The world is watching, breathless, as the year draws to a close. The Orthodox world is watching especially closely, because once again it finds itself at the center of major developments, and not in a positive way.
Negotiations among the presidents of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine on ending the war now clearly include the issue of Orthodoxy in Ukraine.
This is also expected to be one of the main concerns of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the year ahead. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew seeks to see his decision to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine affirmed in practice and to help restore unity among the country’s Orthodox faithful. At the same time, a crucial question remains: whether relations with Moscow can be repaired.
That will be the central challenge of the coming year: preventing the current rift within Orthodoxy from becoming permanent, something Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew would not want to be associated with during his tenure.
How the Zelensky–Trump–Putin talks develop will also shape the future of Orthodoxy. Let’s be honest: since the day the war began, tensions between the Churches have ceased to be purely religious in nature.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew faces multiple open fronts with Russia. It is not only that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has broken communion with him; relations with Jerusalem, Antioch, and Belgrade are also nearly nonexistent. The Patriarch of Serbia, of course, has long aligned himself with Moscow.
More striking, however, is that Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem repeatedly ignores Bartholomew’s calls for prudence and dialogue. One notable exception in this climate of strained relations was the recent visit of the Patriarch of Bulgaria to the Phanar and the concelebration with Bartholomew — a welcome moment of encouragement for the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Trump’s Interest in Christianity
President Trump’s interest in Christians around the world can only bring positive results. On Christmas Day, the United States bombed ISIS targets in Nigeria, who were killing Christians to an extent that one could speak of genocide, with Trump warning that if ISIS does not stop, there will be further strikes. The American president is actively placing the protection of Christian communities worldwide on the agenda. And he appears to mean it.
“Calm” in the Church of Greece
The new year is expected to be relatively free of major challenges for Athens. Archbishop Ieronymos has left no pressing issues that require urgent handling. One long-standing matter, which the head of the Church of Greece has himself elevated to a priority, is the issue of church property. He is very keen to see it resolved during his tenure, and in the best possible way. For that reason, he is expected to deal personally with the property issue in the new year.
“Melchizedek”
Published in the newspaper “Orthodoxi Alitheia”
