Sunday, April 27, 2008

Greek Orthodox Church in Crisis

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy Land Theofilos III--(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Secretive real estate deals, hostility to priests, fist fights over Christ's tomb, a power struggle between patriarchs - one of the oldest churches in the Holy Land is struggling to get through a moral and financial crisis, its leader says.--SARAH EL DEEB
Adherents were embarrassed to say they were Orthodox? According to Dimitri Diliani, a church member they were! (see here)

The Orthodox Easter Week, which ends today, was overshadowed again by intra-denominational fighting. On Palm Sunday, Armenian and Greek Orthodox worshippers exchanged blows over rights of worship at Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the site where tradition says Jesus was entombed and resurrected.

Also Greek Orthodox patriarch, Irineos I has been ousted and demoted to monk behind what is being referred to as a secret real estate deal that favored Israel in the eastern part of Jerusalem.

Allegedly the patriarch leased two church-owned hotels in traditionally Arab east Jerusalem to groups trying to expand a Jewish presence there. The deal enraged his predominantly Palestinian flock, because Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Theofilos III succeeded Irineos I after Irineos’ ouster in 2005. But not until last December was he formally recognized by the three governments in the Holy Land - Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. This Easter was the first in which he has led the rites unchallenged.

Theofilos oversees an ever decreasing congregation as Christianity is ever diminishing in the East being replaced by Islam. A fact that continues to leave the Orthodox Church in crisis.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:21 AM

    That was a good attempt to rile me, Alaphiah. Take care that you do not exhaust the Good Will I once had for you.

    Because the Islamic Government of Turkey insists upon their "Right" to foist their choice of Ecumunical Patriarch upon Eastern Othodox Christianity, a process of corruption that was started in 1453, it is not surprising that eventually a Patriarch would behave so.

    The Patriarch of Constantinople Theofilos III is the de jure head of the Orthodox Church, whearas the Patriarch of Moscow Alexi II is the de facto head of the Orthodox Church. The Turks are at the bottom of this one, sowing dissent among the Faithful. Although they have been found out, their arrogance about thinking that they got away with it will ultimately bring them down.

    There is nothing to this problem that the Liberation of the Holy City of Constantinople would not solve.

    I had a nice Easter Sunday. What was surprising was the fact that two First Ladys jointly sent Greetings to certain Churches for this occasion.

    The Greek Easter Bread was GOOOODDDD!!!!!!!!

    MD

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  2. Anonymous1:18 PM

    Just remember that WE DEFROCK OUR BAD BOYS, which the defrocking of the last Patriarch of Jerusalem in absentiaIrineos I demonstrates.

    The United Church of Christ does not have any of the Moral Courage that we did when it comes to the Moral Imperative of defrocking the "Reverend" Jerimiah Wright.

    Can we also say the same about the Catholocs about Borgia or Theophylact Popes?

    Do not tempt me further, else I resume using certain nicknames that a certain blogger dislikes, such as Sugarphiah or SugarPIEyah or worse, that I have previously promised to stop using.

    MD

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