Moscow Patriarchate’s Unbridled Expansionism

2/11/2020

I'm exploring church history and the Moscow Patriarchate’s immediate and continued break with territorial jurisdiction according to Orthodox canon law, and not with Moscow’s doctrine and grace. The fact that Orthodox phronema was not adhered to in Moscow’s historical context doesn’t afford the “New World” the ability to continue this deluded ideology. We are at the point where the improper overlapping jurisdictions needs to be resolved, not to whom fault is attributed.

To remedy the current “state of affairs,” we must first set apart the historical anomalies. The standard cannot be uncanonical uncontested ambiguities of prior sins. The standard must be proper in Orthodox praxis and phronema mutual understanding of our two millennia of ecclesiological history.

Current Russian church leadership condescendingly declare, “well no one ever complained” or egotistically pronounce “if not us, no one would have done it,” and other ecclesiological double entendres. The current objective of the present-day Patriarch of Moscow is a neo-Caesaropapist approach of authority. He absurdly exclaims, “wherever there are Russians, there too is the Russian Orthodox Church.” This is neither a mindset concerning jurisdictional anomaly resolution nor is it proper Orthodox ecclesiology.

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The epoch from the 16th to 19th century was the period of unbridled expansion, begun under the Duchy and exploited by the Czars. Muscovy gained considerable territory, established a strong army, navy, modernized the economy, and expanded the church and her bias throughout the new “Russian” Empire and beyond.

I take confidence lacing the realities together in one cohesive quilt of history.

According to Canon Law: “the bishops of every nation may do those things only which concern his own parish and the country places which belong to it’ (Ap. 34). One can participate in the missionary work of a Local Church, only on her invitation.”

And this expansionism is wholly a Moscow Patriarchate innovation.
This is a canon Moscow has clearly disregarded from her inception.

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Author

By the Grace of God Archon Elias Damianakis has ministered in the study of Holy Iconography since 1980. In his biography you can read about Elias' life and on his portfolio page you can see where he has rendered some of his hand painted iconography or visit the photo galleries to see some of his work. There is a complete list of featured articles, awards and testimonials which you can visit, as well as a list of notable achievements here below. Please contact Elias for more information or suggestions for this website, thank you and God Bless.