[soonahonsefalh]

This was a speech given at St.Vladimir's Seminary titled "Hellenism and Orthodoxy." I've only had the chance to read half of it but it is rather an interesting perspective on the Church of the USA and the role of the EP.

Hopefully we can have a lively discussion about this.

http://www.svots.edu/images/stories/...mbrianidis.pdf

[Muesrasrs]

Well, what I read is he slammed the OCA for being given autocephaly and for just existing. He also said without saying that all non EP jurisdictions need to leave the Americas. And that all the other world wide autocephalous churches were done for reasons/ standards he is not holding to the Americas to.

Basically, the EP wants to rule the non-eastern world. That's what I heard him say.

Paul

[redDoodia]

Fr Elpidophoros is quite right, there is no such thing as "Russian Orthodox", "Serbian Orthodox", "Romanian Orthodox", "British Orthodox" or "American Orthodox" - these are phyletistic terms. "Greek Orthodox" is only acceptable if we understand "Greek" to mean "Roman" ("Rum").

Regarding Fr Elpidophoros' view that the Ecumenical Patriarchate 'did not come to this land [America] as an ethnic Church in order to establish an ethnic jurisdiction' (p. 16), I would prefer not to comment.

With love in Christ

Alex

[MP+4]

I agree with most of the content of the article. But i still reject the modern EP interpretation of canon 28 of universal jurisdiction of barbarian lands. It only granted the right to appoint bishops to those asia minor churches whose roots extended over the border. The OCA has never acted like an autocephalous church, and a strong case can be made that the OCA is NOT the heir of the russian mission but only a schismatic offshoot of ROCOR in 1947 not recognized by anyone until 1970. I think the example of the Alexandrian Patriarch in terms of its african jurisdiction is poor. All this occurred during the time of Meletios Metaxakis who used politics to take the greek parishes with him from Athens when becoming EP then uncanonically assuming the Alexandrian throne, he remained in a position of power because of his british friends.