By Subdeacon Nektarios, M.A.
In recent days, I reported on an event that scandalized the traditionalist Orthodox Christian world. In this unfortunate but very public act of heretical ecumenism, an Orthodox monastic during a brief public audience with the Pope of Rome, Francis Bergoglio, sought his heretical "blessing" in violation of the 32nd Canon of the Holy Council of Laodicea, as well as publicly condemned the Patriarch of Moscow to the Arch-Heresiarch in Rome. In that article I briefly discussed the impending false union that is potentially on the near horizon of the year 2025 in which the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Vatican plan on entering into Eucharistic communion with each other in spite of all the theological dogmatic differences that exist between the Orthodox Church and the Latin Papists over the course of the last millennium.
However, in writing that very important article, I have realized that there are still many Orthodox Christians who having just got their first hit of smelling salts and have sprung to their feet, dazed and confused, are now realizing that the ship of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, like the Titanic, is sinking faster into the heresy of ecumenism as the false reunification with the Latin Papists is imminent. While Orthodox Christians would celebrate a return of the Latins to Holy Orthodoxy and a true union with the Patriarchate of Rome, who in an ideal world, would renounce the many Latin innovations and heresies, and again become the Primus Inter Pares [first among equals], that unfortunately is not the case. What we are seeing is a false union being crafted by both the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Vatican. Some people have heard of this potential false union of 2025 between the Vatican and the Ecumenical Patriarchate but do not know exactly where all of this is coming from. The answer is from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew himself, who called the eventual union with the papists "inevitable," which we will unpack shortly.
But what is so special about the year 2025? Why would it be then? The Answer: 2025 will be the 1,700 year anniversary since the gathering of the Church Fathers at the Council of Nicaea in 325 [1st Ecumenical Council] by the convocation of Saint Constantine the Great. This council which condemned the heresy of Arius [Arianism] was attended by the universal Church both east and west.
So how do we come to the presumption that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is in the works of arranging this false union with the Vatican? Here we can examine some of the things that have been stated by Patriarch Bartholomew himself. For example, in early 2021, Patriarch Bartholomew has called for a gathering of various "church leaders" to meet in 2025 saying, "This 1700th anniversary can serve as an occasion for Christian Churches to reflect on their journey, That first ecumenical council at Nicaea stands as a symbol, a turning point in Christianity’s history, not just because it formulated the creed but also because it issued 20 canons. It thus offers a unique opportunity to re-source our common canonical heritage from the first millennium” [1].
In another report on the unification by a Greek news source covering the potential false re-unification as far back as 2014 states:
With regard to the Schism of 1054, Bartholomew notes that the restoration of its schism and the reunification of the Church constitutes a great task of our time, and refers to the first steps taken in this direction 50 years ago by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, while, as he notes, the official Theological Dialogue between the Churches helped to eliminate misunderstandings and differences of opinion.
He also refers to his meeting last May in Jerusalem with Pope Francis, as well as to the exchange of visits each year between delegations of the two Churches in Rome on the occasion of the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul and, respectively, on the occasion of the feast of the Apostle Andrew in Istanbul, where this year Pope Francis will be a guest (from 29 November), while he considers institutions such as the "Pre-Oriente" Foundation, which promote both theological and personal contacts, as a great help.
From Pope Francis, the Ecumenical Patriarch expects, as he notes, further courageous steps and efforts for the unity of the Churches, as he has already done since his election as Primate of the Catholic Church. In his interview with the Austrian newspaper, the Ecumenical Patriarch refers at length and stresses the special significance of the first Orthodox monastery in Austria, which will be built on land in the Sankt Andre district of the Austrian federal state of Burgenland, which was donated by the Austrian Roman Catholic Church to the Holy Metropolis of Austria.
As he observes, this monastery will be a spiritual refuge for the monks, but also a bridge between East and West, a place where Christians of different traditions and cultures will meet, and for the local inhabitants the monastery will be a place where they can feel welcome, and even, if some have reservations, they will appreciate and love the monastery and the monks when they get to know them [2].
In 2016, during Pope Benedict XVI's much protested visit to the Phanar, Patriarch Bartholomew during a liturgical service stood outside of the iconostasis in his cathedral symbolically with Papist cardinals standing on his side of the Church and his Ecumenist Orthodox clergy standing on the side where the Arch-Heresiarch of Rome stood, Bartholomew had his priest serving in the altar commemorate the Pope of Rome, saying, "the most Holy Bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict," [3] before Bartholomew's name was commemorated, essentially declaring himself submissive to the Papacy just like many of his traitorous predecessors have done in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries while under Ottoman Rule [4].
In yet another news report this time coming from the side of the Papists; the article reports that, "during his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pope Francis spoke about the coming 1,700th anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea in 2025. Speaking with other Jesuits, the Pope said that 'we are preparing a meeting for 2025' with Bartholomew I, the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch" [5]. In addition, the Vatican "with Patriarch Bartholomew, [...] want to reach an agreement on the date of Easter,” referring to the fact that the Papist New Calendar and the Orthodox Calendar will coincide with each other for Pascha" [6].
