Monday, June 19, 2006

SCOBA and "Canonicity"

Just to clarify, a jurisdiction doesn't have to have its primate belong to the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (aka SCOBA*) to be considered "canonical" according to the most commonly accepted definition. For instance, the Jerusalem Patriarchate and the Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church don't. It's considered enough for them to be "under" a recognized autocephalous Church.

(*-BTW, "the Americas" is obsolete. All member-primates' jurisdictions are U.S.-based...although they do include some parishes in Canada, Mexico, and Australia[!].)

"Ethiopian Saint Still Inspires"

This feature in the Detroit Free Press might be available for free for the rest of this week.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

"Orthodox Catholic"

Some parishes in the Western world incorporate this phrase in their names. We have every right to call ourselves Catholic, though here it could be confusing. Sometimes in the Eastern world we're known as Orthodox Greek Catholics (even non-Hellenic churches), where Greek denotes Byzantine or Eastern, and Orthodox differentiates us from Greek Catholics, better known in the West as Eastern Catholics or Byzantine Catholics (and better known among Orthodox as "Uniat[e]s" - which they may or may not find offensive), ie, in union with First Rome.

(Here's some trivia: the former corporate name of The OCA was The Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America, where Russian didn't necessarily mean Russian, Greek definitely didn't mean Greek, and Catholic didn't mean Catholic! One could argue that when they became The Orthodox Church in America, they weren't making some grand claim...merely dropping the potentially-confusing adjectives!!!)

Sometimes in Catholic (ie, Latin) discourse, the phrase "orthodox Catholic" denotes theological "conservatives" and/or Papal loyalists...usually as used by themselves. Such "orthodox Catholics" have as much to do with Orthodox Catholics as do "Orthodox Presbyterians"!

Just to round things out, sometimes theologically "conservative" Protestants will refer to themselves as "orthodox Christians" when they're not talking about us...whom they may not consider "orthodox" at all!

For what it's worth....

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Canonical Orthodox Bishops and Jurisdictions of Western and Central Europe

(as far as I can determine via websites, many in foreign languages)
  • Metropolitan Joseph, metropolitan, Romanian Metropolia of Western and Southern Europe (Patriarchate of Romania)
  • Bishop Silouane, Romanian vicar-bishop of Italy
  • Bishop Marc, Romanian vicar-bishop
  • Metropolitan Serafim, metropolitan, Romanian Metropolia for Germany, Central and Northern Europe (Patriarchate of Romania)
  • Bishop Sofian, Romanian vicar-bishop
  • Bishop Sofronie, bishop, Romanian bishopric in Hungary
  • Bishop Luka, bishop, Serbian Diocese of Western Europe (Patriarchate of Serbia)
  • Bishop Dositej, bishop, Serbian Diocese of Britain and Scandinavia (Patriarchate of Serbia)
  • Bishop Konstantin, bishop, Serbian Diocese of Central Europe (Patriarchate of Serbia)
  • Bishop Lukian, bishop, Serbian Diocese of Budim, Hungary (Patriarchate of Serbia)
  • Archbishop Innocent, bishop, Russian Diocese of Korsun (W. and S. Europe), administrator, Russian Diocese of Sourozh (Great Britain) (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Archbishop Simon, archbishop, Russian Archdiocese of Brussels and Belgium (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Archbishop Longin of Klin, "Standing Agency of the Russian Orthodox Church in Germany and at the European Union" (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Archbishop Feofan, bishop, Russian Diocese of Berlin and Germany (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Bishop Hilarion, bishop, Russian Diocese of Vienna and Austria, administrator of Budapest and Hungary, Head of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Archbishop Gregorios, Greek archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, exarch of W. Europe, Ireland, and Malta, Apokrisarios of the Ecumenical Patriarch to the Archbishop of Canterbury. (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Bishop Aristarchos of Zenoupolis, Greek auxiliary of Great Britain
  • Bishop Chrysostomos of Kyanea, Greek auxiliary of Great Britain
  • Bishop Christoforos of Telmissos, Greek auxiliary of Great Britain
  • Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek auxiliary of Great Britain
  • Bishop Athanasios of Tropaeou, Greek auxiliary of Great Britain
  • Metropolitan Augoustinos, metropolitan, Greek Metropolis of Germany, exarch of Central Europe (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Bishop Vasilios of Aristi, Greek vicar-bishop of Germany
  • Bishop Bartholomaios of Arianz, Greek vicar-bishop of Germany
  • Bishop Evmenios of Lefka, Greek vicar-bishop of Germany
  • Metropolitan Emmanuel, metropolitan, Greek Metropolis of France (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan Panteleimon, metropolitan, Greek Archdiocese of Belgium, exarch of Netherlands and Luxembourg (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Bishop Maximos of Evmenia, Greek auxiliary of Belgium
  • Bishop Athenagoras of Sinope, Greek auxiliary of Belgium
  • Metropolitan Gennadios, Greek metropolitan archbishop of Italy and Malta, exarch of Southern Europe (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan Jeremias, metropolitan, Greek Archdiocese of Switzerland, exarch of Europe (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Bishop Makarios of Lampsacos, Greek auxiliary bishop of Switzerland
  • Metropolitan Paul, metropolitan, Greek Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan Michael, metropolitan, Greek Metropolis of Austria, exarch of Hungary (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan Epiphanios, metropolitan, Greek Metropolis of Spain and Portugal (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Archbishop Gabriel of Komana, Russian archbishop of Western Europe (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Bishop Michael of Claudiopolis, Russian auxiliary bishop of Western Europe
  • Bishop Basil of Amphipolis, Russian auxiliary bishop of Western Europe for Great Britain
  • Archbishop Ioan of Parnassos, bishop, Ukrainian eparchy of Western Europe (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Bishop Andriy, Ukrainian bishop of London and Western Europe
  • Metropolitan Gabriel, Antiochian metropolis of Western Europe (Patriarchate of Antioch)
  • Metropolitan Simeon, Bulgarian diocese of Western and Central Europe (Patriarchate of Bulgaria)
  • Bishop Tichon of Tiveriopol, Bulgarian auxiliary bishop of Western and Central Europe
  • Metropolitan Abraam, Georgian metropolitan of Western Europe and America (Patriarchate of Georgia)
  • Metropolia of Portugal, Spain, and Brazil (Church of Poland) - parish also in Sardinia, Italy

The Situation in Britain

You may have heard about conflict between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates over British-assimilated Russian parishes in Great Britain. Without becoming too entangled in Church politics, here's the situation:

In the years after the Communist takeover of Russia, the Russian emigre community in Far Western Europe divided among three jurisdictions: the Moscow Patriarchate (MP), the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), and the Ecumenical Patriarchate (EP). The Paris-based "Archdiocese of Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe" (also referred to as the Paris Jurisdiction or Rue Daru for the street on which their cathedral is located) is the EP jurisdiction, and ended-up there as a result of an appeal to the EP of action in their regard by the MP - and now it may be happening again.

The MP Diocese of Sourozh historically consisted of about 30 parishes and a few thousand faithful in GB and Dublin, Ireland, and for years was headed by the famous Metropolitan ANTHONY (Bloom). Although mostly Russian descendants, it included not a few cradle Orthodox of other nationalities and British converts, frequently worshipping largely in English, and used to functioning differently from dioceses inside the FSU. After the fall of the USSR, an estimated quarter million immigrants from the former Soviet Union arrived in GB, and conflict over styles of churchmanship ensued. Not even Metr. Anthony was able to make peace within the diocese. He reposed in 2003, and one of his auxiliary bishops, American-bred convert BASIL (Osborne) of Sergievo, was named temporary administrator of the diocese by the MP. Bishop Basil came to feel that the MP wished to re-Russify the diocese in keeping with the wishes of some activists among the recent emigres, and as the conflict escalated, he conceived the idea of taking Sourozh out of the MP and letting the MP establish a new Russian jurisdiction in GB and Ireland to serve the new emigres. Basil requested the MP to release him to the EP, and at the same time requested the EP to receive him. Patriarch Alexi of Moscow opposed dividing the diocese, and retired Basil from the active episcopate. Basil appealed this action to the EP as First Among Equals, and this week the EP received him, elected him Titular Bishop of Amphipolis and Auxiliary Bishop to Rue Daru, intending also to receive any Sourozh clergy/parishes which wish to transfer. Both sides cite Church canons in their favor.

I've read allusions to threats by Moscow to break Communion with Constantinople over this, and also of possible British court cases over parish properties. Basil's hope was by taking this action to 'remain canonical,' as it were, simply switching patriarchates, and joining a jurisdiction very similar in spirit to Sourozh (i.e., Rue Daru).

Our place is to pray "for the peace of the Holy Churches of God."

Trinity Sunday/Pentecost

Here's the very good sermon of Metropolitan NICHOLAS of the Carpatho-Russian Diocese.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

An Insight on the Filioque

Some defenders of saying the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father and the Son [in Latin, filioque]" instead of "from the Father" alone (John 15:26c) as Orthodoxy has always taught and experienced, make much of Jesus sending the Spirit into the world, and use this to muddy the issue of the Spirit's eternal procession from the Father.

But if Jesus sending Him into the world means He also proceeds "from the Son," then why not say He also proceeds "from the Prophet Elijah"? After all, in 2 Kings 2:9-15, St. Elijah (Elias) the Prophet bestows "a double portion of [his] Spirit" on St. Elisha the Prophet. So why not say, "We believe in the Holy Spirit...Who proceeds from the Father, the Son, and the Prophet Elijah"?! (Or "through the Prophet Elijah," as some revisionists might have it!)

No, there's a big difference between the eternal origin of the Holy Spirit in the Father alone, and His being sent into the world by the Son. And what the Creed is addressing is the Spirit's eternal origin only. The filioque must be rejected.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Where Orthodox Doctrine Comes From

On this Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicea (AD 325) [7th Sunday of Pascha], and Sunday before Trinity Sunday/Pentecost, my attention was returned to a post from last July:

http://eorthodox.blogspot.com/2005/07/empirical-theology-ot-nt-orthodox.html

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Your (more or less) Active Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North America

(If I've left any out, please by all means let me know!)

UPDATE 17 May 2007: With the ROCOR-MP reconciliation official today, I've added ROCOR bishops here!

  • Metropolitan Herman, Primate, The Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Archbishop of Washington and New York, administrator of parishes in Australia
  • Bishop Nikon, OCA bishop of New England and Albanian Archdiocese
  • Bishop Tikhon (Mollard), OCA bishop of Eastern Pennsylvania
  • Archbishop Kyrill, OCA bishop of Western Pennsylvania and Bulgarian Diocese
  • Archbishop Nathaniel, OCA bishop of Romanian Episcopate
  • Archbishop Dmitri, OCA bishop of The South, exarch of Mexico
  • Archbishop Job, OCA bishop of The Midwest
  • Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald), OCA bishop of The West
  • Bishop Nikolai, OCA bishop of Alaska
  • Bishop Seraphim, OCA bishop of Canada
  • Archbishop Lazar, abbot, OCA Monastery of All Saints of North America, Dewdney, BC, Canada
  • Metropolitan Philip, Primate, Antiochian Archdiocese of North America (Patriarchate of Antioch), Archbishop of New York and Washington DC, locum tenens of New England
  • Bishop Alexander, Antiochian bishop of Eastern Canada and Upstate New York
  • Bishop Thomas, Antiochian bishop of The East
  • Bishop Basil, Antiochian bishop of Mid-America, archepiscopal vicar of the Western Rite
  • Bishop Mark (Maymon), Antiochian bishop of The Midwest
  • Bishop Joseph, Antiochian bishop of The West, locum tenens of The Northwest
  • Bishop Antoun, Antiochian bishop of The Southeast
  • Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis), Primate, Greek Archdiocese of America, exarch of The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), presiding hierarch of the Direct Archdiocesan District (NY area and DC)
  • Metropolitan Iakovos, Greek metropolitan of Chicago
  • Metropolitan Maximos, Greek metropolitan of Pittsburgh
  • Metropolitan Methodios, Greek metropolitan of Boston
  • Metropolitan Isaiah, Greek metropolitan of Denver
  • Metropolitan Alexios, Greek metropolitan of Atlanta
  • Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit, Greek metropolitan of Detroit
  • Metropolitan Gerasimos, Greek metropolitan of San Francisco
  • Metropolitan Evangelos, Greek metropolitan of New Jersey
  • Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana, abbot, Greek monastery of St. Irene Chrysovalantou and dependencies (NYC)
  • Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos, Primate, American Carpatho-Russian Diocese (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan Constantine of Irinopolis, Primate, Ukrainian Metropolia of USA (Ecumenical Patriarchate), bishop of Central Eparchy
  • Archbishop Antony, Ukrainian bishop of Eastern Eparchy
  • Archbishop Vsevolod of Skopelos, Ukrainian bishop of Western Eparchy
  • Bishop Ilia of Philimelion, Primate, Albanian Diocese of America (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios, Primate and exarch, Greek Metropolis of Canada (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan John, Primate, Ukrainian Metropolia of Canada (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Archbishop of Winnipeg (and locum tenens of Edmonton?)
  • Archbishop Yurij, Ukrainian archbishop of Toronto
  • Bishop Mercurius of Zaraisk, administrator, Patriarchal Parishes in the USA (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Archbishop Mark of Kashira, administrator, Patriarchal Parishes in Canada (Moscow Patriarchate)
  • Metropolitan Christopher, Primate, Serbian Orthodox Church in USA and Canada (Patriarchate of Serbia), Metropolitan of Midwestern America
  • Bishop Longin, Serbian bishop of America and Canada [New Gracanica Metropolitanate]
  • Bishop Maksim, Serbian bishop of Western America
  • Bishop Mitrophan, Serbian bishop of Eastern America
  • Bishop Georgije, Serbian bishop of Canada
  • Archbishop Nicolae, Primate, Romanian Archdiocese in America and Canada (Patriarchate of Romania)
  • Metropolitan Joseph, Primate, Bulgarian Diocese of USA, Canada, and Australia (Patriarchate of Bulgaria)
  • Archbishop Damaskinos of Jaffa and Arimathaea, epitropos of America (Jerusalem Patriarchate)

AUXILIARY BISHOPS:

  • Bishop Dimitrios (Couchell) of Xanthos, Greek Archdiocese of America
  • Bishop Savas of Troas, Greek Archdiocese of America
  • Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, Greek Archdiocese of America
  • Bishop Philotheos of Meloa, Greek Archdiocese of America
  • Bishop Vikentios of Apameia, deputy abbot, Greek monastery of St. Irene Chrysovalantou and dependencies
  • Bishop Irineu of Dearborn Heights, OCA Romanian Episcopate
  • Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley, OCA Diocese of The West
  • Bishop Alejo of Mexico City, administrator, OCA Exarchate of Mexico
  • Bishop Varlaam, OCA Monastery of All Saints of North America, Dewdney, BC, Canada
  • Bishop Christoforos of Andidon, Greek Metropolis of Canada