Fascinating and well argued paper here on the importance of primacy.
The target is the Orthodox churches which both do not have a primacy (in the sense of one patriarch to rule them all) and do not see the need for one. The author sees the need for one ...
Excellent line at the end of the paper ...
For Anglicans this paper may draw our swimming togs out of our wardrobes and see us diving into the Tiber ... or cherishing the value of the Archbishop of Canterbury!
Actually, given that we are seeing certain questions about the primacy being exercised by Francis (e.g. re divorce) and by Justin (e.g. re Bishop Bell) - "What do we do when we think the Primate is wrong?" - the eccentric primacy of ACANZP may be worth looking at.
We have three primates exercising a joint primacy (one for each of our Three Tikanga). This means primatial statements are statements on which all three agree. Thus much less room for oddities, even heresies with the ACANZP approach.
Now three Persons needing to agree on something ... where have I heard about that model before?
A Greek archimandrite under the omophorion of Constantinople might well feel that Constantinople, indisputably the senior See, should speak for the Orthodox faithful.
ReplyDeleteBut Constantinople despite its seniority is small in terms of the Dioceses it administers and the Faithful who are members of its churches compared to other Orthodox jurisdictions - In the 21st century Moscow despite its lower seniority and where it lies in seniority of ranking in unclear, has more dioceses and more members attending its churches by many orders of magnitude.
This politics is all tied up in the sad history of the 20th century and events in the immediate aftermath of WW1
But those of Orthodox persuasion who submitted to the Pope in the sixteenth century in the aftermath of the sad history of that century are called Uniates and after 500 years Uniates have not help heal the divisions of the Eastern and Western Church, rather helped exacerbate them.
The next Patriarch of Constaninople will probably be an American Bishop who has taken up Turkish citizenship to qualify and will be seen to be a tool of the CIA, justly or unjustly and using the Church to try and expand American and Latin influence into historically Orthodox lands.
It is no accident that Joe Biden, a nominal Catholic had a big role to play in inflicting the current miseries on Ukraine, the birthplace of Russian civilization nor the Handpicked by the Americans President of Ukraine was a Greek Catholic. Nor is it an accident that the Orthodox in Ukraine have been given a non canonical Church which the Patriarch of Constantinople is being pressured, so far unsuccessfully, to recognize and bring under his omophorion - as was done in Finland and Latvia in the immediate aftermath of WW1
It is all messy
“We should remember that in Christian theology the principle of unity is always a person.”
ReplyDeleteThat is indeed a good line Peter; but its foil is the supposed impersonality of councils and the conciliar movement generally. The Latin West has had its own taste of that, towards the end of the Middle Ages (i.e. pre Reformation). But that is too simple a statement: see again Ephraim Radner’s “Wheels Within Wheels: The Promise and Scandal of Anglican Conciliarism” - Inaugural Lectures at Wycliffe College, Toronto, SEAD Conference, October 9 & 10, 2007. Here he details its history and theology (Part 1) and then how it might apply to the AC (Part 2).
As for your reference to our lot: please! Last time I heard something similar it was via a sermon of the now Abp PR. And it took every nerve in my body not to jump up, shouting “b*** ***t!” [I trust you are being tongue-in-cheek ...]
Meanwhile, thanks Andrei; it is very messy indeed - on the ground. And it’s about to get even messier here among ACANZ&P. I think John Panteleimon Manoussakis’ word was “consistency” ...
" Who can speak on behalf of the Orthodox Church? Who is entitled to do so? Orthodox faithful today become familiar with a phenomenon that takes alarming dimensions, namely, the rise of a movement within the Orthodox Church consisting of zealots who see themselves as the rightful “guardians of Orthodoxy,” over and against the Church’s institutionalized authority."
ReplyDeleteWhere have I heard this sort of language before?
GAFCON, perhaps? Or even FOCANZ? God preserve us from self-proclaimed 'orthodoxy'. As Jesus said: There is One Alone who is Good (True, Orthodox).
One is reminded of the Pauline statement: "Here, we see through a glass, darkly; then we shall see Him, Face to face".
ReplyDeleteHi Peter,
One thing this present issue in the ACANZP has taught me is how dangerous it is to allow anyone to stand between me and Christ; "can you ask Him/ He says", in a game of Chinese whispers. There have as many errant Popes as there have been notable ones.
" Who can speak on behalf of the Orthodox Church? Who is entitled to do so? Orthodox faithful today become familiar with a phenomenon that takes alarming dimensions, namely, the rise of a movement within the Orthodox Church consisting of zealots who see themselves as the rightful “guardians of Orthodoxy,” over and against the Church’s institutionalized authority."
ReplyDeleteDear Fr Ron and others - the Church is not headed by the Pope in Rome, nor the Archbishop of Canterbury in Lambeth Palace, nor even the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople...
No - it is headed by Our Lord Jesus Christ!
And a mere glance at the history of the Papacy reveals that some thoroughly disreputable characters have held that role
And while roman collar wearing Lesbians preaching the virtues of abortion may pass themselves off as part of the "Church’s institutionalized authority" they are not and can and are safely ignored by the Faithful
And while many of the "Church’s institutionalized authority" have served Christ and his Church well through the ages many who are not on the rungs of that particular hierarchical ladder have served the Church just as well or even better.
The Faith has been preserved by the Faithful living their life in the Faith as best they can through the ages
And good Bishops and Clergy have helped them do this while bad ones have lead many to perdition.
That this is would occur and is so is illuminated in Scripture itself
Thank you, Andrei. The truth you speak - about the felicity/infelicity of Church Leadership - has ever been obvious to all except the blind who 'will not see' - of whatever ilk.
ReplyDeleteYou are right when you say that Christ, alone, is Head of His Church. There is no other authority under heaven - not even among the purification brigade. This is why we need to meet up with Christ in the Eucharist that he gave us for this purpose. Then, and only then, have we access to the Spirit who "will lead you into ALL the Truth". When members of the Fellowship refuse to join one another around the Eucharistic Table, there is no koinonia.