By Andreas Loudaros*
If the people behind the strategy of the Russian Orthodox Church had been able to read the minutes of the last meeting of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece on Ukrainian autocephaly issue or if they had at least read the latest reports on the subject, they would have understood that their strategy was at least disastrous.
In recent days many articles in major Russian TV, print and online media have been trying to convince (frankly I don’t know who they try to convince) that during the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy in Athens there was some sort of “mechanism” that imposed the recognition decision implying that the real will of the Holy Synod was not in line with the decision.
At the same time, disregarding the fact that the Hierarchy consists of 80 hierarchs, they insist on promoting 2-3 hierarchs who still reject the basic principle of majority by reiterating that ten Metropolitans disagreed.
Neither special knowledge nor mental acuity are needed to understand that there is a concerted effort to destabilise the Church of Greece and to foreground its Hierarchy as a body trying to live with a decision that has been made under pressure.
But if, as I noted from the beginning, they had had at least a real insight of what really happened, they would have had a completely different strategy, if we can consider today’s manipulation as “strategy.”
The image of the Hierarchy during the extraordinary meeting was that of the lid of the pressure cooker blowing off.
This tension was caused by unbearable and constant pressure on its members to decide in favour of something they themselves do not believe in. When we refer to pressures, we mean inconsistent pressure exerted by Russia. That pressure led the vast majority of Hierarchs to speak openly about an unacceptable and unprecedented attempt to alter their will.
The image of the Hierarchy during the extraordinary meeting was that of the lid of the pressure cooker blowing off.
Indeed! Almost daily, there were reports on US money, US pressure, bribery and blackmail that led to the autocephaly decision by the Church of Greece. Photographs of the Archbishop of Athens and the Ecumenical Patriarch with US officials to show were published to demonstrate how the Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate were subjugated to US interests.
They want us to believe their theory. Those people announced their synodical decision to the tourist agencies in order to punish us by reversing the flow of pilgrims. The same people are trying to blackmail the Metropolitans again and again by saying to them, no less, “If you do not violate the decision of the Hierarchy, you will have to face my opposition.”
Regarding the “a la carte” break of communion, I think the theologians from all over the world cannot believe their ears. Communion will be severed for those who uphold the decision of their Hierarchy whereas communion will remain for those who challenge that decision.
This is what they are trying to do since they failed to exert pressure on the Holy Synod as a whole. They are trying to exert pressure on each of the Metropolitans.
It is the same tactic they followed when they called on their oligarchs not to put money into Athonite monasteries but the Russian ones.
Simply put, we should not miss the big picture. Those Metropolitans who oppose the decision of the Hierarchy of which they are members will remain in communion, they will have plenty of tourists and donations. They will be given whatever they long for. The other Metropolitans… will be lost in the abyss.
Those who supposedly defend the Holy Canons, however, often foreground money as a mode of persuasion, don’t you think?
It is very sad to see someone, who you considered friend and brother until recently, in the first disagreement threatened you and tried to break up your home… for information and compliance.
All we can do is hope that Russia some time will see the reality and understand that in this way all they will gain is vast loneliness accompanied by the few venal or subjugated friends. But they’re not friends, are they?
*The article was originally published in Greek by orthodoxia.info