Posted on 08/05/2003 6:20:49 PM PDT by Destro
News
Charles makes mystery visit to Orthodox church priest
Jul 31 2003
Exclusive by Eryl Crump, Gareth Hughes, Gareth Bicknell and Steve Bagnall, Daily Post
PRINCE Charles made a private visit to a Greek Orthodox priest in North Wales yesterday.
After a busy day with four stop-offs in North Wales, he spent about an hour chatting to Father Deiniol at the Church of Holy Protector in Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Neither would comment on what was said during their meeting.
A spokesman for Prince Charles said the visit was private and declined to comment further.
Father Deiniol, whose church has existed in the terraced house on Manod Road for more than 20 years, also said their discussions were private. The Prince is not believed to have visited the house before.
His Royal Sikorski S76 helicopter, which whisked him between engagements yesterday, landed in a farmer's field around three miles from the slate town, and the Prince travelled to the church by car with his bodyguards.
Father Deiniol told the Daily Post: "The Prince of Wales has many links with the Orthodox Church and sometimes visits such a church if there is one in the area."
He added he had met Prince Charles on several occasions.
Neighbours were unaware of Prince Charles' visit. Children from the Penygwndwn council estate played football outside the house as the heir to the throne chatted.
Just a few police No Waiting signs gave an indication something unusual was going on.
Sharon Jones, who works at Father Deiniol's charity shop, said: "I saw the signs and I thought there was a funeral.
"Father Deiniol gave us no inkling that he was expecting Prince Charles to call by."
Marian Thomas said: "By visiting today he has put Blaenau on the map. It's good to see him visit ordinary people and places."
(Excerpt) Read more at icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk ...
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921; the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece. His paternal family is of Danish descent - Prince Andrew was the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. His mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Prince Louis became a naturalised British subject in 1868, joined the Royal Navy and rose to become an Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord in 1914. During the First World War he changed the family name to Mountbatten and was created Marquess of Milford Haven. Prince Philip adopted the family name of Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British subject and renounced his Royal title in 1947. Prince Louis married one of Queen Victoria's granddaughters. Thus, The Queen and Prince Philip both have Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother. They are also related through his father's side. His paternal grandfather, King George I of Greece, was Queen Alexandra's brother.
From The Times of India (sorry link no longer working)
I think I remember him running around in African Garb a few years ago trying to "find" himself.
This guy is narcissistic (i.e.major liberal) flake.
As many problems as America has, at least we're not saddled with this lot.
The English Church was out of communion with the Roman Patriarchate from 1052, and thus was not anathematized by Patriarch Michael in 1054. The Norman army invaded England with a 'blessing' to reduce the English Church to Papal rule.
There is moreover circumstantial evidence to suggest that the filioque was not used in the English Church until the Norman conquest, which is strenghthened by the indisuptable fact that most Saxons fleeing the Norman invasion settled in Orthodox lands, many going to Constantinople, some, including King Harold's daughter, to Kiev (she married Prince Vladimir Monomach!)
Of course the post said "of his fathers": Prince Charles' father is Greek, and was raised Orthodox, converting to Anglicanism only to marry into the British Royal House.
Incidentally, Orthodoxy long present in England in minority immigrant communities has been revived in Britain by conversions among those of Celtic, Saxon and Norman ancestry. Orthodoxy is now the largest religious grouping in Walsingham, the site of the principal Marian shrine in England.
In a church where a queen gets to be bishop, the role of prince may be something Charles no longer cares to play.
There is some kind of urban legend that the British royal family may be descended from the Tribe of Judah. Maybe the Orthodox cleric he visited was a rabbi. ;)
The embassy of Cardinal Humbert was supposed to address this problem and restore the Popes of Rome to the Diptychs of Constantinople. The Diptychs are the list of bishops who are recognized as Orthodox and with whom the see is thus in communion. Rome had been removed from the Diptychs not in response to a claim of Papal Supremacy (such as provoked the schism during the papacy of Nicholas in the 9th century), but because either the no-longer-extant 1009 election encyclical of Pope Sergius VI, or the still-extant 1014 coronation rite of the German Emperor Henry II had included the heretical filioque in the Creed.
(As to whether this severed communion with the English Church, the answer is surely no: there are examples, most notably the schism between Antioch and Alexandria during the Patriarchates of John and St. Cyril, in which sees other have remained in communion with two sees which had broken communion with each other.)
St. Harold, Last Orthodox King of England, pray for us and for your land!
"Prince Charles had already indicated his support for Mount Athos in a variety of ways - by accepting honorary membership of the Friends, by contributing generously to the Vatopedi Appeal of which he is patron, and by visiting the Holy Mountain in person. His invitation was therefore a most welcome gesture for which we remain deeply grateful. The guests included HM King Constantine, Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of Vatopedi, and two other Fathers from that monastery. After receiving us inside the house and then taking us on a tour of his beloved and beautiful gardens, the Prince spoke of his profound feelings for the "magical monasteries" of Athos and how important it was for them to be protected and preserved. Our President then delivered a spontaneous and moving tribute to His Royal Highness for his hospitality and to the strength and vitality of the Orthodox tradition."
Prince Charles has become a regular visitor to Mount Athos. He made another private visit as part of a three day trip which started on the 7th of May. He stayed at the monastery of Vatopedi, one of the most important monasteries on Mount Athos. This is his third visit to this unique monastic community. This time he walked along the mountainous countryside and has been reported that he helped with the digging to open a new pathway to connect the monasteries of Vatopedi and Esphigmenou. The Prince appeared to enjoy being on Mount Athos and the monks were impressed by his interest and his ordinary nature. We are told that he will be in Greece this summer and perhaps he may visit the monasteries again. The Prince is patron of the British based charity "Friends of Mount Athos".
"After many years of not practising his faith, HRH Prince Philip returned to Orthodoxy in the early 1990's. In an article of that time written by Giles Milton ('The Spectator', 14 March 1992), it was revealed that in May 1991 he had spoken in private to a Russian Orthodox bishop in London and for June 1993 he was planning a meeting with the Patriarch of Constantinople, a visit to the Holy Mountain of Athos in Northern Greece and a visit to the Patriarch of Moscow."
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