Ecumenism

Ecumenism is one of the main heresies of our day, perhaps the most central heresy of history. It was described by St. Justin Popovic as the pan-heresy and by Prof. Andreas Theodorou as worse than heresy, indifference to the beliefs of the Church.

Doctrine

Ecumenists believe that all Christians should unite and recognize each other despite their differences. To them, the heresies which cut false confessions off from the Faith should not be a stumbling block to false unity. This often takes the form of mutual recognition rather than official union. Ecumenist clergy may concelebrate with those of other confessions.

Ecumenism is most simply put, straightforward and word-for-word denial of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church professed in the Nicene Creed. To be an ecumenist is to believe that all the various heresies within the broader Christian confessions (and sometimes even unrelated religions) are part of the Church of Christ (whether fully or partially so).

An ecumenist can believe that Protestants, Roman Catholics, Monophysites, and others have received baptism and are being saved outside of the Orthodox Church because his church lacks Oneness, being comprised of disunited heresies. It lacks Holiness because heresies and all uncleanness many not be excluded from the church. It lacks Catholicity, as no one church is universal. Similarly the ecumenical view of the church lacks Apostolicity, seeing how the various traditions do not follow the Faith once delivered to the apostles and often do not even pretend at apostolic succession. If one included the various late-stage Protestants, who have ceased to identify with any creed and exist simply as atomized individuals who may or may not attend any congregations whenever they see fit, or Jewish and pagan religions, then the ecumenists could be said to believe even in a meta-church comprised of non-churches, completing the denial of every word in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Most of World Orthodoxy teaches ecumenism as official doctrine. To objections, it is usual to dress up ecumenism by claiming that Orthodoxy has the fullness of the faith while the other confessions have it in an imperfect form. Also common is to excuse participation in explicitly uncanonical ecumenist gatherings, by claiming that the participants are merely witnessing the Orthodox faith to non-members. (Those who claim to be doing so may be reminded of the fact that they do not at any point share Orthodoxy at the gathering.)

Variations

• Anglican branch theory is a variant of ecumenism, in which it is claimed that the many differently believing and mutually anathematized forms of Christianity together comprise the single body of the Church, like branches of a tree.

• The two lungs expression may be considered another term for branch theory.

• Perennialism is the belief that all religions are working towards the same truth.

Conservative Ecumenism

Is the shepherd a heretic? Then he is a wolf, and it will be needful to flee and leap away from him, and not be deceived into approaching him, even if he appears to be fawning gently. Avoid communion and intercourse with him as snake's poison: for fish are caught with hook and bait while an evil intercourse which contains the poison of heresy concealed therein, has captured many of the more simple-minded who came close and expected to suffer no harm.

—St. Photius the Great, Homily 15

Ecumenism may vary in how extreme it is in both theory and practice. An extreme ecumenist may be a complete religious syncretist, participating in the rituals of not only Christian heretics but Jews, Muslims, and other pagans. More moderate ecumenists may restrict their ecumenism to some subset of Christian heretics, such as those which claim to have apostolic succession.

A special kind of ecumenism exists within conservative World Orthodoxy. It is predicated on the belief that the institution known officially by the name of Orthodox Church constitutes the Orthodox Church, instead of needing the public confession of the bishops actually be orthodox as a prerequisite for them to constitute the Church. In other words ecclesiastical nominalism. In reality the Church is not the body claims the name, but the one which which in Her essence belongs to Christ. This view originated in papism and was made most explicit in the First Vatican Council, which required a publicly known institution headed by an identifiable pope of Rome to exist until the end of time, in order for the Church to be defined by him. The difference in World Orthodoxy is that the place of the pope is taken by the official patriarchates. Sometimes this is just one particular patriarch—Constantinople—and other times it is presented generally to cover any of the patriarchates. The position so far described is not different from radically ecumenist World Orthodox. What makes conservative ecumenism different, however, is that while most World Orthodox have no problem with ecumenism, the conservative admits that ecumenism and other heresies of the World Orthodox patriarchs are heresy.

The belief that one must not be in communion with heretics, such as papists or Anglicans, who do do not call themselves the Eastern Orthodox Church, but must be in communion with other heretics, such as Patriarch Bartholomew, who call themselves the Eastern Orthodox Church, is ironic because it falls into the very same ecumenist heresy of praying with heretics, which the conservative ecumenist criticizes in other ecumenists. To quote St. Nikolai Velimirovic:

As compassionate and lenient as the saints were toward human weakness, so terribly unyielding and unbending were they with regard to the confession of the true dogmas of the Faith. Thus, St. Nicholas of Myra in Lycia struck Arius with his hand at the First Ecumenical Council. St. Anthony left his desert to come to Alexandria to publlicly unmask Arius. St Euthymius, being greatly pressured by the Empress Eudocia and the false patriarch Theodosius, and being unable to debate rationally with them, left the monastery and hid in the desert; an example followed by all other distinguished monks thereafter.
—St. Nikolai of Ohrid and Zhicha, The Prologue of Ohrid (Emphasis added.)

In an even more moderate form one may be lead to believe by a literal reading of Canon 15 that it is acceptable but not obligatory to break communion with heretics. This error results from reading the canon in isolation from other canons which specify that it is obligatory.

There are those who would argue that since canons are enforced by synods rather than acting automatically, that it is acceptable to pray with heretical ecumenists until a council is convened to condemn them. The biggest problem with this argument is that ecumenism has in fact been condemned countless times since the beginnings of Christianity. Firstly, ecumenism covers all heresies and thus is condemned by every condemnation of those heresies with which the ecumenist joins. Secondly, ecumenism has been synodally condemned by True Orthodox bishops. Synodal decisions need not find consensus with the heretics whom they condemn—indeed if they did, we would have to wait for the pope of Rome to come back to Orthodoxy and admit that he was wrong, along with all of his bishops, before we could break communion with them. In such a case no synod could ever break communion with any heretical bishops. Condemnations such as the anathema of 1983 or the condemnations of Sergianism by ROCOR and the Catacomb Church are valid condemnations, hence being aware of them we are obligated to obey them.

Historically it is true that the Holy Fathers did not in every instance break communion with every heretic immediately. However, it should be noted that they did break communion after first inquiring whether the heretic had, in fact, committed the heresy in question. There is no question as to whether the leaders of World Orthodoxy profess ecumenism publicly, nor whether they pray with heretics, as they have done so publicly and notoriously for decades.

It should be noted further that there is no specially defined term of “conservative ecumenism” nor anathemas against it specifically, rather this is used here as a descriptive term for ecumenism which happens to be conservative. Its adherents may be known by many names, such as ecumenists, conservative World Orthodox, etc. They may also be referred to by the teacher or leader of a group. (Common examples include Paisidoxy and Ephraimites.)

Cyprianism

Main article: Holy Synod In Resistance#Ecclesiology.

While Officially the Holy Synod in Resistance held to an Official and acceptable Agnostic View of Ecclesiology concerning Global Orthodox Jurisdictions, the Holy Synod in Resistance is not uncommonly criticized as having some thoughts and delving into a form of Conservative Ecumenism due to the an old Thesis written by their Primate Metropolitan Cyprian Koutsoumpas of Oropos and Fyli. The theorized Ecclesiology of this Thesis Paper by Metropolitan Cyprian delved on the idea that the Global Orthodox Jurisdictions do in fact have Grace however not it's not the fullness of Grace, unlike True Orthodox Synods who contain the fullness of Grace, and their Grace is sullied and not as knowable and quantifiable due to err in the grey haziness of the Ecumenist Heresy. Therefore Orthodox ought to attend and still go to True Orthodox Synods if they can and resist Global Orthodoxy until the dispute and issues between the True Orthodox and Global Orthodox is resolved in a future Pan Orthodox Council or Ecumenical Council. This Thesis Paper, which wasn't very well known until about half way in the 2000s, received a number of criticisms from a number of True Orthodox and other True Orthodox Synods with the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church even specifically anathematizing 'Cyprianism' in the late 2000s. After the Death of Primate and Metropolitan Cyprian Koutsoumpas of Oropos and Fyli, the HSIR Hierarchy would then approach GOC-Kallinikos soon after and GOC Kallinikos and HSR would sign on to Union thereby dissolving HSR and having HSR Clergy and Monastics and Laity join under the Omophorion of GOC Kallinikos. When HSR was joining and signing on to unite with GOC Kallinikos, they would denounce association and holding to a Confession of Faith which would include Cyprianite Ecclesiology though GOC-Kallinikos did not formally anathematize Cyprianism since 2014 GOC Kallinikos and HSR Union despite some Bishops of GOC Kallinikos opposing Cyprianism.

Practices

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Joint prayers

If any one, either of the clergy or laity, enters into a synagogue of the Jews or heretics to pray, let him be deprived and suspended.
—Canon 65 of the Apostles.

World Orthodox hierarchs have publicly and notoriously taken part in joint prayer gatherings. Among the most infamous of this was the Assisi gathering of 1986, which set the trend for all inter-religious gatherings since.

Recognition of heretical sacraments

We command that a bishop, or presbyter, or deacon who receives the baptism, or the sacrifice of heretics, be deprived: “For what agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what part has a believer with an infidel?”
— Canon 46 of the Apostoles.

Organization

The central authority of the ecumenical movement—at least, the most visible controlling head—is the so-called World Council of Churches.

History

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Origins

Ecumenism began in Protestantism. The idea was to present a united front so that Christians in the missionary field would not appear divided.