www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Letter of Metropolitan Paul to the Exarch of Greek Catholics

TO THE APOSTOLIC EXARCH OF THE
HELLENIC-RITE CATHOLICS OF GREECE

Voula, the 4th November 2008

Protocol No. 1562

To
The Apostolic Exarch
Of the Hellenic-Rite Catholics of Greece
Mr. Demetrios Salahas

Dear Sir,

«Rejoice always in the Lord»!

A few days ago I was informed of the content of your homily, during your ordination-enthronement as Bishop of the Hellenic-Rite Catholics of Greece. It is with this occasion that I am writing my personal thoughts, with the outspokenness of an Orthodox Bishop of the Church in Greece; one who was born in Hermoupolis of Syros Island, and raised and residing in his native island up until the completion of the Secondary Education cycle in the renowned High School of Syros.

Your homily, quite extensive, was addressed to the flock “of a small in number ecclesiastic community of faithful, in Athens and in Yannitsa”. These faithful, according to your address, are “fully united with the Church of Rome”, albeit “belonging to the Eastern Byzantine tradition”. And you continue, stressing that “this double ecclesiastic identity of theirs – as Catholics and Easterners – being in full communion with the Apostolic Seat of Old Rome and its Primate the Bishop of Rome, and simultaneously remaining loyal to the sacred Patristic traditions, the theological treasures and the divine Worship of the Christian East, enriches that very Catholic Church of Greece - which historically belongs almost in its entirety to the western Latin tradition - and it constitutes an expression of the “co-inheritance”, the communion and the unity within the bosom of the Catholic Church itself.”

This spirit, which infused many more paragraphs of your speech, was further embellished by the position that “our vision and our mindset is a unifying one and not a ‘Uniate’ one”, and was accompanied by your entreaty: “Do not consider me a Uniate, but a unifying hierarch”, additionally condemning “categorically every act of proselytism, from wherever it may originate”.

Because of your above positions, kindly allow me to ask you a few questions - which spring from my own experiences of living many years in Syros, as well as a familiarity with the manner of coexistence between Orthodox and Roman Catholics – which questions of course express my own, personal concerns:

Are you aware to what degree the mode of operation of your Ecclesiastic Community causes confusion amongst the faithful of the Orthodox Church, in the multitudinous urban communities of those two cities, and especially in the densely populated Athens suburb of Patisia, on Acharnon Street, where many Orthodox approach, not knowing the true Ecclesiological and Theological background that lurks beneath the Orthodox appearance?

Why do your clergy need to wear the canonical attire of the Orthodox Tradition, erect Temples in the Byzantine style, perform the Sacred services according to the Rubric of the Orthodox Eastern Church, use mostly the Liturgical Books published by the “Apostoliki Diakonia” [=Apostolic Ministry] organization of the Church of Greece ? Isn’t that what Unia is about? Aren’t you a Uniate Bishop ? What exactly does “unifying hierarch” mean?

What is the need for a Uniate to be present in the Theological Dialogues between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Confession? Is that how the Union will prosper? Would it perhaps be a gesture of good will on behalf of the Pope – for the progress of the Theological Dialogues – to no longer appoint a Uniate Bishop-Apostolic Exarch of the Hellenic-Rite Catholics of Greece? Why such a persistence for Unia by the Pope?

Are you able to reckon how many comprise the “small number of members” of the Community of Hellenic-Rite Catholics of Greece and justify for what reason there is a need to elect and instate a Uniate Bishop in Greece?

If your Community is indeed small in number – even with the recent, artificially increased groups of faithful – why can’t they be poemantically served by the clergy of the Roman Catholic Confession of Greece? Why can’t these people be ministered by Roman Catholic Bishops, who are evidently and manifestly connected to the Vatican; whose attire is according to the Latin tradition – just like those who attend your ordinations (as apparent in related photographs) – so that the members of your Community might come to know Jesus Christ in that manner?

Furthermore, whenever I recall the excellent hospitalization of my ever-memorable mother twenty years ago in the “Pammakaristos” Hospital, that memory is always tainted by the question posed at the time by the Orthodox-looking (but Latin in dogma) Hospital minister: “Would you like me to minister Holy Communion?” Despite the fact that my mother’s theological preparation and awareness gave him the appropriate response: “No thank you; I have a son who is a clergyman and he will make sure that I receive Communion in an Orthodox manner”, we do wonder if you continue with this same tactic, in the sensitive realm of pain and consolation… What, indeed, do you do, in other Hospitals?

What, I wonder, were the motive and the objective behind the performing of a “Trisagion” service during the funeral in Rome of the recently deceased Pope, by Orthodox-attired Uniate clergymen, Bishops and presbyters, according to the Orthodox Rite, and in the Greek language?

The above facts give the impression - to a multitude of intelligent and prudent people - that they comprise actions of proselytism and attempts to seize the souls of Orthodox Christians with underhanded means.

It is our wish that the aforementioned do not reflect reality. That is why it is our hope that your sincerely written intentions are indeed sincere and do not hide any deception, thus offending Christ’s “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”.

With prayers in the Lord,

The least among Bishops.
THE METROPOLITAN

† PAUL OF GLYFADA

< deep sigh >

Dear Friends,

A sobering letter containing sobering comments!

Indeed, it should give us all pause to consider the extent to which Eastern Catholics here are likewise seen by the Orthodox to engage in a form of proselytism through e.g. "Orthodox in communion with Rome" and the like.

For the Orthodox, to be in communion with Rome is to cease being Orthodox. It is to be outside of Orthodoxy, excommunicated in fact from it.

Moreover, since Orthodox faith is always one with Orthodox praxis, the more "Eastern" we as Eastern Catholics become MAY have the effect of us appearing, to some or many Orthodox, to be even more involved in proselytism than the EC's who are Latinized.

In addition, the fact remains that Greece does not have a tradition of Eastern Catholicism the same way that the Ukrainian community does (where Eastern Catholicism is a sociological fact). Thus, having "Hellenic-rite Catholics" here and there that appear to be identical to the Orthodox can truly be a source of dismay and tension since the Orthodox faithful may feel confused and/or feel compelled to investigate the Hellenic Catholics more closely.

This is compounded when the national Orthodox Church of a country is so integrally linked with the national cultural identity so as to be indistinguishable.

But the Orthodox Bishop writes from a well-travelled vantage point which even Rome has tended to agree with in its ecumenical talks with Orthodoxy.

My own personal view is that IF Rome is serious about the "Sister Churches" view of Orthodoxy (i.e. that the Orthodox Church is part of the True Church etc.) and if Rome is sincere about its general rejection of "uniatism" as an historical form of ecclesial union and as a potential future form of union, then really the only satisfactory "settlement" would be for Rome to simply annul the entire "Orthodox in communion with Rome" enterprise and allow the EC's to return to their Mother Orthodox Churches.

If we are truly an ecumenical problem, and I don't know to what extent we are, then why can't we simply be "Orthodox" and let the ecclesial divide resolve itself in due course?

Alex

Father Deacon Lance does not tell us where he obtained Metropolitan Paul's letter - but there is no doubt that such points are made on a daily basis by representatives and hierarchs of the Church of Greece. I could recount a number of disedifying incidents which I have witnessed.

To respond to at least some of this scurrilous letter:

"Mr. Demetrios Salahas"? "Dear Sir"? His Grace Bishop Demetrios is not a secular person and is not properly addressed with either of these forms, as Metropolitan Paul knows perfectly well.

"Bishop of the Hellenic-Rite Catholics of Greece"? This is a nonsensical title, and the Church does not know of any "Hellenic Rite". His Grace Bishop Demetrios is Bishop of the Hellenic Catholics of the Byzantine tradition in Greece.

Syros Island is about 50% Catholic, so Metropolitan Paul may be presumed to know better, and at the very least to know how to ascertain these things - it's not difficult.

I have not, alas, yet had an opportunity to read Bishop Demetrios's address on the auspicious occasion of his cheirotonia and enthronement. But with joy and congratulations I am happy to wish him "Eis polla eti, Despota"! We have known one another for nearly forty years.

Since there is no agreement as to the meaning of the term "Uniate", using this term serves no useful purpose.


No, and I doubt that such a thing is accurately stated here. The Church of Greece makes so much noise about our two (2) parishes in Greece that anyone who reads the newspapers could hardly be unaware that these are parishes in communion with Rome, not with the Church of Greece. I am more familiar with the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Athens than I am with Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Iannitsa, so I am able to state plainly that within a couple of blocks of Holy Trinity there are no less than three churches belonging to the Church of Greece, and I do not doubt that the Orthodox who live in proximity to Holy Trinity have been "warned" incessantly that Holy Trinity is not in communion with the Church of Greece. Moreover, those who have eyes to see could tell the difference immediately: as soon as one walks in the front door of the Church one notes that Katholiki is available to everyone at the candle desk.


a) ? - Because that is the canonical attire of our proper tradition.

b) ? What are we supposed to build? Pagodas? Hindu temples? In any event, the question is irrelevant: we have built no church at all in Greece since Holy Trinity Cathedral was built in Athens more than fifty years ago - and it required a fifteen-year court case to obtain the building permit.

c) ? Thank you for the compliment; we do our best. If we served the divine services in some sort of travesty, Metropolitan Paul would no doubt be among the first to point the finger of accusation at us.

d) We need to use mostly those editions, because Rome has stopped printing liturgical books which are available from Orthodox publishing houses. Apostoliki Diakonia publishes good books; why should we not use them? ZOE makes lovely recordings of Byzantine music; does Metropolitan Paul wish to forbid us to listen to them?

Well, if Metropolitan Paul can offer us a definition of "Unia" that the Orthodox are agreed on, perhaps one can respond to this question. But in the absence of such a definition, the most one can say is that patronizing this or that publishing house is a poor criterion for determining anyone's religious connection. Does Metropolitan Paul not know that, for example, our 4-volume Anthologion published in Rome has been out of print for decades, because it sold so well in Greece? Does he think that everyone who purchased a copy is therefore a "Uniate"?

What is the need which Metropolitan Paul evidently feels to exclude the "Uniate" from the Theological Dialogues? Is he afraid that the "Uniate" might know too much? Or does he wish to forbid me to ask such a question?

Further, why does he refer to "the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Confession"? Does he deny - as appears to be the case - the ecclesiastical reality of the Catholic Church?

Does Metropolitan Paul think that the Pope has the right to decapitate a Church? Does Metropolitan Paul not know that the ancient Patristic teaching is ubi episcopus, ibi ecclesia?

Since His Grace Bishop Demetrios is presumably not telepathic, Metropolitan Paul has addressed his letter to the wrong person. If he wants to, he is at liberty to write to the Pope and ask His Holiness that question. Or he might write to the Nuncio in Athens and ask him.

Ignoring the inaccurate title, the number of faithful of the Exarchate was about 2,500 at the time of the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. But now the migration of significant numbers of Greek-Catholics from Eastern Europe and the Middle East has significantly increased that figure.



The faithful know perfectly well that a Church needs a Bishop. This does not depend on the number of faithful - Metropolitan Paul might have a look at the Metropolitans attached to the Ecumenical Throne and ask just how many Orthodox Christian faithful remain in these dioceses.



Because "these people" are not Roman Catholics.

... Excuse me? did the Exarchate take out advertisements or offer economic inducements to the Greek-Catholics of Eastern Europe and/or the Middle East to move to Greece and increase the number of faithful in the Exarchate? And has Metropolitan Paul copies to offer of these advertisements?

It is well that Metropolitan Paul saw to it that his mother received Holy Communion; thank God. PASOK nationalized the Pammakaristos Hospital, and that is the only hospital in Greece connected to the Exarchate. It has a full-time chaplain who would naturally ask the sick if they desire his ministrations. Anyone who asks for an Orthodox priest can be provided with one - there is a functioning Greek Orthodox Church in walking distance.



This is indeed the custom at the funeral of a Pope of Rome, and has been for some time. The objective was to pray for the eternal repose of Pope John Paul II; the motive was to assure the Greek-Catholics that we are fully recognized on such an occasion. The Greek language is the original language of this service; would Metropolitan Paul have been happier if our hierarchs and clergy had served in Church-Slavonic?

A public worship service conducted by Catholics praying for the repose of the Pope of Rome constitutes proselytism? From what to what? The presumed logic of this appears impenetrable.

Metropolitan Paul has gone to the greatest possible length, not only to indicate his outrage that our Exarchate in Greece exists, but to do so in the greatest offensiveness. It is not for me to judge him. But perhaps I may ask a question of my own:

Metropolitan Paul assumes that there is an "Orthodox Rite". How, then, does he understand the phenomenon of Western Rite Orthodoxy?

Fr. Serge

Why would Bishop Dimitri not be invited to the inter-Church dialogue? Is he not a scholar of both Oriental and Latin Canon Law? Who better to ask to join the dialogue??

Michael,

The Metropolitan's question to the contrary, historically, there have been relatively few Eastern or Oriental Catholic hierarchs invited to participate in the higher level inter-Church dialogues involving the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, although that has changed somewhat in recent years. The thinking, it would seem, was that Orthodox antipathy toward the EC/OC made their presence more of a stumbling block than an advantage.

Many years,

Neil

Being from the Church of Greece, he will not recognise Western Rite Orthodoxy as canonical.

So is he in communion with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East, or not?

Fr. Serge

Alex because it is a persons right to be an Orthodox in Communion with Rome pure and simple.
Stephanos I

Bless Father,
Very well countered point by point. Thank you.
Stephanos I

I am so sorry to read this Metropolitan's letter displaying an old fashioned mentality of Greek paranoia and nationalism.

I beg forgiveness for this, because it saddens me as one who is both Greek by heritage and American by birth.

It is rude, ignorant, and senselessly passionate.

As one who is quite familiar with modern Greece, and most intimately with the area of his diocese, he should be more concerned and passionate with the spiritual condition of his flock.

Kyrie Eleison!

Alice

Father bless!

Yes, he is in communion with the Antiochian Patriarch, but somehow, much of Orthodoxy is not in agreement with the Western Rite... except for Antioch and ROCOR/Moscow (I think).

Perhaps one might say that Metropolitan Paul of Glyfada is in nearly perfect communion" with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the Russian Orthodox Church?

Fr. Serge

ALICE:

Christ is in our midst!! He is and always will be!!

You need make no apology. As we all have learned as we have shared on this forum, we all have brethren in the Faith who are less than charitable--to be charitable. I liken it to family. If each of us delves into our family tree, we all have an "Uncle Igor" or "Aunt Hilda" that we don't speak of because he or she is an embarrassment in public and probably makes family gatherings less than pleasant. We pray for them, we love them, we tolerate them, and often shed a tear or two because of them. The Lord gives them to us for a couple reasons. First, IMHO, it's to make us aware of human fraility and weakness--a good reminder to look closely at ourselves for the beam in the eye as we hope to take it out of our relative. Second, it's to stretch our own charity toward others. If we've got someone we trot out only a couple times a year and hope they stay far away the rest of the time, it helps to support a friend who vents about one of his: misery loves company--"Well, it's a common problem; let me tell you about . . ."

When you apply this to the Church, let's take a good look around. We Catholics have the crazies running aorund in drag in San Francisco pretending to be nuns but with the exact opposite orientation--not poverty, not obedience, and certainly not chastity. The Russians have those who have written icons to Vladimir Putin and Rasputin. The Anglicans have a gay bishop tearing apart the unity of their Communion and many other things that have noe group or another upset. So the Greeks have some people who have wrapped the Faith together with nationalism and being anti- some other group.

We can all shed a tear together because we've all got that oddball relative-by-Baptism. Then we can rejoice that we have reached across each of our own boundaries to meet people like we have here--people who dare to love, support, and encourage others who are not on the same page but are struggling to understand each other through the eyes of the other. We may not always agree, but we still struggle to love, support, and encourage because we leave it in the Lord's able Hands to sort it all out.

In Christ,

BOB

Dear Bob,

Beautifully said!

Many blessings,
Alice