MosPat Clericalism

https://t.co/eZrlGzKjzd

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) July 5, 2021

Updated.

🚨 We have written an important response to the misleading news that the Russian Orthodox Church has apparently "made vaccinations mandatory". This is not true. Please read and share both here on Twitter and on other platforms. https://t.co/XpUPSuTLyw pic.twitter.com/nG3mlTNrhF

— Byzantium News Agency (@Orthosphere) July 5, 2021

Filling a Vaccuum Left by Latins

16th-century Catholic church in Granada transferred to use of Russian Orthodox Churchhttps://t.co/YdQSimzkbH

The Orthodox community in Granada has existed since 2015, initially supported by a priest of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. After Constantinople’s invasion of Uk... pic.twitter.com/RDhURPhmrS

— Orthodox Christianity (@Orthodoxy2019) January 27, 2021

The 16th Century Catholic Church in Granada Officially Transferred to the Russian Orthodox Parish | The transfer ceremony of the church was held on January 23, 2021. https://t.co/5gRmxDaLIg pic.twitter.com/V5xffKu9O9

— Pravmir.com (@Pravmir_English) January 27, 2021

A Polemic Against Constantinople

It's not 100% unjustified, but the jockeying for power (which the MP does as well) is scandalous to non-believers.

Constantinople's Century of Domination over the Modern Church https://t.co/MHBubEJia3 pic.twitter.com/NLvgyq8iKo

— Russian Faith (@Russian_Faith) August 27, 2020

Looking for Content to Publish?

I wish that were the ostensible reason for Public Orthodoxy publishing this piece:

The Russian Orthodox Church and Coronavirus by Regina Elsner
Rethinking the Question of “Relevance to the System”

If they wanted to criticize the Patriarchate of Moscow for its handling of COVID-19, couldn't they have gotten one of their own to do it? Instead, they publish an essay written by someone who appears to be Latin, though she is identified as a "Catholic theologian." Why? For the appearance of getting a "neutral" observer to make some observations? Did they observe the protocol set forth in the New Testament, of issuing a fraternal correction privately first? One might say that a lay(wo)man is not a peer of the patriarch of Moscow and could not get a private audience with him. Then why not just write a letter? Why publish something for the world to see? The patriarch of Moscow himself might not be offended, but if a member of the patriarchate were to read this and be offended, could we blame him? And if this contributed to the poisoning of relations with Roman Catholics because of this one Catholic theologian? What then? I think it can be safely said that the exercise of fraternal charity may require the observance of protocol.

Even if one jurisdiction disagreed with another in their handling of the COVID-19, especially decisions to keep churches open and the like, this should have been done privately and fraternally. If there are no clear laws being broken, how can one judge the prudence of another in a public forum? Ah, but they broke the law of charity by putting people at risk of getting infected! Maybe they did; I certainly don't have all of the facts of the matter, nor do I know what sort of conditions were set by the ROC authorities on participation in liturgies. Were they negligent? Again, these concerns should have been expressed through fraternal communication, not by a website/organization that is not an official organ of GOARCH or the patriarchate of Constantinople, but being led by theologians.

This bickering between jurisdictions is petty and scandalous. Regardless of whether an actual schism exists or not, the schismatic spirit is to be avoided.

Fordham University: Orthodox Christian Studies Center