Posted by frstevenjvlahos
on 5/16/2009, 7:26 am
From what I have gathered over 45 years of ministry, unity among Orthodox in America is only acceptable, desirable and possible to the Greek Archdiocese if Orthodox unity is created under the aegis and control of the patriarchate and doesn't diminish the archdiocese foundation and co-ministry to "Hellenism" and Orthodoxy. And of course, the leader of any such unity movement or endeavor must be a Greek selected by the patriarchate. The Greeks don't view the other Orthodox Churches as fully authentic as their own and of course don't understand English, Slavonic or Arabic. Additionally, they fear that unity among Orthodox will displace their ethnic linguistic cultural character and emphasis and somehow over time weaken the "Greek ghetto". Remember that for Greeks the Church and the Greek nation are inseparable. Remember also that the Greek Church focuses most of its attention on Greek food festivals, Greek pastry sales, ethnic dances in village costumes, Greek Independence Day parades, Greek Letters Week observances and other such ethnic ethnic expressions.
Responses:
