To all who have come under the heavy hand of the Tyrant, and Heretic, Phillip Saliba of the Antiochian Diocese., especially Bishop Mark, and Father David Moretti.
First: Watch this come to pass to the Tyrant Saliba:
"Let his days be few and let another take his office."
Second: Lest you think your ministry is over because you are separated from this Bishop: I offer the same exhortation and proclamation that Saint Maximus the Confessor did to Theodosius, Bishop of Caesarea in Bithynia. It is as relevant today as it was then. Only the names have changed,
“Let these offenses, introduced by Ecumenical Patriarchs Sergius, Pyrrhus and Paul into the Church, be removed; let those who have introduced them be deposed; and then the path to salvation will be cleared of all barriers, and you will walk on the smooth path of the Gospel, cleansed of all heresy! When I see the Church of Constantinople as she was formerly, then I will enter into communion with her without any exhortation on the part of men. But while there are heretical temptations in her, and while heretics are her bishops, no word or deed will convince me ever to enter into communion with her.”
See: Why We Left, Where We Went
Do Orthodox Have Dirty Laundry?
May the Lord have mercy on this man and all who have been spiritually and otherwise damaged by his unholy antics.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to bring out the Inquisition next?
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of judgmentalism these days in you, and not the joy I used to see on your blog.
As one approaching Holy Orthodoxy (a former Anglican bishop), it deeply saddens me to see even some in the hierarchy departing from the Faith and hurting so many others along the way.
ReplyDeleteGerman,
ReplyDeleteKeep drawing near to Christ and His Church. We need men of faith who can SEE.
Pray for me...
Anon, Your comment seems curiously like this one that I received recently:
ReplyDelete"I have noticed a change in your spirit in the last few months. More Old Testament than New Testament. More defensive AND more judgmental. Whats up?"
The answer I gave is for you as well:
"Anon, Yes I am troubled in my spirit, but the word "judgment" is often used too readily to suggest we should never speak to errant issues. We are commanded to judge what is right and true. The only judgment we are forbidden is that which extends to the character of another and elevates ourselves above them."
Also, The Inquisition was a Roman Catholic thing. I am Orthodox. In any case, to use your illustration: Phillip Saliba would be the Pope of the Inquisition. I would be one of the many voices crying for justice in the face of a tyrannical leader...Yeah, not much joy surrounding this issue.
I would suggest you read a few more of the JTO posts to see that I often cover difficult and less than joyous topics. So did Christ. So did the Apostles. So has the whole church for 2000 years.
Living the Christian life is not a constant "tiptoe through the tulips." But make no mistake: The joy of the Lord is my strength!