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**immoceefe** · 11-17-2007, 07:50 AM

The ecumenical patriarch is an artifact of the Eastern Catholic Empire, dating from the beginning of the 4th Century. The challenge today is how to represent the Christian ecumene when there is no Christian empire anywhere, and when sectarianism is the rule. The other patriarchates are older and have a certain identification with the Apostolic era, so, in a sense I think, have symbolic importance beyond the question of how many Christians live there. Except of course for Moscow, which comes much later, and yet Russia is the closest thing to an Orthodox nation there is, apart, perhaps from Serbia. I am glad to hear that the Moscow Patriarch used the number 2 million for his flock, which is probably a lot more accurate than his press releases.

Clearly, the Ecumenical Patriarchate ought to be moved to New York, since the Greek Orthodox in America are his only canonical flock. The current Patriarch has been flailing about for significance and relevancy and it's not working.

11-17-2007, 07:50 AM	#26
immoceefe Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 474 Senior Member	The ecumenical patriarch is an artifact of the Eastern Catholic Empire, dating from the beginning of the 4th Century. The challenge today is how to represent the Christian ecumene when there is no Christian empire anywhere, and when sectarianism is the rule. The other patriarchates are older and have a certain identification with the Apostolic era, so, in a sense I think, have symbolic importance beyond the question of how many Christians live there. Except of course for Moscow, which comes much later, and yet Russia is the closest thing to an Orthodox nation there is, apart, perhaps from Serbia. I am glad to hear that the Moscow Patriarch used the number 2 million for his flock, which is probably a lot more accurate than his press releases. Clearly, the Ecumenical Patriarchate ought to be moved to New York, since the Greek Orthodox in America are his only canonical flock. The current Patriarch has been flailing about for significance and relevancy and it's not working.
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