As an American convert in the ROCOR during the past decade, I have found myself and my family now displaced from the ROCOR-MP parish in our city. In fact, we currently have no Orthodox parish in our metropolitan area which is not in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, or using the Old Calendar (other than our former ROCOR-MP parish, which has become, in effect, a parish run by and for recent Soviet emigres.) It has been a difficult year for us, and has caused me to think a great deal about the history of the Church. Surely, the Orthodox Church has long been organized along ethnic and national lines--like human societies themselves--with traditional Patriarchates and autocephalous branches in various national centers; Israel, Egypt, Syria, Greece, Rome, etc.
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On the other hand, the Church has always been essentially [i]Catholic[/i] as well--universal. The Lord instructed the Holy Apostles to "make disciples of all nations," and the Apostle Paul reminded those in the early Church that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, for all are one in Christ." Hence, there has been an historic tension between the natural organization of the Orthodox Church along essentially ethnic and nationalistic lines--Greek, Russian, etc.--and the ideal of [i]Catholicity[/i]. This question of the significance of nationalism within the Orthodox Church seems especially crucial in modern America, a nation of immigrants from virtually all nations and ethnic groups. The Greek Orthodox Church in America, in my view, has always been very intimately focused on serving the ethnic Greek immigrant community, and the ROCOR, at least in our city, now seems similarly focused on serving the needs of ethnic Russian immigrants, especially recent Soviet emigres. I know, as well, that many of the ancient monasteries on Mount Athos have, historically, focused on serving particular ethnic groups--e.g., Chilander has been mainly Serbian, and St. Panteleimon's, mainly Russian.
I do not pretend to understand these mysteries of Orthodox history, nor do I presume to judge anyone within the Church. My question for the clergy and laity on this board is simply the following: [i][b]When does nationalism become Un-Orthodox?[/i][/b] Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines "nationalism" as "[i]a sense of national consciousness raising or exalting one nation above all others and placing emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups."[/i] It would be difficult, in my opinion, to find a more precise description of the attitudes and behavior of the current hierarchs of the ROCOR-Laurus and the Moscow Patriarchate, but are they, ipso facto, Un-Orthodox? I am somewhat familiar with the Orthodox concept of "phyletism" as a heresy--condemned by a fairly recent Council of the Church--but when does natural segregation of ethnic, Orthodox communities become phyletistic, or Un-Orthodox? I would appreciate hearing from those who have knowledge of these theological issues.
