Constantinople denounces “Third Rome” theory

According to the Athens newspaper To Vima of 8 July 2004, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew responded to the “3rd Rome” theory of the Patriarch of Moscow (which had been brought up for discussion during the 8th International Assemblage of the Russian Orthodox Church) by calling it “… foolish, hubristic, and blasphemous,” because “… it resounds with [...]

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The Witness of Tertullian the Montanist

[Tertullian] brought into the Church a brilliant legal mind and a gripping mastery of both Latin and Greek penmanship when in his mid-thirties, around 195, he asked for baptism and became a priest shortly afterwards. Twenty years later he was exalting the role of prophecy. In doing so he not only slighted any and all [...]

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Rome, the Church of all times

Dear Brothers and Sisters! Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. And through today’s liturgy we relive the birth of the Church as it is narrated by Luke in the book of the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-13). Fifty days after Easter, the Holy Spirit descended upon the community of disciples — “persevering with [...]

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“Blog-level ecumenism”

From Per Christum. Something which, I hope, this blog is contributing to in some small way.

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Four theories on the rise of the Papacy (3)

Part I Part II The identification of this influence entails the adoption of the fourth and last theory as the only adequate explanation of the papal power. All the facts which have been discussed in the course of this brief study are adequately explained by attributing to Christ the origin of the peculiar status of [...]

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New blog: “Sacred Traditions”

Father Patrick, an Orthodox monk from New Zealand and a commenter on this blog, has a new blog: “Sacred Traditions: Reflections on Apostolic Tradition”. See especially his posts on ecclesiology for a balanced, learned Orthodox take on many of the issues discussed here.

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Moving toward unity is already a form of unity

It is important that Christians not be closed off among themselves, but open, and precisely in relations with the Orthodox I see how personal relationships are fundamental. We are to a great extent united in all the fundamental matters of doctrine, but it seems very difficult to make progress through doctrine. But drawing nearer to [...]

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Russia’s conversion does not require leaving Orthodox faith

Moscow, May. 14, 2007 (CWNews.com) – Russia’s leading Catholic prelate urged cooperation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, and decried aggressive proselytism, in public remarks on May 14, the Interfax news service reports. At a conference in Moscow marking the 90th anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s appearances at Fatima, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said that it [...]

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Four theories on the rise of the Papacy (2)

See Part I here. The theory of the Pope’s deriving influence from being in the imperial capital is, in fact, no more able to explain the papal authority than the previous charge of usurpation. The third theory, that of evolution, is the one which has the greatest intrinsic merits, and, at the present time, the [...]

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Four theories on the rise of the Papacy (1)

The pontificate of St. Leo the Great is a convenient point at which to halt an investigation of the history of the early popes. From St. Leo to the present the papacy has changed so little that an inquirer whose experience was confined to the modern popes would have no difficulty in seeing that Leo [...]

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