I am not going to belabor this excessively since it has been addressed by Owen the Ochlophobist. However it appears that some really serious problems are cropping up in the small Finnish Orthodox Church. The most serious is what appears to be an openly pro-homosexualist cadre of clergy, some of whom are very close to Archbishop Leo (the primate), that is pushing all kinds of liberal heresy. As Owen's post makes clear, the Russian Church is taking official note of this and does not appear disposed to ignore the efforts of some to create an Orthodox equivalent to the Epsicopal Church.
I hope that the world's other Orthodox churches will send messages of support to the Russian Synod and Patriarch Alexei in this matter while also urging Archbishop Leo to firmly address the very serious problems that appear to be threatening the church given to his care. It would be nice if the Ecumenical Patriarch (who seems always to be looking for reasons to intrude into the canonical territory of other Orthodox churches), would lend his support to this as well. For the canonical Primus Inter Pares this would seem to be the kind of situation that the Fathers had in mind for the exercise of a true Orthodox primacy.
I encourage all to read Owen's post linked above. Also check out the comments there for some links to other related reports.
Being a Disciple of Christ
5 hours ago
16 comments:
Oddly enough, Finland is an autonomous church whose primate is confirmed by Constantinople, not Moscow. And, even odder, Moscow has been planting parishes on Finnish Orthodox territory (without the CoF's permission), citing the presence of ethnic Russians.
I have little faith in the MP's good faith in this matter. :/ This is actually more in the EP's provenance.
The Orthodox liturgy includes a ceremony for same sex marriage. Basil I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, was married in Constantinople to a man in an Orthodox ceremony.
John
Anonymous,
If your going to make bizarre claims I hope you won't mind my asking for a source?
ICXC
John
Sounds like the anonymous John got his info from John Boswell's Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. I haven't read the book, but reviewers charge that Boswell distorted the evidence of actually existing "brother-making" ceremonies, so I'm not sure it would be worth the bother. Of course, there's also the unanimous condemnation of homosexual acts among Eastern and Western Christians until the 20th century...
Oops--Anthony beat me to the punch!
Professor John Boswell, formerly chair of the history department at Yale University, has written a well documented book on the issue, Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. Professors at Yale University have well deserved reputations for excellent research. His works are well worth reading. I am not a professional historian. My doctorate is in psychology.
John
Boswell's work has been thoroughly discredited. For one such example, check out this article from the Nov. 1994 issue of First Things.
Of course, Professor Boswell's work has not been "thoroughly discredited". I read the article referenced above by the Roman Catholic writer. It was quite filled with emotional outrage. I suggest that one actually read Professor Boswell's books.
John
If that's emotional outrage, then I'm a possum! Anyway, engagement with facts and evidence is always what's best, which is what that article does in spades.
I'll admit to not having read Boswell's book (I have a lot of other books to read), but if the guy somehow thinks that a "Roman Catholic theocracy" (!) was generated in 4th century Constantinople, I'm not sure it's hardly even worth checking out. I'm pretty sure I'd come to pretty negative conclusions about it if I did (no doubt due to my "emotional outrage").
There are real Christian historians from Yale to read, like Jaroslav Pelikan.
I also have not read Prof. Boswell's book. However a cursory check online produced no shortage of sharply negative reviews from highly reputable sources. I think this comes under the heading of revisionist history. It is one thing to question previously held assumptions based on new evidence. It is quite another to pervert certain historical records to support a predetermined conclusion while ignoring whole boatloads of facts which are irreconcilable with the aforementioned conclusions.
I have found no really positive reviews from credible sources which are not supportive of the gay agenda. That alone casts serious doubt on the value of the work as something other than cheap propaganda.
In ICXC
John
This homosexualist agenda is clearly NOT the Tradition once handed down from the Apostles. This is a tradition straight from the pits of hell.
Fr. Patrick Viscuso knows whereof he speaks when it comes to the canons. I'll take his as another voice in favor of "thoroughly discredited."
Jeremiah,
Thanks for that link. It adds weight to the already rather overwhelmingly negative reviews of Prof. Boswell's work.
ICXC
John
The Moscow Patriarchy has had parishes in Finland since 1927 when the Finnish church adopted the New Calendar and switched the day of Easter to match that of Western Christians. Before the Russian Revolution complicated things, Finland's Orthodox Church was under Moscow. My own family has belonged to the MP churches in Finland since 1920s. Be careful with Finnish sources - many are Russophobic.
Not russophobic-but against Russian
imperialism.And many times MP support this Russian political stance
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