Mount Athos, The Holy Mountain: The Orthodox Vatican (from the Slavonic Epic, nr 17)
Alfons Maria Mucha
1926
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Vladimir Legoida, head of the MP Synodal Information Department (SINFO), expanded on what came about at the meeting of the First Hierarchs and representatives of the Local Churches held last week at the HQ of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Phanar in Istanbul. The main purpose of the meeting was to prepare for an all-Orthodox Sobor. Legoida related that the Church reached consensus on convening a Sobor in spring 2016, saying, “The MP delegation, headed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill Gundayev, played a crucial role in this. The meeting decided to increase preparations for holding a Sobor. This autumn, a special commission composed of one bishop and one advisor from each autocephalous Local Church will begin work. By the spring of next year, the commission will pave the way for the opening of an all-Orthodox Pre-Sobor Conference. It’ll agree upon the final issues to be addressed and be the final step towards an all-Orthodox Sobor”.
“One should note that the First Hierarchs and representatives of the Local Churches unequivocally supported the MP’s position that we should reach all decisions at any future all-Orthodox Sobor by consensus only. This means that if a decision lacks the support of even one Local Church, the Sobor won’t accept it; all decisions must have unanimity to be valid. This is according to ancient Church tradition, this characterises and distinguishes catholicity from recent parliamentary democracy, where decision-making is through the principle of majority. What’s more, this Sobor is important as a living example of how to restore inter-Orthodox communication, long complicated by various factors”. Answering a question whether the upcoming Sobor is an Ecumenical Council, Legoida explained, “Some call the upcoming Sobor a Holy and Great Council; some call it an all-Orthodox Sobor. It’s not correct nor acceptable to call it an Ecumenical Council. The last Ecumenical Council was in Nicaea in 787, and there’s been no more Ecumenical Councils since then. After the schism of 1054, the Latins continued to hold councils, which they called ‘ecumenical’. However, the Church doesn’t recognise them. We expect that the future all-Orthodox Sobor in 2016 would include the First Hierarchs and representatives of all recognised autocephalous Orthodox Local Churches“.
12 March 2014
Patriarchia.ru
MP official website
http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/3603789.html
Editor’s Note:
I left “Sobor” in the original Russian for a reason. Firstly, all Russian Orthodox in the diaspora know what a “sobor” is… it’s a meeting held to thrash out matters of Church governance, not doctrinal issues. That’s true of this meeting, as well. There’s MUCH less to it than what EP and papist sources are trumpeting in various fora and media. GIVE HEED TO THE SECTIONS IN BOLDFACE. Read them with care… there be plenty of fresh and steaming cowpats in that there field. When one adds to that Balashov’s recent comment on the number of autocephalous Churches, one can realise that this Sobor is far from a done deal.
One last thing, Antioch and Czechia/Slovakia weren’t at the late meeting… y’know, we need CONSENSUS for ANYTHING to fly… can you catch my drift?
BMD
Voices from Russia 
13 March 20014. Some TRUTH about Uniatism in the Crimea… An Antidote to Recent Papist/Langley Propaganda
Tags: Catholic Church, Christian, Christianity, Crimea, Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church, Fidel Castro, Galician Uniate, Kiev, Moscow Patriarchate, National Catholic Reporter, Novorossiya, Orthodox, Orthodoxy, political commentary, politics, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Russia, Russian, Russian history, Russian Orthodox Church, Second Polish Republic, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Uniate, Uniates, Union of Brest, United States, USA, USSR
Give Uniate lies the old “one-two”… don’t let their bald-faced fibs and distortions go unchallenged!
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Recently, there was an egregiously false article in the National Catholic Reporter. It was utter bullshit from top to bottom. However, you need FACTS to counter Uniate lies in public (and this one was a WHOPPER, kids). Firstly, there’s no major Uniate concentration in the Crimea, never has been, never will be. Why? Uniates are mostly concentrated in lands that were under the political control of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Habsburgs, and the Second Polish Republic. The Crimea was NEVER under such rule. It’s part of Novorossiya, which the Empire conquered in the 18th century from the Ottomans. That is, Uniates are found were Catholics conquered Orthodox lands. As that was NEVER true of the Crimea, there are no native Uniates there. NONE. It NEVER fell under the purview of the notorious Union of Brest. Furthermore, Uniatism in the Empire was only tolerated in lands of the Polish Partitions, and only until 1830. That is, no Uniatism existed in the Crimea before 1991… all the present miniscule congregations are Galician carpetbaggers. Uniates are NOT 20 percent of the Crimea’s population… they’re not even ONE PERCENT, kids.
Not to put too fine a face on it, the Uniates and Langley are telling colossal whoppers, knowing that they’re talking to ignorant audiences who don’t know enough to counter their lies. This is why all Orthodox have to break ALL contact with ALL Uniate institutions and break off ALL “dialogue”. They’re thrusting a knife into the back of the Mother Church… we shouldn’t help them by schmoozing with them.
It’s serious… it’s a matter of life and death for our coreligionists in the motherland… stand up! Don’t let the papist lies pass without opposition. Don’t hate… don’t take it out on rank n’ filers… but do oppose them with all your talents. It’s put up or shut up time, kids…