Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana

[Justin Kissel]

I must have misunderstood you in past conversations. My bad.

[Anastasios]

I must have misunderstood you in past conversations. My bad.

I believe that in past conversations we discussed Metropolitan Pavlos, but Metropolitan Paisios would not have anything to say about him because Pavlos became a bishop right as Paisios was walking out of the GOC.

Metropolitan Petros's views on grace were well known, especially after he refused to sign the Protocal of 1974, and after he temporarily left the GOC Synod in 1994.

Anastasios

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

I always find it interesting that when a Genuine Orthodox Christian talks about "what is wrong" with new calendarism it is a converstion about tradition and reaches back to the Holy fathers for witness. They on the other hand, when they talk about us it is always, and I mean always, whatever scrap of modern and usually personal opinion they can muster that sounds good. I hope nobody thinks there is a person somehwere in all of this that doesn't have an opinion; it is the Holy Fathers opinion that I value.

I'm surprised Paisios had time to talk about us poor Orthodox Christians to a newspaper. I mean with the huge scandal in Chicago he has on his hands and all, I would think they would talk about that.

[Anastasios]

OOD,

What struck me the most was his comfort at being in the EP. 7 years of comfort would have me wondering what I am doing wrong.

Anastasios

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

What struck me the most was his comfort at being in the EP. 7 years of comfort would have me wondering what I am doing wrong.

Yes, if its easy then I would be wondering too.

[προσκυνητής]

This was my favorite part:

What the Ecumenical Patriarchate has that makes it our true Mother Church is the perpetuation of our Hellenism; the preservation of our Greek language and its dissemination to succeeding generations," Metropolitan Paisios concluded.

Nothing about Christ, Orthodoxy or canonicity.

[Anastasios]

This was my favorite part:

What the Ecumenical Patriarchate has that makes it our true Mother Church is the perpetuation of our Hellenism; the preservation of our Greek language and its dissemination to succeeding generations," Metropolitan Paisios concluded.

Nothing about Christ, Orthodoxy or canonicity.

One of the priests at St Irene's told me that they have lost each and every convert they have made save a very small core, because the people just can't deal with all the Greek (they now do the Epistle, Gospel, and Our Father over again in English). That got me thinking. I certainly believe that it is fine to have a majority Greek-language parish in an area where there are lots of first-generation Greeks. But at the same time, there either needs to be a support group for converts with services done in English entirely on other days for their benefit, or even another parish should be set up nearby to accomodate them. I certainly think that Hellenism properly understood is a universalist ideology that I am comfortable with, but oftentimes it is reduced to its post-Enlightenment Graeco-centric reduction, and that bothers Americans.

Some could level the same criticism at St Markella's, but at least Metropolitan Pavlos preaches in English most of the time and does services in English like the Great Blessing of Waters; and he and Bp Christodoulos are very aware of missionary needs and are quite willing to allow English-majority parishes (such as their pan-Orthodox parish in Richmond which is growing rapidly).

Anastasios