was entirely predictable, and was, in fact, predicted. Yet, those in charge 
We face two opposing trends. First, the Orthodox Church in North America has probably never been (overall) more financially fragile and 
While this may seem like a ‘victory’ to some, or at least a step in the right direction, it is in fact, a greater loss. Just when we thought that the Holy Eucharist could not be dishonoured any further than being washed in a sink or disinfected in a vat, our venerable Archbishop has increased the indignity by relegating the Eucharist to the level of a fast food chain. Now, the faithful can choose between a ‘single-spoon church’, a ‘separate-spoon church’ or a ‘single-separate combo church’. Our new heresy, ladies and gentlemen, is Ortho-Protestantism – I will go to the church that suits me and you will go to the church that suits you. While our church leader withdraws, absolving himself of any personal and legal responsibility, he not only continues the heresy and the blasphemy, he also sows new seeds of schism by setting the stage for further conflict and divisions among us, within our own parishes, our communities and even our families. In addition, the Apostasy march towards Ecumenism and a false union with Rome continues. Now that his Eminence has solved the impracticality problem of “too many spoons” during Christmas and Easter with the ‘combo-spoons,’ we can probably expect the 
In his June 15, 2020 
During the first 800 years of Christianity, the manner of 
A new teaching from Father Calivas and Archbishop Elpidophoros, which is now also being promoted by Archbishop Sotirios, endorses that although the Body and Blood of Christ cannot transmit disease, the “tools with which we offer Holy Communion are perishable and earthly” and therefore the Holy Chalice and the Holy spoon may transmit disease. This is a 
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if we receive Holy Communion not believing in the uncreated Grace of God, demonstrating fear of contamination from Him, then we do not receive sanctification and Life; rather, we receive judgement and Death. “…whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have died.” (1 Corinthians 11: 27-30)
Most of us have heard of the Great Reset and the New World Order which are supposed to usher in the Antichrist. Some believe that these are ‘conspiracy theories’ while others believe that we are at the beginning of the Eschatological Age. According to Metropolitan Neophytos of 
Let us be of good courage, exercising patience. When God puts His plans into motion, we can be sure that His Church will not only prevail – She will triumph! If we remain faithful and true to Christ, we shall triumph with Her!
Indeed, why won’t Orthodox Bishops, not just in California, but in all of North America, 
In Revelations 3:15-16, Christ says to the Church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” “Hot” and “cold” are metaphors for a passionate commitment to or against Christ. Obviously, Christ wants us to be passionately committed to Him. Isn’t passionate commitment the same thing as extreme devotion or zeal? Is someone who is passionately committed to Christ a fanatic?
