Savas Strikes Again!

One of the least appealing aspects of the institutional Orthodox Church in America today, is the willingness of some of our bishops to unhesitatingly embrace the Zeitgeist —provided it is leftist.

In this respect, no one beats Savas Zembillas, the GOA Metropolitan of Pittsburgh, to the punch.  (Although Arb Elpidophoros Lambrianides is giving him a run for his money.)

In the past, we’ve taken on Zembillas for his leftist boot-lickery (I’m sorry, I realize that’s harsh, but what else would you call an Orthodox bishop proudly photographing himself at the grave of Karl Marx?)  and why not?  There’s so much to choose from.

As with his admiration for Marx, His Eminence’s understanding of history is so woeful that he has conflated the drive for homosexual “marriage” with the cause of black emancipation during the 50s and 60s.  He also sang the praises of Obama, and Lord knows what else.  What he hasn’t done is use his position as Chairman of the social issues committee of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America (ACOB) to do anything worthwhile.  Indeed, it has been one of the most inactive of ACOB’s committees (and that’s saying a lot.)

It is not for nothing that we hear at Monomakhos some have called him “Savas the Somnolent”.  

Anyway, like many committed leftists, he has no problem “punching down”. As you can see from the Twitter feed, he takes on a certain person who asked him –perhaps snarkily–to be consistent regarding the events of the past year.  You know what I’m talking about:  while you’re condemning the Capitol Hill riots (which were mostly peaceful), where were you when scores of American cities were being burned for the better part of seven months?

Even if we took the worst aspects of what happened at Capitol Hill, the comparison between it and any particular BLM riot are night and day.  At most, we are talking about four people who died in the melee, two of whom had medical issues possibly unrelated to the event.  Certainly this is most regrettable.  But what about the hundreds of people who were wounded, killed or maimed during the mourning period for George Floyd in countless cities?  As for destruction, how many government buildings were torched or destroyed because of all this “mourning”?  

We could go on and on.  The litany of mayhem and destruction that took place this past year is not the point of this essay.  Instead, what we wish to point out is the blatant hypocrisy of Zembillas when it comes to things political.  In his eyes, the Left is angelic while the Right is always wrong.  Even when his eyes tell him otherwise.  

One has to wonder about his pastoral sensitivity (as well as common sense).  Last I looked, Pittsburgh is in Pennsylvania and as we know from the recent election, PA was a swing state.  As such, it’s a safe bet that many Greek-Americans (as well as Orthodox Christians, in general) voted for the President.  Publicly rubbing their faces in it is not going to win you many converts.  In fact, it may be yet another millstone around the neck of the increasingly irrelevant Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

At the very least, it makes it very hard to respect a bishop who always kowtows to the Left.   This wasn’t the first time that Zembillas made a fool of himself .  Sadly, it won’t be the last.

Comments

  1. Michael Bauman says

    But George(sarcasm on) you just do not understand. He is Sava on a Roll A.(sarcasm off) (How is that title for sobriety and adherence to the phronema of the Church.) All the while demonstrating an orientation distinctly different from the genuine Savonarola but seeking vicarious credentials as a leader that goes against the status quo.

    His Grace is an arm chair revolutionary.

    • At least he’s not Sava in a Roller…
      [Brit slang for Rolls-Royce].

      • Michael Bauman says

        Brenden, I actually know that because my wife and I have been watching a bunch of classic British detective shows like New Tricks and Taggart.
        Our favorite word is bollix as in the COVID situation is all bollixed up or is it bollux?
        “Its all a load of bollix mate” as Dennis Waterman said frequently on New Tricks.
        In any case His Grace Bishop Savas is bollix.

        But are you sure he is not Savas in a Roller?

        • “Bollocks!”
          The ‘ix’ or ‘icks’ comes from local accents.

          Anyway, he’s not Savas on a telly, is he?

          • Michael Bauman says

            Brendan, I do not think he is on ths telly. But if St John Chrysostom is right Savas may show up on the road to hell. God forbid.

            • Ahh Michael… I was just making a play on ‘Telly Savalas’;
              a totally irrelevant play which just ocurred to me at the time.

              Sometimes random neurological connections zot around inside my skull. 🙂

  2. The BIG question that no one is asking regarding the Capital Melee, is why did it happen? There’s a ton of condemnation on all sides but no one is asking why? It is like condemning the abused wife for smashing her husband’s car after many times of being abused and finally snapping. We all saw her bruises and heavy makeup and sunglasses on a cloudy day but we pretended nothing was wrong until she broke and we all saw it. I am not making excuses for the ones who took part in the rioting. They are responsible for their own actions. BUT, many of those people had their businesses looted, list their jobs, children out of school, divorces, domestic abuse, substance abuse, lockdowns, all the while seeing the hypocrisy of those who are to be governing them. Add to that the political fighting so that any help is stalled for months, unanswered questions about the elections, media and tech manipulation at every turn, and so much more.

    This is in no way similar to the BLM/Antifa riots that stretched for months. There was no self reflection after those, only more and more violence. What happened at the capital ended in most people admitting it was not going to do anything positive.

    As far as the President’s speach, I listened to it in the context of the March for Life. Millions have marched in their state and national capitals, making their voices heard regarding something they view as unjust and making their voices heard by their legislators. Some came prepared with weapons and even bombs so how could we say that this was due to Trump’s speach?
    I’m not the biggest fan of his, especially his rhetoric, but let’s place the blame where it belongs. Trump bears some responsibility for his bombastic tone but the greater blame lies at the feet of the media, Obama who spied on his campaign, H. Clinton and her party who challenged Trump’s win, Russia probe and those involved, the DNC, BLM/Antifa, Fauci and company, our state officials, our Church who has remained silent, etc. Plenty of blame to go around.

    • Michael Bauman says

      Fr. David, it happened because we as a Church and me personally are no different than the rest of society. I have been saddened that no church and specifically the Orthodox Church has not called for a time of prayer, repentance and fasting during the chaos we are suffering. That chaos begins in my own heart. On my own I am attempting to live a more repentant life but largely failing.
      The divisions we see in the greater culture are reflected in our communities.
      Even on such seemingly bedrock issues as abortion and homosexual marriage. Friendships suffer. The isolation takes its toll.

      I am seriously weak in my faith.

      We have lapsed into what an old friend of mine called ‘churchianity’. Forgetting that the dividing line between Good and Evil is not political ideology–all ideologies partake of evil. The dividing line is in my heart.

      Our good Lord and Master, Jesus Christ is merciful and His mercy endures forever.

      A man I love with all my heart is a Biden supporter. I have decided he is worth more to me than any ideology. Fighting for an ideology is not fighting for Truth. Arguing is not seeking the truth.

      God forgive me a sinner and may His mercy abound in each of our hearts as we turn to Him.

      It is the only way out of the darkness.
      Without Jesus mercy and a practice of repentance any community set up counter the world will fail, and fail massively.

      Repentance is the key to the Christian life. Let us turn back to our first love “for in the course of justice, none of us should see salvation”.

    • George Michalopulos says

      Very well said, Fr.

      “The fire next time.”

    • It was staged, sort of their Reichstag Fire. They had to put down the real insurrection, the challenges to a fraudulent election. The evidence, hearings, investigations had to be suppressed to protect the Elite Establishment who were the power behind the steal. They had to rid themselves of Trump at all costs because in a second term, with a DOJ led by loyalists, he stood poised to destroy the Democratic Establishment for the greatest political scandal ever.

      Trump was a fluke. The Establishment got lazy and didn’t print enough ballots in 2016.

      Before Trump it was rigged, and rigged again it is. There is no republic, hasn’t been in many years, it is an illusion projected by a ruling oligarchy of Establishment Dems and Republicans. Your vote means nothing and the consul is a horse. Now we know for 100% sure. It’s like professional wrestling. Scripted. Rigged.

      I pray for regime change. But as soft totalitarian states go, it’s fairly comfortable here. You can make a good living and enjoy considerable personal liberty.

      Treason never prospers, for when it does, none dare call it treason.

      I will never vote for a politician who denies that a) Trump won, and b) he is innocent of any incitement. Traitors need not apply.

      • George Michalopulos says

        Misha, a small quibble (if I may): it’s going to be a hard time for people to “make a good living”. The main reason is because the pie is getting smaller and there’s too many people wanting a slice of it.

        As far as enjoying “considerable personal liberty” that’s a non-starter as well. Even here those who are “woke” will find themselves being on the receiving end sooner or later. It’s impossible to appease the ever-changing ideals of the Left.

        • Alright, I guess I’m in until the 20th, anyway. Can’t ever seem to get away from this place . . .

          https://www.newsmax.com/politics/biden-trump-ruddy/2021/01/12/id/1005300/

          Biden seems to be appointing moderates, at least according to Newsmax (who should know). The Purge may be short lived.

          Also, did you see that the Italian gov’t is about to collapse?:
          https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/01/14/italian-govt-faces-crisis-resignation-ministers-former-pm/

          Christian Nationalism marches on.

          I’m beginning to doubt that the Democrats will “do their worst”, so to speak. I think they’re exhausted from Trump Derangement Syndrome and looking for some peace and quiet – at least Biden is and some other leading voices. Pelosi is board certified insane, of course. But she won’t be calling the shots much longer.

          This may be just what the Golden Don needs, given the circumstances. Dems go soft, Trump sets up his media thing like Rush. He helps the Reps take the House and probably the Senate in 2022. They tackle election reform to avoid a repeat of 2020. Trump’s then set up for a second run at president, having had 4 years to do post mortems on his first term and line up better staff and appointments (non-swampdwellers).

          And if he wins – he’s got nothing to lose by going full tilt boogie, not being eligible for re-election.

          Either that or run Cruz/Hawley.

      • Michael Bauman says

        Misha, the Constitutional Republic in the US died with Andrew Jackson and his “Liberty and Union, one and inseparable” idea. It is important to understand Jackson’s idea of union was a unitary state, although he never phrased it quite that way. In his letters when he talked about union it was with a mystical fervor. Union would solve all problems. That is why he threatened to send troops into South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis despite the fact that nullification is a Constitutionally mandated remedy under the 10th Amendment.

        As with all such visionaries, the state replaced God.

        Our Civil War was unnecessary. Even Lincoln’s rhetoric about a nation half slave and half free was nonsense. I am sure no one asked the factory workers if they were “free”.

        Chattle Slavery may have been outlawed but industrial peonage was not.

        The Presidents of the late 19th century largely forgettable other than the first truly ‘bought’ Presidential election in our history-Rutherford B Hays taking office over Samuel Tilden. Then came Teddy and Willy. Both expanded the use of “Presidential Power” considerably. Wilson quite possibly the most evil President ever.

        War is the common denominator for expansion of the unitary state. Wars and rumors of wars foreign and domestic will be the constant drum beat under Biden even though the unitary state is almost complete. Shoot even Abbot Tryphon is demanding LAWS to force people to eat right to save the planet. No more steaks and hamburgers for you. No more fast food. Funny, is not Jesus the savior.

        When complete the unitary state will have more power over us than any other state in history. It is NOT a soft tyranny we are facing but a through technologic totalitarianism that we cooperate with.

        Given people like Savas and the Greek God,** martyrdom may not even prick the conscience of the nation although it will save many anyway.

        “Put not your trust in princes…” Psalm 146

        Lord have mercy on us and may he lead us into repentance.

        **I do not honor either of these men as bishops
        Besides Bishops die. Sittis live forever.

  3. Trump is going to pull off the impossible.

    Heads are going to roll.

    It would be a great time to retire so called Bishop Savas.

    Mike

    • Anonymous II says

      Not sure if you’ve seen the unprecedented barricades, road closures, thousands of armed troops descending onto DC sleeping everywhere….and for what? A virtual inauguration?

      It looks like they’re preparing for invasion.

      Of course, they’re sending a message using so much force, but they may also be genuinely scared of something we aren’t aware of right now…

      • Gail Sheppard says

        I’ve wondered the same thing. What are they doing there? There is no inauguration parade. – I don’t think Trump’s done yet. He may be planning something that is going to cause an uproar.

        • I hope so, but my gut feeling tells me that he’s run out of steam. I’m really not sure if he has the testicular fortitude to go through with what it’s going to take.

    • “Trump is going to pull off the impossible. Heads are going to roll.”

      That’s the best scenario, most consider it highly unlikely at this point.

      About two million new Americans have added to the no fly list, 80 million are now considered domestic terrorists by “President-elect” Biden, Hillary Clinton, etc.

      At this point, deals can be struck with BLM/etc.

      Defund the Police in Democratic areas? Sounds great.

      Wealth redistribution and a lifetime of Slavery Reparations from all non-blacks registered, or otherwise identified, as Democrats? Done.

      You want to make an autonomous zone out of that gentrified area full of rich white socialist hypocrites? The private security force, composed mostly of conservaties, are prepared to stand down and walk away at the right moment to allow max capture of illegal colonists of your home territories.

  4. Michael Bauman says

    https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/glory2godforallthings/2021/01/13/into-the-heart-of-the-capitol/

    Mike ain’t gonna happen. Even if does, the world is not changed. The oppression of the world would still be upon us.

  5. We’ve had bad bishops throughout history that have caused great harm to the Church. Look at the Council of Florence for example. Who were the ones that defended the Church against the false union? It was the laity.

    It’s time we laity start to fight, it’s not just the bishops job to defend the Church, it is our job as well.

    Met. Savas more than likely does and says what he wants because he’s never faced serious pushback from the laity (at least I would assume)

    It’s time we start giving our bishops some pushback. They’ve locked us out of our churches, kept us away from the sacraments, all while marching with open Marxists (looking at you Abp. Elpidophoros). When are we the laity going to fight back in any meaningful sense? As in past times in the Church, if our bishops can’t defend us and defend the faith, we should demand their resignation.

    If we put as much time in “saving” the Church as we have been in saving America, think of what we could do. We as laity aren’t just some bystanders when it comes to the Church and defending her, we are called to defend her even more!

    So, what are we going to do? People like the Fordhamites and Met. Savas will only get louder and more bold the more we don’t fight back. Are we called to be meek? Sure. But we are also called to defend the faith with our lives.

    Something to think and pray about.

    • Archpriest Alexander F. C. Webster says

      RE: “We’ve had bad bishops throughout history that have caused great harm to the Church. Look at the Council of Florence for example. Who were the ones that defended the Church against the false union? It was the laity.”

      Let us not forget St. Mark of Ephesos, who, alone among the Orthodox bishops, refused to sign the articles of union (or capitulation, to be sure) at the Council of Florence in AD 1439. When he learned of St. Mark’s unyielding resistance, Pope Eugene IV of Rome, a prudent realist, is reputed to have said, “And so we have accomplished nothing.”

      Sometimes all it takes for the Church to survive intact and uncompromised is one bishop.

      • We need that one bishop right now in America, Father…and we need him now. All I can see is fear. Priests are being suspended for have maskless liturgies. Hierarchs are insulting parishioners for refusing the vaccine. Some clergy support the godless Biden administration. I see very little faith and courage. I have been praying for another St. Mark for a very long time. I suppose we don’t deserve him. I know that God will not abandon us, but I hope I live long enough to see this come to fruition.

      • Indeed, Fr Alexander, we should never forget that.
        It is also worth remembering that while Constantinople (saving St Mark) was in heresy, Russia (rejecting Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev) remained in Orthodoxy.

        • Archpriest Alexander F. C. Webster says

          Right you are, Brendan. As I recall the events, the apostate Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev and Moscow was not only rejected by his flock when he returned to Moscow, but also arrested by Prince Vasily II of Moscow. Isidore escaped and wended his way to Rome and eventually became a Roman Catholic cardinal and “Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals” in the Vatican.

      • Agreed Fr., but, we as the laity also have a job to do, we’re not just passive spectators in the life of the Church. I think that’s forgotten sometimes.

      • Michael Bauman says

        Just one.

      • George Michalopulos says

        Well said, Fr!

        Thanks for that quote from Pope Eugene. I put that right up there with Simon Bolivar’s last words: “I have plowed the ocean”.

  6. Let me get this straight. Karl Marx was an anti-Semite and a racist. He was a brutal God-hating atheist. He could never hold a job and sponged money from any and all family and friends that he could manipulate. He advocated for class warfare and violent revolution. Both his daughters committed suicide. When you see video of speeches given by Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Fidel Castro, etc….Marx’s photo is behind them (right next to Lenin).

    The Metropolitan thinks Trump is a demagogue who leads people astray. But he smiles and poses in front of the grave of Karl Marx while claiming that Marx was largely misunderstood.

    May the Lord have mercy on his soul.

    • George Michalopulos says

      Myst, they say that “politics makes strange bedfellows”. If Herr Hitler and Marshall Stalin could sign a non-aggression pact, then . . . ?

      Wasn’t it Alinsky in his Rule #4 who said “make them follow their own rules”?

      • Molotov-Ribbentrop was realpolitik. Both Hitler and Stalin knew that war was inevitable.

        Savas, however, is a true believer.

        Avoid GOARCH.

    • George Michalopulos says

      Mikhail, you’ve pegged Marx’s CV pretty succinctly.

      Regarding that anti-Semitism thing, it’s rather ironic given his own Jewish ethnicity. In fact, one of the men he sponged off of was a certain Herr Bamberger. Marx called him behind his back “the Jew Bamberger”. As for his son, he called him “the little Jew, Bamberger”. He was so dismissive of Jews as an ethnicity (as well as a religion) yet he was himself the grandson of a rabbi.

      What does this say about his personal malignancy? Only that he was a truly evil man.

      Why then, in God’s holy name, would any Orthodox bishop, priest, layman or altar-boy seek out any reason to visit this vile man’s grave, much less take a picture of himself doing so, and then write the usual enconium to his memory? (You know, “Socialism has never really been tried”, etc.)

      God help us all.

      • Yes, George. I cannot wrap my mind around it.

        Let us also not forget that his son-in-law had some African in his bloodline. He often referred to him in various forms of the “N” word. Marx was vile from head to toe.

        The Metropolitan should truly be ashamed of himself.

        • George Michalopulos says

          Mikhail, also he approved of the US defeating Mexico in the Mexican-American War. His reasoning was that it was better for the Anglos to take that land from Mexicans who in his opinion were “lazy”.

      • Or Marx’s personal psychopathology. Chilling to see how serial killers of persons, communities, societies and souls develop individually. Psych-wise hostile dependency and projection leap from the page of your description as possibilities, although I’ve read nothing about his life previously. Thank you for the new info Mikhail and George.

        • “…how serial killers of persons, communities, societies and souls
          develop individually. Psych-wise hostile dependency and projection…”

          I hear echoes of the life of Wagner and Der Ring Des Nibelungen.

      • anonimus per Scorilo says

        The best way to understand Marx is to read the short book by the pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who spent 14 years in romanian communist prisons. The communists saw him as a traitor (he had been one of them, studied 2 years in the soviet union, before converting to Christianity) and did their best to get rid of him.

        He only survived because the one of the (yet to be canonized) romanian new saints, Valeriu Gafencu gave him his streptomycin dose (Valeriu Gafencu died in his place).

        https://archive.org/details/richard-wurmbrand-marx-and-satan/

        • George Michalopulos says

          In my humble (and flawed opinion) both men are saints.

          Will any of us have the fortitude to meet our Savior in like fashion?

    • Amen, Mikhail. And the percentage of my liberal family, friends, and colleagues who have never heard of Saul Alinsky? 100% thus far. But the sites discussing it are so emotionally colored by the opposition that they will not read it there…If anyone knows of a link to a dispassionate, tempered article on Saul Alinksy outlining his philosophy and influence on specific politicians, please reply with that link. Thank you.

      • Nicole,

        The best, most comprehensive documentary on Saul Alinsky and his devilish impact on the world I have ever seen was produced by EWTN. Roman Catholic though its perspective may be, the implications for all Christians (and the lies many believe) are made crystal clear therein. Is is available for rent or purchase for a nominal fee here:

        https://ondemand.ewtn.com/Home/Series/catalog/video/en/a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing

        • Thank you Brian! I miss EWTN from my RC days…trying to convert my brain to Orthodox mindset which is quite different but value the people and their pro-life pro-icon of Christ mindset. So will happily return there and forward!

          PS Just clicked on and see it is a rent or buy proposition which is fine for me, but I am constantly saddened that the “message” to others we want to get out is often behind a Paywall, rendering it useless with liberal folks…But I’ll be glad to watch…if you find any links to free transcripts or articles, please keep me in mind for my many many liberal contacts/friends/family.

          • Nicole,

            A lot of segments from the complete documentary are available on YouTube for free (at least they are now, LOL). But watching the thing in its entirety is… well, all I can say is it will be worth the nominal price. I have not downloaded it, but maybe you can share it if you buy it – kind of like a DVD. Let me know if that is true.

            • Will do both, thank you Brian.

            • Just bought it after opening an email account with them so can now “demand” it as content when I am on. See no way to download it. I understand why they are doing this for financial reasons, etc., but as with COVID info, think certain things should NOT be behind a paywall since they are physical or culture health measures to ward off life-threatening illnesses of each!

              • Frustrating.

              • Nicole,

                One of my favorite aspects of this documentary, apart from exposing the bracing reality of Alinsky’s unmitigated evil (and the tactics he espoused that continue to this day), is watching how Fr. Mitch Pacwa (a kind and gentle soul who was once deceived by the façade of goodness inherent in Alinsky’s demonic doctrine) came to recognize it for what it is.

                Like you, I also have a great deal of respect for truly faithful Roman Catholics, but the Roman Catholic doctrines on ‘social justice’ (so-called) are the gateway through which many were (are are) terribly deceived. And we have our fair share of such deceived people in Orthodoxy, too, as you know. All the more reason to acquire a truly Orthodox mind where love for neighbor is a reality as opposed to an ideology that enslaves and slowly destroys.

                God bless you.

  7. I really hope he is wrong:

    https://spzh.news/en/news/76979-dumenko-nazval-pomestnyje-cerkvi-gotovyje-priznaty-pcu

    Would explain why Pompeo was in Georgia…

    • Mr. Dumenko also said that the OCU is the largest religious group in Ukraine. He is clearly delusional.

  8. Kathy Felthauser says

    ?

  9. Anonymous II says

    CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Antifa Protester John Sullivan Brags About Posing As Trump Supporter, Breaking Window At US Capitol Building During Riots:

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/01/caught-video-antifa-protester-john-sullivan-brags-posing-trump-supporter-breaking-window-us-capitol-building-riots/

  10. Gail Sheppard says

    So, this is nothing short of horrifying. Lord have mercy. https://www.bitchute.com/video/BjslaRiPUHeX/

    • My late Goddaughter, who was afflicted with cerebral palsy,
      also suffered a sporadic shaking condition similar to this.
      No one ever found out what caused it.

  11. John Pappas says

    Back to Met. Savas:

    His Eminence Met. Savas of Pittsburg is a reflexive Progressive, unthinking, reactive, and completely certain that Progressive morality comports seamlessly with Christian morality. He’s not the sharpest too in the shed but he’s not so dull and dim witted that you ignore him when he speaks.

    Met. Savas is, however, a fearful man which is why you never hear anything substantive from him except when he is bashing a conservative. When that happens you know he is doing it because he can’t help himself.

    People tend to have hope in their Bishops; people look to them for leadership such as the person speaking with Met. Savas in the Facebook screenshot above. How does he respond? With arrogant defensiveness. Again, he can’t help himself.

    When Pat. Bartholomew moves to make union with Rome a reality, rest assured the GOA Metropolitans won’t utter a sound. We already see that type of weak character in Met. Savas. That’s why they were chosen.

    • Right on, John. Metropolitan Isaiah is the only one that I see taking a stand when union with the RC’s occurs. But I’m sure the Archbishop will forcibly retire him before that time.

  12. Anonymous II says