r/OrthodoxChristianity Reddit yesterday

Am I the only one who thinks this Archons post feels especially weird?

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America has now become the first to declare our beloved Patriarch "Bartholomew the Great." The idea for the title was His Eminence's alone, and he made the announcement in the City, at the Grand Banquet marking his 35th anniversary, before guests from around the world, including Archons and pilgrims assembled at the Mother Church.

Going forward, the Archons will address His All-Holiness as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the Great.

Am I the only one who finds this Archons post especially strange?

7 opinions in the discussion 6 participants, 3 replies to each other The opinion with the most support I don't dislike either of these men the way a lot of people apparently do, but this is just strange and I don't see anything positive coming out of it. Read the discussion

20 comments at the source Original on Reddit

Discussion · 7

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

opinion#3658 1 likes at the source
I don't dislike either of these men the way a lot of people apparently do, but this is just strange and I don't see anything positive coming out of it.
- opinion#3662 1 likes at the source
  Can someone fill in a newcomer here: what's the reason these two get so much hate?
  - opinion#3664 1 likes at the source
    
    Patriarch Bartholomew has handled parts of his own office in ways some find questionable. We're not Bishops so it's not really our place to judge, but a lot of people, for reasons both reasonable and silly, believe he's been trying to turn the EP into something more like a "Pope." He's also handled matters with Moscow, Ukraine, and by extension Moscow's international missions in ways people find questionable to different degrees depending who you ask. Archbishop Elpidophoros is a perfectly fine Bishop and acts normally Orthodox most of the time, but whenever there's a camera or microphone around he somehow can't resist stirring up controversy (some cases more justified than others) and risking scandal.
opinion#3659 1 likes at the source

Dear Catholics, you know those first-millennium statements by Greeks praising the Bishop of Rome that you cite as proof of papal supremacy, while we say they mean nothing and it's just Byzantine culture to pile over-the-top praise on someone? Well, here's a modern example of exactly that Byzantine culture. We weren't joking. Now imagine someone in the year 3000 quoting this statement out of context as proof that all early 21st century Orthodoxy *worshipped* Pat. Bartholomew.
opinion#3660 1 likes at the source

I find this weird, bizarre, and totally lacking in Christian humility. Especially given how the Church is persecuted around the world. There are bishops, priests, and faithful facing persecution and violence humbly who don't go to banquets. I'm Greek too, for whatever that's worth.
opinion#3661 1 likes at the source
Genuine question: why are we so against a title like this when plenty of other Bishops throughout history have been given titles?
- opinion#3663 1 likes at the source
  
  Titles like that should be for exceptional people and only given after death. Calling a living person "the Great" is wrong. For one thing it's ass kissing. For another, the person still has time to do something really bad. And it also feeds their ego, which gets in the way of their salvation.