Orthodoxy Archives

The large Orthodox Council, an unprecedented meeting since a millennium supposed to seal the unity of Orthodox Christian churches around the world, opened on Sunday in Crete, but weakened by several absences, including that of the booming Russian Patriarch Kirill.

Sunday, the day of the Orthodox Pentecost kick the council was given by a “divine liturgy” (Mass) celebrated town in Heraklion, the capital of the island, ten primates, including the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantinople Bartholomew, who has an honorary primacy of his peers. Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos attended the Mass, broadcast live by state television ERT.

Prepared for over fifty years, and without precedent since the historic 1054 schism between Rome and Constantinople, the great Council aims to strengthen the Orthodox ranks. But the family picture remains incomplete, and the work that must continue until June 27 in Chania (northwest of Crete) will be marked by four absences.

Besides Patriarch Kirill with the Russian Church weighs demographically for half the Orthodox communion with nearly 130 million members, will also be absent Primates of Antioch, Bulgaria, and Georgia. The blow is hard for the instigators of appointment, chief among them Patriarch Bartholomew, whose influence is challenged for years by the Russian Church.

Absentee expressed at the last moment, citing essentially procedural issues, despite the green light they had first given to holding the appointment. “The unity of Orthodoxy is good for us all. These are the missing who will lose, “said Nikos Kotzias, the Foreign Minister of Greece, where Orthodoxy is qualified by the formation of” dominant religion “.

Pope Francis, in his prayer on Sunday afternoon on the Place Saint-Pierre, prayed for the great Orthodox council. “Let us join our Orthodox brethren, invoking the Holy Spirit to assist with his gifts patriarchs, archbishops and bishops assembled in council,” he said before reciting a crowd with a ” Hail Mary “in Italian. “This great and holy council will carry the message of unity,” said for his part Patriarch Bartholomew from Crete, quoted by the media.

Estimated at about 250 million followers, the “Orthodox communion” consists of 14 autocephalous churches, shaken by the upheavals in the former Soviet bloc and the Middle East, and frequently plagued by national and political strife.

The participants, hundreds of bishops and advisers must validate six documents rather consensual supposed to update the Orthodox witness, make it audible and managing relations with the rest of the Christian world. A “final message” must also be issued after the work.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016,
Stéphane © armenews.com

By Catherine Tsounis,

I was walking on Second Avenue by NYU Langone hospital and saw a banner of “100: The Armenian Genocide.” I did not realize until later that I was in front of the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral at 630th and 2nd Avenue, and it was then I remembered the unique contribution to Eastern Orthodoxy and Hellenism the Armenian nation played.

Few persons know that they carried a lantern of light in the Byzantine Empire throughout its history.

The Byzantine Empire was multi-cultural. Nations and races were united under the Greek language, civilization and Orthodox faith. “Due to centuries of foreign domination, much of Armenian history has been neglected,” according to People of F ar. “As such, much of the influence Armenians had on the Byzantine empire has been swept under the rug by the Ottomans and later the Soviets. Nevertheless, the contributions of Armenian people to the Byzantine empire has been more than significant”.

St. Vartan Cathedral, NYC

As the historian P. Charanis said, “the important role played in the history of Byzantium by that talented minority, the Armenians, has been generally unrecognized”. Even though Armenia was only in part a vessel of Byzantium, many Armenians became successful in the Byzantine Empire. From bishops, architects, important military figures and even Emperors, Armenians were represented in all walks of Byzantine life. In fact one out of five Byzantine emperors and empresses were ethnically full or in part Armenian.”

The best example of this is Emperor Heraclius, whose father was Armenian and mother Cappadocian. Emperor Heraclius began the Heraclean dynasty (610-717 A.D.).The Akathistos Hymn sung during Orthodox Lent commemorates his victory and saving of Constantinople with the help of Our Lady, Virgin Mary.

Basil, “The Bulgar slayer” became one of the strongest Byzantine emperors, winning territory in the Balkans, Mesopotamia, Armenia and Georgia. He was noted for his victory (1014) and increased his domestic authority by attacking the landed interests of the military aristocracy and of the church.

The Armenian military power, to some scholars, was the basis of the stability and longevity of Byzantium. A strong army was needed, Armenia was the source, from the 5th century forward, the Armenians were regarded as the main constituent of the Byzantine army.

In the article, “Armenia, Byzantium, and the Byzantine Armenians”, “another example of the impact of Armenians within the Byzantine Empire is the Great Church known as Hagia Sophia. There was a devastating earthquake on October 25, A.D. 989, which ruined the great dome of Hagia Sophia. After the disaster, the Byzantine emperor Basil II, asked for the Armenian architect Trdat (or Tiridates), creator of the great churches of Ani and Agine, to repair the dome.

The magnitude of the destruction in the church caused reconstruction to last six years. The church was re-opened on May  13, 994. The magnificent reconstructed dome designed by Trdat in the tenth century remains aloft the “Great Church” to this day.”

We must not only remember the 100 year genocide, but the unique contribution of Armenians as carriers of the Greek language, civilization and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Source: greekreporter.com

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