The latest Antipatriarch

[muckefuck]

At the first major pan-Orthodox synod in more than a decade, representatives of the twelve main Orthodox churches voted not to recognise the authority of Patriarch of Jerusalem Irineos I. Why? He authorised the sale of three buildings in East Jerusalem to anonymous Jewish investors. Full BBC article here. As someone raised in a religion with a hierarchical and authoritarian structure, I found this part most interesting:

The vote does not directly call for Patriarch Irineos' removal. But the act of refusing to recognise his authority is expected to put additional pressure on him to resign....[The synod] does not actually have the authority to formally dismiss Patriarch Irineos or pick his successor. This is the job of the synod of the Jerusalem church.

When's the last time something like this happened? During the Soviet cooption of Orthodox churches? How did events play out then?

Comments

Stuff like this

[arkanjil.livejournal.com]

plays so deep under the radar here, that you'd be hard pressed to find out. I remember hearing about the sale and the stink it raised at the time; the Beeb (I think) spent some time digging around it 'cause it was all hush hush, with a number of intermediaries muddying the waters. No real smoking gun tho; s'nice to see that the issue wasn't totally dropped.

Hmm, google brought up this apparently, it's not at all cozy at home for the guy either...

What I found of interest in the article was that Petra still has a patriarch, err, metropoliton of it's very own. Who knew?

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Where is darkphuque when you really need him?

I am here and bored...but <lj user="danbearnyc"> asked

[darkphuque.livejournal.com]

Orthodox short hand... EP= Ecumenical Patriarch, MP=Moscow Patriarch, JP=Jerusalem Patriarch

The last "called" pan orthodox council was in the early 20's it was called by Pat. Meletios (of blessed/hated memory). It decide that the Church of Greece should be autonomous (able to elect its own Bishops but must have approval of the candidates, by the EP before they can consecrate them. It decided that the dependencies of the EP would go onto the Gregorian calender *Shudder*, and that the GOA of North & south america could have pews, organ music, and choir robes. While it was called Pan Orthodox, the Russians didn''t/couldn't attend, it was boycotted by Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia, I believe. The change in calendar brought revolution and the creation of True Orthodox Church of Greece, who were severely persecuted by the New calendarist State Church of Greece, until the Mid 1960's

PLease note: The 5 Bishops who laid hands on me were descended from that original off shoot. There is an old saying amongst Greek Orthodox... put 3 old calendarist bishops in a room, lock the door and when you come back in the AM, you will have five jurisdictions whose Bishops aren't on speaking terms.... having recently anathematized each other...

The PJ has been in the shady deals business since the last crusade. The have sold property to anyone who had the money. They made priests, consecrated Bishops, and regularized a lot of floating Bishops... all for a "gift" to the Holy Synod of Jerusalem. The are so mired in a spider's web of intrigue that that make the term byzantine look honorable.

I could have been a part of the episcopate under the JP for a neat 25K. Oh... Sorry! I would have been donating toward a new Library... *wink, wink*. Gimme a break!!!

The PJ is a Greek that lords it over the native Palestinians,refuses to have non-Greek Bishops, and dabbles in things that ought not concern him. I hope that they tar and feather him and ride him out of the East Gate on a slivered rail.
Its all about $$$$. All the other patriarchates have over seas funding sources... the JP has next to nothing. So when it needs hard cash, it sells something, or goes seeking "donations" from lackluster cerics looking for official recognition.

The EP cannot do anything. He is completely powerless in these events. The meeting in Constantinople (Istanbul) is all for show, pomp and circumstance... Bah! All Patriarchs are totally equal, although the EP thinks he is a Byzantine Pope! Huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf.

The use of non-commemoration by the other Patriarchs is a Joke as well... in the past 5 years the EP has , on more than one occasion, stopped commemorating the MP,and the MP has stopped commemoration the EP... its all a BIG Show! The details of this and the scandal that is ravaging Greece right now makes me soooooo happy I am independent and away from all that BULL!!!!!

[goreism.livejournal.com]

The Russian Orthodox Patriarch during the revolution, Tikhon I, has actually been glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate. :P He's generally seen as a staunch defender of Orthodoxy against the Communists.

Interestingly, Tikhon was the first Patriarch of Moscow in over 200 years, as the patriarchate had been abolished by Peter the Great.