On June 11, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece will celebrate the feast of Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul. Immediately afterwards, the Council of Hierarchs of the Church of Greece may be convened to discuss the recognition of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine, established by the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the beginning of this year.
The new Church was created in collaboration with former Ukrainian President Poroshenko and the existence of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, headed by Metropolitan Onufriy, was ignored. This led to a breakdown in ties between Constantinople and Moscow and pushed the Orthodox world towards a possible historical schism. None of the local Churches have yet decided to recognize the new Church. The Patriarch is now putting pressure on the Archbishop of Athens to convince him to recognize the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine, which is currently witnessing a bitter conflict between its primate, Metropolitan Epiphanius, and the Honorary Patriarch of Kiev Filaret , both in a struggle for power.
To save his political project in Ukraine, Patriarch Bartholomew is ready to sacrifice the reputation of the Church of Greece and its relations with other local Churches. If Athens decides to obey, the next step will be to have the Church of Greece recognize the schism of the Church of FYROM.
According to available information on negotiations between the non-canonical hierarchies of Skopje and Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew is forced by external political groups to finally recognize the non-canonical hierarchy of FYROM. First of all, this goal is pursued by those who want FYROM to join NATO. But what is the benefit for the Greek people and for Greece?
Recognition of non-canonical organizations in Ukraine and FYROM is important for NATO expansion and growth of American influence in Europe. However, a division between Greeks, Orthodox Ukrainians and Russians is not what they want. Recognition of the non-canonical Church of FYROM constitutes a major blow to Greek interests and could pave the way for a schism with the Church of Serbia. The first step towards recognition is to hold divine services in the so-called “Macedonian dialect”. Archbishop Ieronymos understands this well.
When Archbishop Ieronymos seeks compromise in relations between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, some say that, unlike his predecessor, he lacks firmness. But here is a document which shows it: the archbishop is unshakeable in the face of questions important to the Church and the Nation.
Letter No. 1308 from Archbishop Ieronymos, dated March 28, 2018 and addressed to Patriarch Bartholomew, was written to comment on the request of the “Macedonian-speaking” communities of northern Greece to His All-Holiness so that they are authorized to celebrate divine services in the so-called “Macedonian language”. On behalf of the Holy Synod, the Archbishop expresses his concern and objection to this request being met. Ieronymos calls a spade, a spade: the “Macedonian language” is a “new Slavic Bulgarian-Serbian dialect – a false construct designed to serve dubious political ambitions and goals.” He warns the Ecumenical Patriarch against the consequences of a “reckless decision” on this issue and suggests that it be studied jointly.
The letter would have been sent with a article by the director of the Personal Secretariat of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, the theologian Ioannis Tsouras πισκόπου Αθηνών και πάσης Ελλάδος), which had already been published on the Internet. Tsouras accurately and conclusively dispels a myth about the “Macedonians” and their language and demonstrates the detrimental effects of the Prespa Agreement for the Greeks.
The Orthodox world can only hope that there are enough Greek hierarchs as rational and courageous as Archbishop Ieronymos to prevent the Church of Greece from getting involved in dangerous political games.
