[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

So in the past 6 months there has been a changing of the guard of no less than SIX of the major Patriarchates and Papacies in the world.

The Coptic Pope of Alexandria and all of Egypt, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III passed away, there is a new Pope elevated on the Throne there.

The Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem passed away, and there is a new Patriarch there elevated on the the Throne there.

The Bulgarian Patriarch passed away and there is a new Patriarch elevated on the Throne there.

The Byzantine Patriarch of Syria and Antioch passed away, and there is a new Patriarch there.

The Patriarch of Ethiopia passed away, and there is a new Patriarch there.

And today, there is even going to be a new Pope in the Vatican in Rome.

2012/2013 is a weird year. Its a Brave New World

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

By the way, in case you want to be an asshole and diss the legacies of these Fathers, you should know they were not petty religious tyrants like Martin Luther assailed accusations against them. Rather, the Patriarchs are civic leaders, community organizers, and advocates for the down-trodden, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Those who suffer from violence, war, and injustice are constantly defended by these Holy Fathers. They are not lords, they are servants of the poor. Perhaps less in the Vatican, but then again, remember that the Roman Catholic Church is the worlds' single LARGEST source of charity, hospital care, and education, particularly across the developing world in countries as far removed and diverse as Angola to Vietnam. Pope Shenouda III was a significant factor in the peace-processes in the Middle East, he was a staunch supporter of unity between Christians and Muslims in a violently divided region. The Bulgarian Patriarch worked tireless to quell political factions that were residues of the Cold War and ethnic separatism (like that which peaked in the Balkans wars). The Armenian Patriarch was a source of cultural pride and unity for all Armenians scattered in exile across the Middle East and across the world, helping heal a century's old wound. The Patriarch of Ethiopia helped keep together a nation of 80,000,000 people who were in the recovery of a 30 year old civil war and a genocidal Communist junta. Abune Paulos helped to bridge the gaps in an ethnically divided Ethiopia to keep the nation together progressively as a whole, rather then succumbing to mass splintering and centrifugal destruction. Again, it is a Brave New World, let us hope and pray that the next men to be elevated upon the Thrones of the Apostles can carry forward such a redeeming legacy..

[tesla69]

Interesting. Probably can answer better when we see who the Bishops elect as the next Pope. My money is on that it will be another man.

[Rob Instigator]

I find it odd that the shit news media does not cover such things.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

I find it odd that the shit news media does not cover such things.

I was thinking the same thing. Of course, keep in mind that the Orthodox Christian world is essentially a foreign dimension to the Western cultures. The Orthodox is thoroughly "Old World" and yet navigates the modern world flawlessly without becoming an inherent anachronism. This is why Orthodox Church leaders have insistently been social activists, political heroes, and generally helpful to their respective societies. It was the Greek Byzantines who staunchly resisted the Nazis, whereas the Vatican acquiesed with a tail between their legs.

This is why the Bulgarian Patriachate in the after-math of the Fall of the Soviet Union worked tirelessly to prevent the entirety of the Balkans to descend into the anarchy and chaos of the Bosnian civil wars. The Balkans were literally a few tragic incidents away to erupting into a Caucasian (literally ) Rwanda.

Pope Shenouda III sat on the Throne of Saint Mark (the most ancient continuous Christian government in the world, an unbroken chain extended literally to the 1st century!!) in the chaos of the Israeli wars and societal revolutions in the Middle East. Rather than follow the 19th century Christian ethos of defensive war against the Muslims, Pope Shenouda III sided with Arabs and Muslims AGAINST Israel's war crime mentality and approach. Pope Shenouda III during the 1970s famously forbid Coptic Christians from pilgrimage to Jerusalem saying that, "Until Muslim and Christian brothers and sisters can walk peacefully hand in hand together in Jerusalem, then NO Christians should be allowed to go there." That was truly RADICAL. His Holiness spend FOUR decades mediating, negotiating, and supporting the integration of Christians and Muslims in Egypt and across the Holy Lands (including Armenians in Turkey, Syrians in Damascus, Christians in Lebanon, and even the Catholics in Iraq), equally advocating for Muslims mutually along with Christians, he was not inherently partial or biased. The Syrian Patriarch also was intergrally a part of this history, even though there is an ancient political division and "schism" between Byzantine (Greek/Russian Orthodox) and Oriental (Egyptian, Armenian, Syrian, Ethiopian, and Indian) for the greater good of the region and society as a whole.

From Jerusalem, the Armenian Patriarch was the gravitating center of the scattered Armenian diaspora, providing a sense of cultural and historical unity while also tangibly assisting in mediation and intervention for various Armenian communities across the Middle East, Europe, and the World.

Even the post-Vatican II Papacy worked towards a sense of international development, evolving a very significant and inspirational doctrine of Social Justice (Catholics walked hand in hand with striking California farm laborers as well as the struggles in the South during the Civil Rights movement). There are a BILLION Catholics in the world, in many tumultuous regions, and the Vatican while controversial to be sure, has also paradoxically been a force for good in many places. Again, the Catholic Church today, while marred by tragic child abuse and political corruption, has remained consistently the worlds largest source of charity, of healthcare, and of education. As a Christian, I value my faith, but I BECAME a Christian particularly because of how active the Church is in the world.

A lot better then these assholes if ya ask me

http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress....0&h=480&crop=1