Orthodox Reflections

The Ecumenical Patriarch has spoken yet again about the need to maintain the Orthodox Tradition of a single communion spoon.  Speaking to the faithful at the Church of St. Panteleimon, His All Holiness said, “I congratulate you for coming to receive Holy Communion, the most important Sacrament. You already know that there has been a debate lately about Holy Communion. We firmly believe that there is no danger of contracting the coronavirus in receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord. That is why we, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, have not changed the way Holy Communion is being offered.”

That statement seems to be very clear.  Globally, with the exception of some areas of the Russian Church, the rest of the Orthodox world is in resounding agreement that communion will not change. Even so, it appears that at least two Greek Orthodox Hierarchs in North America are refusing to get the message.

The first instance of using multiple metal spoons for communion was in the United States at the direction of Archbishop Elpidophoros. The Archbishop was only able to order this change in those parishes directly under him. In academic circles, the change garned some some notable support as exemplified by this essay from Theologian Father Calivas. However, the Greek Archdiocese in America has powerful Metropolitans, and three of them publicly declared their support for communion with a single spoon. Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago said in opposition to Archbishop Elpidophoros: “The manner in which the Holy Eucharist is distributed … will not change.” Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey concurred. Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta stated flatly, “The tradition of the common spoon … is the way the Orthodox Church teaches.” His Eminence Alexios also wrote a specific response to Father Calivas in which he said, “Holy Communion is beyond science, and only for the faithful who approach with the fear of God, for the healing of soul and body.”

Despite the global consensus in favor of traditional communion, the opinion of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the contributions of multiple scholars in favor of the single spoon, and the clear support of three Metropolitans in America – Archbishop Sotirios in Canada is still trying to change communion from one to multiple spoons. In this effort, Archbishop Sotirios and Archbishop Elpidophoros (who is also still toying with multiple spoons) are getting support from some academics (excellent response to that article here) and at least some archons of the Greek Archdiocese. We have covered this situation in detail. A good summary is here while extensive coverage can be found here.

The Faithful of Canada has met with the Archbishop to indicate their support for traditional communion. The Archbishop denigrated the concerned faithful as being a small, misguided faction and has proceeded with his plans for multiple spoons. The Archbishop, or his media handlers, routinely delete opposing comments from social media. It is clear that Archbishop Sotirios is simply not listening to those above, below, and even at the same level of the Church hierarchy.

And it appears to be getting worse. With the Dormition feast approaching, it is unlikely that any parish in Canada would have enough spoons to handle the number of Faithful. Rather than simply using a single spoon, the Archbishop has come up with an even more radical solution. His idea was reported by a Canadian Orthodox Christian and confirmed on TV:

At his sermon at the archdiocese yesterday he said he was thinking of the γιορτές coming up with so many people coming to take communion that there wouldn’t be enough spoons. He suggested a solution: he said the ladies that make the prosforo should put wine in the bread!! It is as many have predicted and attempted years before us. He wants to change our kinonia, and if it is done according to the aforementioned manner, this would make it eerily similar to the wafer that the Catholics use..opening yet another door of innovation to achieve the goal of the ecumenist mindset – to reunite us as one without reconciling core Dogmatic differences first…instead of asking the Roman Catholics to fully align with the Dogmas of their own predecessor, Pope Leo III (who was Orthodox), we instead observe Orthodox hierarchs side-stepping the core issues and gaps, and attempting to lead the sheep to the Vatican with “stop-gap innovations” like this, just like the attempts in 1439, which fortunately St. Mark of Ephesus and the majority of laity and clergy of Byzantium successfully resisted and rejected.

There will be more on this later, but for now we need to understand that the Orthodox Faithful in Canada must make their voices heard. The Archbishop needs to be confronted with raw numbers so as to understand the depth of opposition to his changes. Numbers too big to ignore are required. The rest of the Orthodox world must be made to focus on what is happening in Canada. Numbers will get their attention.

If this can happen to communion in Canada, then it can happen anywhere. The line must be drawn in Canada, and the rest of the Orthodox world needs to  show up to the fight.

If you have not done so, make your voice heard by clicking here to sign the Canadian Single Spoon Petition. So far, over 1,100 Orthodox Faithful have signed this statement in favor of our faith. That is only a fraction of the support we need to demonstrate. Please sign, and please share the petition widely via social media, email, discussion forums, etc. A few hundred Faithful sharing and re-sharing this petition will have a tremendous impact in this fight.

Nicholas, Greek Archdiocese of America

Orthodoxy in Canada is in crisis! Sign the petition here to preserve Orthodoxy by upholding the HOLY TRADITION (PARADOSIS) of the SINGLE COMMUNION SPOON. Visit our petition page for more information.