In other news, dog bites man!
i would like to see a pan orthodox response on the uockp...
"In other news, dog bites man!"
It does get old, doesn't it? The MP really doesn't have any choice but to keep repeating this stuff, though, until the situation changes...
I still say that the primary job of the EP should be to evangelize and convert the people living in his own traditional jurisdictional boundaries. Granted, it would mean that he would have to leave Constantinople and go into exile to do it, but it would show that he is as serious about his own people as the other Patriarchates are about theirs.
Alexandria is evangelizing sub-Saharan Africa, Antioch is working to bring the Melkites et al back into the Orthodox fold, the MP and the other Eastern Europe patriarchates are tending to the spiritual recovery and re-evangelization of their people, (we won't comment on Jerusalem...) JPII was very serious in his efforts to restore Christian belief and practice in Italy and Western Europe -- and I would imagine that BXVI will be, if anything, more aggressive in this regard.
Constantinople's emphasis on retaining control of a few city blocks in Istanbul and on developing a role as the Pope of the East seems to be a glaring exception to my admittedly prejudiced eyes.
Maybe the MP could take a more positive approach and announce that they are going to assist Constantinople in tending to the conversion of Turkey -- would that help? :-)
Just my thoughts -- of course its easy for me to make these recommendations from the safety of the American heartland...