Tag: Republic of Macedonia

It also prompted, on Monday, what may be one of the most serious splits in Christendom since the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople in 1054 and the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago. Here’s what happened: The Church of Russia announced this week that it was breaking ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has primacy in Orthodoxy and which has decided to give autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This year, their president, Parliament and religious leaders petitioned the leader of the Constantinople Patriarchate, Bartholomew, to grant their church independence — or autocephaly, as it is known in the church. This will further strain relations between Ukraine and Russia. Also, the break in relations between Moscow and the Ecumenical Patriarchate could weaken the latter if other Orthodox churches follow Russia in rejecting Constantinople’s primacy. There was no immediate response from Mount Athos following the break in ties between Moscow and Constantinople, but having to choose sides would be a problem for many monks. Russia wants to project its leadership of the Orthodox world as the “Third Rome,” a role it took upon itself after breaking away from Constantinople in 1448, when its leadership disagreed with efforts to unite East and West Christendom. Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Russian church’s external relations, stressed that Moscow would not abide by any decisions taken by the Ecumenical Patriarchate regarding the Ukrainian Church. “The Russian Orthodox Church does not recognize these decisions and will not follow them.” He called on the Ecumenical Patriarchate to change its decision. As for the United States, it has stressed its support for both Ukraine and Bartholomew.

Anyone involved in politics needs to have a strong stomach and plenty of patience. Up until very recently, members of the Athenian elite were often heard complaining about New Democracy’s leader: “Kyriakos [Mitsotakis] doesn’t have what it takes. He must say more populist things, tell a few lies, it’s not that bad.” The very same people are now loudly complaining: “This isn’t right. He’s being too populist on Skopje. He’s gone too far.” Those who wanted the leader of the main opposition to be more like the late PASOK prime minister Andreas Papandreou and less of a “Mitsotakis” are now displeased. However, “politics is the art of the attainable,” as late premier Constantine Karamanlis used to say. If Mitsotakis had supported the deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, it is certain that ND would have tanked in the polls, and a new nationalistic and fully anti-European party would have been created to its right whose popularity would probably skyrocket in the next election. If the electoral system were to change to proportional representation, the Greek political system would be very fragmented and the extreme right would secure an influential role. On the other hand, politics is like cooking. It’s an art where the exact quantities are important to produce a successful recipe.