Subject Matter
Following the Evangelical Commandment to call all to Unity and out of love for separated brethren, the Holy Orthodox Church has been attempting to heal the Western Schism through dialogue with the Papacy. As has been so succinctly expressed by Paul VI, the Pope is the greatest obstacle to Christian Unity. The heart of the matter lies in the place of Rome in the Church of God.
While the reunion of Rome is desired by the Orthodox Church, its basis must be Unity of Faith and its form must be the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. The restoration of the Church of Rome to Apostolic Ecclesiology, therefore, must necessarily precede her reunion into the Church.
Power and Its Nature in the Church
In the Church, power cannot be supreme but only proportional. Supremacy implies relation between differences, one superior or inferior to the other. But there are no multiplicity, only an identity of power in the Church. As the Lord Is One and the Eucharist is one and the Episcopacy is one, so there is only one identical power exercised wholly and severally.
Power is thus exercised wholly and proportionally, in other word it is exercised Catholically in Communion. It belongs to the Bishop to exercise the whole and undivided power of the Universal Church in his Diocese. The Bishop is the Pope and Apostle and Angel and Priest of the Eucharistic Synaxis that he presides over.
In the same manner, it belongs to a Synod to exercise the whole and undivided power of the Universal Church in its jurisdiction. This proportionality, which both preserves each member inviolably and binds all indivisibly is the true unanimity enjoined by the Sacred and Divine Canon.
For just as the Gifts are many but the Spirit Is One, and as the Divine Eucharist is distributed but remains undivided, and as Uncreated Energy manifests in multiplicity but remains single, so Apostolic Power remains whole and inviolable although exercised severally, each in his or their own portion.
Source and Content of Primacy
Primacy has its source in the will of the Church. By an Ecumenical decision, the Churches of God elect a Throne among them to serve and preside in love. It belongs also to the Churches to demote a Throne from Primacy and promote another in its stead. Related to this is the ordering of seniority in the Diptych.
As the sum and representation of the Plenitude, the Primate is thus the visible symbol and nexus of Unity. Honor or contempt is paid to the Whole Church through him, and one cannot be a member of the Church without being in Communion with the lawful Presiding Bishop.
The Primate is the Leader of the Chorus, the Standard-Bearer of the Host, and the Speaker and Legate of the Universal Church. To him belongs the Canonical duties and prerogatives to exercise Universal acts and decisions together with and on behalf of the Plenitude of the Church.
To enumerate, Ecumenical prerogatives are thus, namely to convoke and preside in Ecumenical Synods, to proclaim Ecumenical acts, to hear appeals, to appoint Bishops in the Diaspora, to grant or revoke Autocephaly. These things are exercised in Communion with and on behalf of the Bishops.
History of Primacy
The Lord granted Apostolic Primacy to Simon Peter. The Mother Church and first Ecumenical Throne was Jerusalem. Out of loving reverence to the Lord, the Apostles appointed James the Just, Brother of the Lord, to preside in the Holy City of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. Indeed they held an Apostolic and Universal Synod presided by James who also proclaimed its Universal act.
Not of the Twelve, James was regardless numbered among the pre-eminent Apostles and Pillars of the Church. He jointly presided with Peter, Bishop of Antioch, as co-equal First and Second, since by the testimony of two or three witnesses shall a matter be established. He daily interceded for the people before the Lord and was finally Martyred.
The order of seniority in the beginning then was James, Cephas and John. Later it was Simon Cephas, Paul and John. The first Presiding Apostle was James the Just jointly with Simon Peter, who afterwards succeeded him in Presidency. The first Church to hold Primacy was Jerusalem. After the dispersion of the Church in Jerusalem, Antioch held Apostolic and Ecumenical Primacy.
In the course of time, Peter and Paul presided jointly as co-equal First and Second. Peter had his jurisdiction in Asia Minor, in the East, while Paul had his jurisdiction in the West, from Greece and Italy including Rome and as far as Spain. John had his jurisdiction in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
Tetrarchy and Pentarchy
Simon Peter sent John Mark to establish the Church in Alexandria. This Church begat other Churches and holds Primacy in Africa. During the persecution by Nero, Peter and Paul established the Church in Rome and appointed Linus as her first Bishop. They later glorified the Church in Rome by Martyrdom.
The three Churches of Peter then, namely Rome, Alexandria and Antioch, became great and their Bishops held Primacies respectively in the West, Africa and the East. These Churches held Preeminence in the Universal Communion, and the Ecumenical Fathers gave Rome Universal Presidency due to her situation in the imperial city.
When impious Arius troubled the Church, Hosius of Spain, a Bishop of the Western Communion, presided in a Holy and Ecumenical Synod and cast out heresy from the Church. The Bishops and Popes of Alexandria, who jointly presided with the Bishops and Popes of Rome, presided in successive Synods, namely Timothy in Constantinople and Cyril in Ephesus.
At the Holy and Ecumenical Synod of Chalcedon, the legates of Rome by their puffing-up provoked the Lord Who abased the proud and offended His Holy Spirit. Chastising her in love, the Bishops appointed the Throne of Constantinople to jointly preside with Rome, actuated by the same consideration, namely her situation in the Imperial City.
As twins then, Old Rome and New Rome jointly presided as co-equal First and Second. The Bishops of Constantinople presided in the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Holy and Ecumenical Synods, namely Eutychius and George in Constantinople, and Tarasius in Nicaea.
Great Schism
Alas, godless rulers incited the Popes of Rome to overreaching pride and subverted the Western Patriarchate. Another puffed-up Roman legate, Humbert, cut off Communion with the Church. This grievous breach has also been worsened further by various doctrinal changes in the West and the succeeding history since has been of Esau and Jacob, or Remus and Romulus.
Presently the Great Church of Constantinople presides in the Ecumenical Communion of Orthodox Catholic Churches. By the Grace of God, she recently fulfilled her Canonical duty to the edification of all in convening the Holy and Great Synod of Crete. Other Pan-Orthodox Synods held in the past also testified to her fidelity to Sacred and Divine Canon.
But the task of Unity does not stop at preserving it in the Universal Catholic Church. It is also the task of the Church, led by her Presiding Bishop, to do what she can to reconcile separated brethren. The impediments are great, but Love is greater than all. Concerning reunion with Rome, which shall be a cause of great rejoicing, several things need to be observed.
Great Path of Reconciliation
A new generation has arisen in Rome in the place of those of old who provoked Wrath. We applaud these estranged cousins who are in the process of renouncing ontological Filioque and steering the Papacy back to ancient patrimony. Lesser impediments will surely give way in time if these things are achieved.
Let us not forget the evil example of unlawful aggrandizement and turn it to edification. For the Scripture exhorts us to remember, take heed and fear. But they did not fear who prated foolishly before the August and Ecumenical presence of the Bishops of God, forgetting that all are equally Successors of Peter and Vicars of Christ, each in his own portion, by the one and indivisible Eucharist.
It was true that at that time Rome also held the Seat of Peter in the Communion. But what does anyone have that is not given from above? In the beginning Jerusalem was the Apostolic and Ecumenical See, and then it was Antioch before it passed to Rome, and presently it is Constantinople. Above the Presiding Bishop is the Universal and Apostolic Synod, for any who desires to be great will be servant.
For the Office of Peter belongs to all Bishops, who appoint one among them to take the Seat of Peter in the Communion. And if one does not have anything of himself, what cause then of boasting? The Lord abases the proud but He exalts the humble. His Church gives and takes away the Seat of Peter, the Apostolic Presidency and Universal Primacy as she judges fit.
Weeding before Tilling
Further, Peter was not even the first Presiding Apostle but he was in the beginning second to James. Neither was he ever Bishop of Rome, he was Bishop of Antioch. And to further injure the claim of Roman supremacy, it was Paul who held jurisdiction in the West while Peter held jurisdiction in Asia Minor.
Peter later presided jointly with Paul. According to this the Bishops of Rome and Alexandria jointly presided, and both were called Popes. Afterwards, the will of the Church elevated the Bishop of Constantinople to jointly occupy the Seat of Peter with the Bishop of Rome. In the end, Rome was cut off from Communion for overstepping boundaries.
Before undertaking anything, it is necessary to uproot errors before they become incurable problems in the future. If reunion is undertaken under illusions and false hopes, the second breach will be more grievous and incurable than the first.
State of the Reunion
If reunion with our beloved brethren takes place, Rome shall resume the Seat of Peter with Constantinople. By an Universal decision, the Church, of which Rome shall be part, can change the order of seniority as she pleases. She may also demote Rome and promote another to assume Primacy.
The Bishop of Rome shall also resume Canonical duties and prerogatives as Patriarch of the West among the Bishops of the West. Thus, the Roman catholic church shall cease to exist and she shall become a Catholic member of the Universal Catholic Church.
In order to facilitate this as well as to strengthen Church Unity according to ancient custom, the Hierarchs of God may well consider proclaiming the Throne of Alexandria to joint Primacy with Constantinople by an Ecumenical decision. This may then be passed lawfully, having been instituted Canonically, to Rome and Constantinople in the event of reunion.
Invoking the intercession of the Most-Holy Mother of God and of all the Saints, may the Lord save His People and bless His Inheritance. Amen.