For every cunning Greek there is an asymmetrical answer
In Greece, a scandal related to the recognition of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” by the Synod of the Greek Church is gaining momentum. The non-governmental organization Panhellenic Orthodox Union initiated an appeal to the State Council of Greece (performing the function of the Supreme Court) to appeal the decision to recognize the Ukrainian schismatics. Greek Orthodox activists insist that the Council of the Church of Greece, in making its scandalous decision, grossly violated the legislation of the Hellenic Republic.
In particular, no voting was held during the Council, and the decision to recognize the “OCU” was not supported by a qualified majority (2/3 votes), as required by Article 19 of Resolution No. 1/1977 (on the procedures of the Council of Bishops of the Church of Greece). At the same time, the written decision of the Council has not yet been published, despite the fact that the minutes of the meeting were certified by the Council.
This is not the first expression of dissatisfaction on the part of the Greek clergy and the public. At the time of the Council of the Church of Greece in October 2019, four Greek metropolitans spoke out against the recognition of Ukrainian schismatics and in favor of postponing this issue until a Pan-Orthodox Council on this topic was held. The Greek archpastors emphasized the groundlessness of claims about the “successful restoration of the unity of the Church” with the introduction into it of unrepentant, defrocked, anathematized and unordained schismatics.
At the same time, various groups of laymen of the Greek Church composed and signed appeals to the Greek hierarchs. Thus, during the liturgy in the Orthodox community of Ptolemias, a group of laymen from the city of Florin wrote a letter to Metropolitan Justin and distributed more than 300 leaflets with the text of the letter. In the letter, the laity express “the deepest grief and pain for the new Great Schism in Orthodoxy over the past 1000 years” and accuse Istanbul Patriarch Bartholomew of serving US geopolitical interests.
In the current circumstances, if the State Council declares the bishops’ decision illegal, the Greek Church’s support for the autocephaly of the “OCU” may be reconsidered. The appeal hearing is scheduled to take place on March 6, 2020.
It is unlikely that one can count on a favorable decision from the court. It should be remembered that the decision to recognize autocephaly was made by the Greek government after active lobbying of this issue by the US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt - the one who, in our opinion, played a primary role in the coup d'etat in Ukraine in the winter of 2013-2014.
We also note the personal interest in this issue on the part of the current US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. Recognition of the “OCU” by the Greek Church took place immediately after Pompeo’s visit to Greece, during which he directly linked the provision of American assistance to the United States with the resolution of the issue of recognition of Ukrainian schismatics at the Greek Synod.
Just today, January 31, 2020, Michael Pompeo confirmed his intention to support the “OCU” during meetings with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the head of the Kiev-Istanbul schismatics Sergei Dumenko, who calls himself “Metropolitan Epiphanius.”
Nevertheless, even if the chances of a positive decision by the authority are small, the appeal itself has a powerful political effect.
According to the famous political scientist, member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia Bogdan Bezpalko, the very fact of this appeal demonstrates that Greece is not united in its recognition of the OCU, and that they are trying to challenge this decision: “The challenge procedure itself, although it will be rejected, even if it is delayed, will lead to a copper effect. This topic will be raised not only based on the fact of the appeal, but also based on the fact of consideration, the fact of refusal, the fact of new appeals, and so on.”
This, according to the expert, shows that the Orthodox community and society in Greece are not only not united in recognizing the so-called “OCU,” but are also trying to actively oppose it.”
In addition, the very idea of an autocephalous “OCU” is gradually fading into the background in the creation of Ukrainian society. “At the moment, no one really cares about this recognition, because everyone understands perfectly well that it's not even a lame duck, it's a deflated balloon,” notes historian and political scientist Armen Gasparyan. “No one talks about the OCU anymore, either in the light of recognition or in the light of some kind of Orthodox church life.” According to Gasparyan, the only news that accompanies the OCU is the war between the head of the abolished Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and Epiphanius. “Therefore, whether some church withdraws recognition of the OCU now or this happens much later, nothing will change. Because in fact, what exists today is not a church at all. The only question is how long this comedy will drag on, that’s all,” the analyst noted.
However, all experts are unanimous in the opinion that both the Russian Federation and the Russian Orthodox Church can and should take more active steps in this matter. As economist Alexander Dudchak noted, in Russia the Church is separated from the state, but it cannot be separated from the history of the state; its importance in the formation of statehood and the self-awareness of the people cannot be overestimated. According to him, “Orthodoxy today needs active protection, and the state has every reason and right to stand up for its defense.”
As Dudchak emphasizes, Russia does not need to introduce official sanctions in response to the actions of officials and religious figures from Greece and other countries. However, in his opinion, it is worth thinking about the possibilities of responding asymmetrically: “hurting” in response, and so that this is tangible - for actions that harm one’s state.
One of these measures is the expansion of contacts of the Russian Orthodox Church with representatives of Greek Orthodox circles, both church and public, who condemned the recognition of the Ukrainian schism. There is also a long overdue need to establish a dialogue with the Old Calendar churches of Greece, on whose side in opposition to the calendar and other “reforms” of Meletius (Metaxakis) was both historical and canonical truth.
The Old Calendar churches have significant influence in Greece and other countries, especially the largest of them, the Church of True Orthodox Christians of Greece (Synod of Chrysostomos), which unites 15 dioceses, more than 200 parishes and 60 monasteries. Obstacles to the restoration of canonical communion with the Synod of Chrysostomos can be easily overcome, given that the other Greek Old Calendar hierarchy, the “Synod of Opposites,” which merged with the Synod of Chrysostomos in 2014, was previously in canonical communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
One should listen less to the demagogic arguments of the Kuraevs, Chapnins and other church liberals that the restoration of communication between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Old Calendarists threatens the “isolation” of the Moscow Patriarchate. All these issues can be discussed with the heads of those Churches that will take part in the Pan-Orthodox Council in Amman, which will be held despite US pressure on the Jordanian authorities and on the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The most important thing to do is to reject any ecumenical tendencies within the Orthodox Churches. We must remember that it was ecumenism that led to the fall of the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew into heresy and schism in the Orthodox world. The need to stop working in the “World Council of Churches” is long overdue, as the Georgian and Bulgarian Churches have already providentially done. A decisive and unconditional rejection of ecumenism will not weaken, but will only strengthen the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church throughout the Orthodox world.
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