The title pretty much says it all. In the political sphere we are seeing transnational arrangements crumbling. Think of the European Union. We are also seeing highly centralized national systems undergoing a strain. Think of Spain, Italy or the United Kingdom. Or these United States, where I believe we are very near a breaking point.
This phenomenon of instability is seen as well in the religious sphere. It is my contention that the pederasty scandal which as rocked the Catholic Church to its core arose because of a culture of extreme secrecy which operated at the top echelons
of its power structure, that is to say the Vatican.
Comes now a book by one Frederic Martel, entitled In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy. His thesis is that a cult of secrecy obtained at the highest levels of the Vatican and that the glue which held it together was sodomy. In many ways this is a stunning declaration in that Martel, is openly homosexual himself.
Now this is not to pick on homosexuals (or any other sexual sinners) but merely to point out that highly centralized systems are at base corrupt. This corruption invites a whole host of pathologies to sustain them. Some are merely psychological –think of your typical corporation and their incessant engagement in happy talk–to the physically coercive. Think for example of the Obama Administration which unleashed the IRS on its political enemies.
In the case of religion (in this case the Catholic Church), we are talking about enforced silence —omerta if you will. And the best way to enforce this silence is by “having something on someone”.
If you’d be so kind, I’d like to expand on Martel’s book in the vlog below. However, it’s not a Catholic-bashing enterprise. As you will soon see, I draw some interesting parallels between the cult of secrecy which pervades the Vatican and that which pervades the Phanar. And as will become obvious, the Phanar is likewise a transnational institution with globalist pretensions. And hence, the inevitability of the turmoil which it has unleashed upon Holy Orthodoxy.
Well, that is the mandate of the Tower of Babel, division not only in nations and languages, but also faiths, because GOD doesn’t trust us
George just listened to yr thoughts and largely agree. All bodies past a certain point become unstable.
Thyateira is of course attached to uk Grigorios. A good, honest man, simple in his living but WEAK.No authority .I saw that with my own bereavement experience.
And Sadly the decrepitude of Constantinople affects the whole Church because we are forced to live this fantasy. Like the King’s and queen of england were when crowned, were styled as defender of the faith and King or queen of France.
And the semi attached relationship to Church of Greece of it’s northern dioces. That cannot be right.
By the way I have Greek friend in France married to French girl with family who says Emnanuel is a classic bureaucrat. Well George nothing u did not know .
In short the Church is in major crisis, even if does not know.
It intellectually rests on it’s laurels happily proclaiming we never had a renaissance like that deals with that. Good then.
Seems unable to engage with modern science in relating to belief and seems to think that going on as if we live in a medeval agricultural world will do as long as token nods to ecology. Why the Bishops HAVE NO AUTHORITY WHAT SO EVER. .
In 1920 80 miles outside of Moscow were villages where they believed angels sat in clouds and world was flat and governed by witch craft. Now this was not the fault of the Church but the Church seemed happy with it . Sometimes Russian communism had a point.
Bishops too much seem happy to rule but that sort of approach does not do anything for me or millions of others.
They use this false modestly in addressing each other that just sounds stupid. But hang on to this Fantasy world.
In the mean time here in Bulgaria Sunday church attendence is 4% with hardly anyone taking Communion .Abortion common place.
A bit better in Serbia and Russia but vast numbers of unchurched. In diaspora from what i saw in Uk ,the second generation disappearing mainly from the Church which kept going by Greeks from Greece but greek society now much more secular.so that cannot be replied on. . I could go on and on but will not. And i have no majic wand to wave but if we as a Church could at least honestly say we face a deep crisis of authority and direction and I wonder if we took a snap shot of the beliefs of the believers if we would not get a shock as to basic dogma denial?
Now of course the situation varies from Parish to Parish and there will be centres of energy and faith but much will be as I describe
As regards Rc church. I think George their decline is terminal..
Sorry to sound so dismal but we need to look at the truth
“I draw some interesting parallels between the cult of secrecy which pervades the Vatican and that which pervades the Phanar.”
Well, infamous Meletios Metaxakis was an archmason, secretive by definition. His present successor was educated by the Jesuits in Vatican. No surprise then.
Totally off topic. Michael Stankovich, Haven’t hear from you hear in a very long time. No need to comment on anythong if you don’t wish to. I’d just like to know that you’re okay. Hope you are.
I do not know if any of you know that Cyrillic Lukaris was sainted by Alexandria in 2009.
As far as I was aware he had openly exposed Calvinism. Now i know he studied abroad and at this time many Orthodox made consilitary statements to their particular hosts to engratiate themselves and then repudiated their previous views when home. He was garroted by turks but that was a political and not a religious act.
So re his Sainting I am a little confused and disturbed.
saints are saints, not because they were right, but because they were holy. If people found him worthy to ask for his intersession and found their prayers answered, then let your heart be untroubled. You don’t have to be responsible for determining if someone is or is not a saint, but you may ask for the intersession of any departed whom you knew and believed to be holy, even if others don’t agree with you.
Yes that is true . I have had icon painted with Fr Alexander Men as i believe he is a martyr.
I just wanted to bring a bit of Joy in to things. Today in Veliko Tarnovo,Bulgaria, the Icon with relics of greek new Saint, Ephraim the New were brought to the Cathedral for veneration.
I went to do same and was pleasantly surprised to see long queue of mostly young and that this had been same all day, being a warm spring day. All showed respect and veneration.
Faith is there even when we do not see it at first.
And i read a USA blogs about mega churches and what a church needs. Yes, meet and greet and show interest, children having fun!! Good coffee.
Good music. Etc etc. Yes all true but inwardly I could cry. Whst are they refering to,entertainment or worship.? Belief or fun..
Here at liturgy this morning the three young gypsy lads know the liturgy inside out and love it.
George, you state that you believe that in the US “we are very near a breaking point.” That is a very serious matter and one that could cause us to put aside for a while various speculations about the Phanar or the Vatican.
Let us get it out in the open about where groups stand on this: Those on our political left, backed by most of the other governments of the world, want the US to remain one nation. Sporadic interest in separation comes almost exclusively these days from the political right. So any belief that a separation here is likely is essentially a belief that the political right will get stronger, both here and in other nations.
My own belief is that the future instead belongs to the political left. So I do not see the US breaking up. But what do others on here say about this issue?
John, your observation (as others) deserves consideration. Please give me some time to formulate my thoughts.
Maps of The US and Canada as separate from Jesusland were not created by those on the right. I suspect we also need to get away from a left vs right understanding of politics as this seems outmoded. Many of Trumps base, like Trump himself, would have been considered center-left just one short year ago. No, the dichotomy is globalistic and oligarchic vs nationalist or even localalist. If you pay attention, you will notice that many of Europe’s nationalist, Euroskeptic, and even secessionist parties are not right wing. They are economically liberal but populist, Consider the independence movements in Scotland and Catalonia. They are hardly economically conservative. The same trends are manifesting in the US, though older pundits haven’t seen it yet. The political battle lines have been redrawn. The only way the globalists will win I think, is if they are able to exert their will through corporate monopolies because they seem to be increasingly losing the political discussion. Of course, I make no claims to prophecy and predictions of the future litter the past like shipwrecks along the skeleton coast.
Will–I remember seeing internet maps labeling the customarily Republican states as “Jesusland” in an effort to mock them. They were drawn in the wake of the very narrow George W Bush victory in the 2004 election. The left-wingers distributing them were not showing them to promote formally splitting the country, no, they were just trying to mock us here in the South and the Great Plains.
I should add that perhaps more complex currents go through the politics of some other nations, but here in the US the potentially secessionist population is on the political right.
John Sakelaris, that certainly seems to be the case with Calexit proposals:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/13/california-secession-movement-seeks-red-states-hel/
The referenced article was from six months ago about a possibly kooky Californian who wanted California to secede. You can find individual cranks for almost any cause, but he has no real movement supporting his idea.
Note that his plan was to get legislatures in conservative states to okay the idea of California seceding from the nation. But…six months have gone by and I see no news report of a single state legislature anywhere approving this.
This is why some of the populist movement don’t like Trump since he adopted Republican views on tax cuts. Basically Trump is a 19th century liberal. 19th century liberals had spilt views on tariffs.
I agree with John. I think the future belongs to the political left. But I also believe the political left has become socialist/marxists in its ideology. Therefore, the result will be a possible civil war and the breaking up of the US.
George-
First of all, I really have learned a lot reading your site for the last 6 months. I appreciate your take on most things, and the free-wheeling nature of your readership.
However, I think there is something that is amiss in this post (and the thought behind it). You have accurately described all the parts in this mess, but I’m afraid you have connected them in reverse order.
For example, the thought that ‘power corrupts’ is always used against the idea of large power-wielding entities. As if the men involved have somehow corrupted power. But think- is it not the men that have corrupted power? How can power itself ever be corrupted? Power is a neutral thing, that can be used badly or well. The difference is in those who wield it. Lord Acton (an anti-papal Catholic) used his aphorism to impugn the idea that there can be a head of the whole Church, and that the head could indeed command the body (under strict conditions, however).
As for the idea of secrecy, again, you have stated it inversely. The secret must precede the secrecy. Otherwise, there would be no reason for it. Thus, the homosexulaity is the cult, and the secrecy is the glue that sustains it.
Take a look at the book ‘The Barbarian Bible’ for a better look at things, and maybe you’ll be better able to grasp the patterns that have emerged in (all) centers of corrupted power, led by corrupt men. Our Lord isn’t coming back to restore the purity of power, but of men. Remember, Heaven is a totally centralized institution.
Thanks for listening.
John
Good points indeed John! Lemme expand a little more later. Thank you for your kind words.
Just in case you wondered what Merkel was all about: https://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2019/02/22/neo-nazi-network-in-german-army-update/
I think it’s a little strange that Pompeo, who is known for his extreme anti-environment record, is inviting the EP to speak at a Conference about the Natural Environment.
* * *
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW IS EXPECTED TO VISIT THE U.S. IN JULY
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is expected to visit the U.S. in July. He has been invited by secretary of State Mike Pompeo to speak at a Conference about the Natural Environment.
The National Herald has learned that Patriarch Bartholomew has accepted Pompeo’s invitation. The Patriarch will also make an archpastoral visit to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Bartholomew visited America ten years ago on October of 2009.
https://www.thenationalherald.com/231058/ecumenical-patriarch-bartholomew-is-expected-to-visit-the-us-in-july/
Dear Gail,
The Pappas Post recently reported that “Bartholomew discussed the matter of autocephaly that was recently granted to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and mentioned that the Patriarchate doesn’t get involved in politics”
I do not think that is an accurate assessment relative to reality.
In context:
https://www.pappaspost.com/ecumenical-patriarch-openly-speaks-of-changes-in-american-australian-british-churches/
Indeed.
The Uk archbishop is 90 and has been there since 1988. When Methodios Fouyas was got ride of. Grigorios was popular as a bishop based at Wood Green in North London and a very human simple man.However he seemed unable to deal with the powerful lay people around him but perhaps his tenure will be seen as having held the Church to it’s base.
The Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe voted against the dissolution of the Archdiocese (191 to 15). No decision made regarding the jurisdictional choice.
https://orthodoxie.com/en/the-extraordinary-general-assembly-of-the-archdiocese-refused-the-dissolution/?fbclid=IwAR1hx7FcEd5pvUIdrLtR9oh_3bUwZ6cSXkUdYJy5vL94esvwwM6aqjEL16E
Well, positions are hardening, aren’t they?
Methinks Bartholomew didn’t think this one completely through. Truth be told, he shouldn’t have had to. As a Christian pastor, all one really has to do is pray ceaselessly and trust in the Lord.
He won’t steer you wrong.
Now we’re looking at scenarios that are merely regrettable to horrendous. And all for what? To satisfy the secular powers that be?
Globalism is totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is Gnosticism. Gnosticism is the concentrated hatred of matter/creation – hence the rabid and whining desire to control it completely.
That’s the secret knowledge of the Gnostics – to take the natural ability to complain about everything and make an ‘art form’ of it.