When I walk into an Orthodox Church… one is immediately aware that one has stepped into the presence of what Saint Paul would call the whole family in heaven and earth. You have stepped into the precincts of heaven!
—Thomas Howard
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Lists of paschal greetings are everywhere. Stéphane Bigham has paschal greetings with sound files! You know, just in case you wanted to actually say them, or something. Maybe I’m just weird.
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In the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the Ultramontane party supported the power of the papacy. Their name means, “beyond the mountains,” that is, beyond the Alps in Italy. Ultramontanism ultimately ruled the day, in part because the Conciliarists were prevented from attending the Council of Florence and talking with the Eastern Orthodox bishops.
And this [unity] is something of the utmost importance, and it is something imminent. It is not something where we can wait and say “Oh maybe in my grandchildren’s time there will be Orthodox unity.†I’m talking about June. And, if you think I’m kidding, there is a conference being convened in the Phanar in June to discuss exactly this — (actually, it’s in Cypress) — to subject the Diaspora to the single, singular control, the so-called Diaspora, to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and thereby come into unity.
Well, that’s one model for unity. I would submit if we wanted a Pope we’d be under the real one. And I don’t think any of us want a Pope, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.
Metropolitan Jonah is in Dallas, Texas — the see city of our diocese — to facilitate transition between him as temporary administrator and our former archbishop, his eminence, Dmitri. Last Sunday, he gave a sermon on Orthodox unity in North America to a pan-Orthodox assembly at the cathedral. I was blown away at every moment as I watched.
Check out the video: Pan-Orthodox Sermon by His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah. Watch the video first, because he’s a magnificent homilist, and this is one electrifying. However, if you would rather, there is also a transcript of the homily.
For background you may wish to read the lecture, “Challenges of Orthodoxy in America and the Role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” if you have not already. It was given at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology a few weeks ago by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Dr. Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod (of Constantinople).
Whether it is beyond the mountains or beyond the sea, if it is beyond the local church, it is alien to our tradition.
Note: This post was formerly titled, “Greek Ultramontanism.”
Copyright © 2002–2011 Kevin Robert (Basil) Fritts, all rights reserved.