Author: Dean Calvert
May 12, 2010
This article is sourced from www.
Orthodoxdetroit.com
Hi, many of you know that I’ve been asking the question about Chambesy for a while, “Why Now?”
ART. 5
BEFORE THE EPISCOPAL ASSEMBLY– UNITY OF ORTHODOX IN NA
26-28 MAY 2010 NEW YORK
INAINTE DE ADUNAREA EPISCOPALA – UNIREA ORTODOCSILOR DIN NA
Let’s face it, this Pan Orthodox commission had been in deep freeze since the mid 1990’s…suddenly a year and a half ago…there’s a Synaxis of patriarchs in Istanbul, followed by strangely recent “concern” for the Diaspora. Presto, the parties meet in Chambesy, and there are suddenly Pan Orthodox Episcopal Assemblies scheduled for the entire Orthodox world, presumably to be followed by the convening of a Great and Holy Council. Call me a cynic, but I’m not convinced that this is being driven by a sudden interest in the spiritual well being of the Diaspora.Coincidentally, a little too coincidentally if you ask me, the new Russian patriarch is “making the rounds”, visiting the Old World patriarchates in order of precedence. At the same time, Russia is resurgent – it’s economy fueled by skyrocketing natural resource prices (Russia is a huge producer of oil, gas, and precious metals including gold among other things). Trade is exploding with Turkey and Russia is now Turkey’s second largest trading partner (after Germany). Just today, a new pipeline accord was signed between Russia and Turkey which could make Turkey the real energy hub of Europe.
And … the Russian President was in Syria yesterday, visiting the Partiarch of Antioch among other things. BTW – Antioch is the next stop for the Russian patriarch, having just concluded a visit to Alexandria a few weeks ago. By the way, during that visit to Alexandria, an accord was signed which setup some sort of working arrangement between Moscow and Alexandria, which would allow Moscow to minister to Russians living in Africa.
OK – so here’s my theory – cynical as it may be. Constantinople has surveyed the situation, and has come to the conclusion that Turkish relations with Russia are suddenly much more important than those with the US. The usefulness of the EP as an “abrasive” to Russia (from the point of view of the US) is at an end.
The EP sees a resurgent Russia, who will soon be setting up dioceses in Turkey itself (Pat. Kyrill announced he was asking the Turkish PM for parishes during the last visit), as a threat to it’s existence, let alone it’s eastern papal aspirations. So, you are the EP – you are being increasingly “boxed in” by a combination of an antagonistic Turkish state, and now the Moscow patriarchate’s hegemonistic aspirations… what do you do? If it’s me, perhaps I try to cause the MP trouble by removing places from it’s authority…Estonia, Ukraine etc. That seemed to be first. Then, if those don’t work, I reach out to the one source of authority which is unquestionably the realm of the ecumenical patriarchate – Pan Orthodox relations – and “gin up” some serious activity there.
Longshot? Perhaps. But who knows, maybe I generate enough goodwill in the Diaspora to have them help me; maybe people get tired of Russian hegemony; or maybe this is just a prelude to a transfer of the ecumenical patriarchate itself.
Crazy? If I had told you two years ago we’d be having Episcopal Assemblies led by the EP – you would have locked me in a rubber room. Just curious what y’all think.