The Ecumenical Patriarchate the "Spiritual Leader of more then 300 Million Orthodox Christians"
Whats with this title? Do you guys consider it to be a true statement?
Whats your guys Opinion on this?
Personally I believe it to be a lie. Since Orthodox in any jurisdiction looks to his/her own Patriarch for Spiritual Leadership.
In Christ
OL
this smacks of neo-papal patriarchalism. All Bishops are equal. It is important to remember that St. Gregory the Dialogist and Pope of Rome protested against this title for exactly this reason.
On another note, those under the EP cannot be Orthodox as they are not under a right-believing Heirarch.
Nicholas Zollars
I wonder what the context of this title? For instance, is a non-Orthodox Christian saying it? I suppose to Catholic or Protestant eyes, the EP's behaviour in the last decades would look like the Eastern equivalent of a Latin Pope.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if a member of the EP jusristiction was saying it either.
OL,
Every Orthodox bishop (high-priest) is equal in the Church. The spokesman for a synod, an Archbishop or Patriarch (when there were "patriarchs"), is nothing more or less than any other bishop.
The only worldwide leader of Orthodoxy is Christ, and only he knows exactly how many. I would dread being the one attempting to usurp His position.
I'll also add that contrary to Holy Tradition, only "bishops" who are Turkish citizens can vote at the Phanar; and these bishops are only Titular bishops who have no churches. "Bishops", such as Demetrios in America, and Stylianos of Australia, who are members of the synod in Istanbul and who actually have flocks, cannot vote and exercise their position as Bishop.
So what we are left with, are a closed groups of guys (probably Masons) in Istanbul who have no flocks, pick who the bishops are around the world, moving them, retiring them, hiding them (if they are convicted sex offenders), and have plenty of free time to ecumenize and make sure that the pool of candidates for future bishops is ripe to continue the line of apostates.
OrthodoxyOrDeath wrote:I'll also add that contrary to Holy Tradition, only "bishops" who are Turkish citizens can vote at the Phanar; and these bishops are only Titular bishops who have no churches. "Bishops", such as Demetrios in America, and Stylianos of Australia, who are members of the synod in Istanbul and who actually have flocks, cannot vote and exercise their position as Bishop.
You obviously haven't met Stylianos- I wouldn't want him voting anyway. Have you ever seen the footage of the "7th Assembly of the WCC" in Canberra, 1991? Do you know who presided over the "Orthodox" delegates at the signing of the "Balamand Aggreement"?