The Inkless Pen

The Sacred Tradition of our holy Church strictly distinguishes pastoral indulgence (economy) from dogmatic austerity (akrivia). For canonical and administrative violations, ecclesiastical authority may apply leniency, but when it comes to the saving dogmas of the faith, compromise is unthinkable and is tantamount to falling away from the Body of Christ. Dogmas are not subject to diplomacy – they are the limits of our salvation itself.
We, your spiritual children, remember with deep gratitude and spiritual joy the historic Statement of the Holy Synod of the BOC-BP of November 15, 2016 on the Council of Crete. At that time, you conciliarly and divinely inspired condemned ecumenism, decreed categorically that "no heretical or schismatic community can be called a 'church'. The existence of multiple churches is inadmissible according to the dogmas and canons of the Orthodox Church."
Today, however, we are faced with a terrible paradox: the bishop whom you invite to preside over the Holy Eucharist in the heart of Bulgaria is the chief architect of the same ecumenical heresy that you have so worthily condemned. His teaching is a direct denial and suppression of your own 2016 Confessional Opinion, which is unequivocally evident in the following contrasts:
• First: The Holy Synod confesses the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and Patriarch Bartholomew preaches the heresy of the "Divided Church". While you have clearly decreed that there are no churches outside of Orthodoxy, in Vilnius the Primate of Constantinople speaks of the "agony of divided Christianity" and "the wounds on the body of the Church," equating the heterodox with the Body of Christ.
• Second: The Holy Synod guards the boundaries of faith, and Patriarch Bartholomew wants their destruction. While the Bulgarian Church zealously defended the dogmatic definitions in Crete, Patriarch Bartholomew called this saving patristic zeal "sterile confessional entrenchment" and called for the renunciation of "the security of dogmatic borders."
• Third: The Holy Synod preserves Orthodox dogmatics, and Patriarch Bartholomew legitimizes the Vatican. In denouncing ecumenism, you stood behind the teaching that without true faith there is no grace-filled communion. In contrast, in Budapest, Patriarch Bartholomew launched the disastrous idea of "juridical ecumenism" and expressed "deep satisfaction" at the restoration of the title of "Patriarch of the West" for the Pope of Rome, even though the Vatican has not rejected any of its heresies.
• Fourth: The Holy Synod confesses Christ as the only Way, and Patriarch Bartholomew affirms all-religious syncretism. You, our archpastors, invariably follow the unshakable apostolic canon that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved than the Name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). In sharp contrast, the apostasies of the Primate of Constantinople have long gone beyond even the framework of Christian ecumenism, turning into open religious syncretism. and non-Christian mystical experiences (such as the concept of the "radiant void") are praised as a legitimate spiritual path. His participation in syncretic prayer meetings and the attribution of divine dignity to non-religious teachings is a direct violation of God's First Commandment. According to the patristic teaching, such a mixing of Light with darkness cannot be justified by church diplomacy, since it constitutes a severe form of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. https://www.peticiq.com/ne_na_vartolomei_v_rilski_manastir

OPEN LETTER
by clergy, monastics and laity of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate
on the forthcoming visit of the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew to the Holy Monastery of Rila
 
Your Holiness, God-Wise and Eminence Archpastors of our native Church,
With a sense of sincere filial care, obedience to the Faith and true love for our spiritual Mother – the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate, we approach you, the spiritual pastors appointed by God, on the occasion of the decision taken by the Holy Synod of June 26, 2026 for the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to the Rila Holy Monastery on the day of the all-Bulgarian feast of our Venerable and God-bearing Father John of Rila the Wonderworker – October 19, 2026, in connection with the jubilee "1150 years since the birth and 1080 years since the Dormition of our Venerable Father John of Rila the Wonderworker – heavenly patron and protector of the Bulgarian people".
Driven by the fear of God and spiritual anxiety for the preservation of the purity of Holy Orthodoxy in our native Church, we dare to express to you the confusion and temptation that puts our Christian conscience to the test. The reason for this is the publicly announced decision not to invite the Primates of all Local Orthodox Churches to the Rila Holy Monastery, nor even the representatives of the ancient Pentarchy (to which the newly elected Georgian Patriarch Shio III could be included), as required by the traditional church protocol and as has been the case for decades. Instead, it was decided to invite only Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is scheduled to preside over the festive Holy Eucharist on October 19 in the cathedral church of the Rila Holy Monastery.
It is with great spiritual pain that we follow the frequent public statements of the Primate of Constantinople in the current year 2026, which enter into a grave dogmatic and canonical cross-section with the Holy Tradition of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. In particular, we draw attention to his words delivered in Vilnius (June 8, 2026) and in Budapest (September 4, 2026), in which a new ecclesiology is propagated, aimed at the open abolition of dogmatic boundaries, introduced the pernicious concept of "juridical ecumenism" and legitimized the Roman Papist delusions, while completely ignoring the lack of repentance on the part of Rome. (A complete list of dogmatic digressions in these words is attached in Annex to this letter).
These deviations are not an isolated case, but part of a long-standing apostasy that has long gone beyond the framework of Christian ecumenism and turned into open interreligious syncretism. The Orthodox consciousness remembers with pain the statements during the years in which the truth of the Gospel was equated with other religions, and non-Christian mystical experiences (such as the notorious concept of "radiant emptiness") were praised as a legitimate spiritual path, which directly trampled on the First Commandment of God and blasphemed the Holy Spirit.
We cannot ignore in silence the fact that the same primate arbitrarily invaded foreign canonical territory and legitimized the schism in Ukraine through the issuance of the so-called "Decree of Independence". This deeply anti-canonical act, committed against the will of the multi-million Orthodox people in the country, opened a wound throughout world Orthodoxy. For the seventh year in a row, it has served as a justification for unprecedented persecution against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church – the violent seizure and burning of churches, the desecration of the holy relics in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the throwing of confessors-bishops into prisons and the subjection of the clergy, monastics and laity to severe physical and administrative terror by the secular authorities in order to finally destroy the UOC.
Your Holiness, God-Wise Masters,

A new post is up on my Substack! I revised and expanded an article that I wrote many years ago. https://substack.com/home/post/p-218545487

"Would we find Christ among the great ones of this earth, the leaders, judges, and those entrusted with maintaining good civil order? We could go to them and seek Christ, but they are too busy and would answer, “Not right now, come back some other time!” Going to them is useless. The Scriptures say, “Lawlessness came forth … from the elders and judges” (Daniel, story of Susanna, vs. 5). Christ is scarcely ever in them; they only add to the evil of our presently evil times, truth is barely in them and mercy is completely absent." St. Dimitry https://inklesspen.blog/2024/03/09/where-is-the-lord-jesus-christ/

"WAR is a racket. It always has been.
    It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
  A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes." https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/warracket.html

FACING JESUS OVER THE ZELENSKY AWARD IN NEW YORK

On September 26, Zelensky is scheduled to receive a “Beacon of Hope” award in New York while Orthodox Christians in Ukraine continue to face persecution.

For Orthodox Christians, this is more than a political controversy. It is a spiritual question:

What will we say when we stand before Jesus Christ?

IF YOU CAN ATTEND IN PERSON

COME TO NEW YORK ON SEPTEMBER 26 AND JOIN THE PEACEFUL, LAWFUL PROTEST AT THE AWARD EVENT.

Do not merely read about what is happening. Show up. Stand publicly with persecuted Orthodox Christians. Make your presence and your voice heard.

IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND

You can still act.

Share this article widely. Contact your parish, priest, bishop, and fellow Orthodox Christians. Encourage others to attend the protest. Speak publicly about the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Whether you stand in New York or support from elsewhere, do not remain silent.

READ IT. SHARE IT. SHOW UP. SPEAK OUT.

The question is not whether we know. The question is what we will do with what we know—and ultimately, what we will say when we stand before Christ.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/facing-jesus-over-the-zelensky-award-in-new-york/

GOARCH Leadership will not listen. This should not surprise us. But it should indicate that they are being led by powers that have not the Gospel in mind. https://inklesspen.blog/2026/08/24/an-open-appeal-to-goarch-and-the-ep-please-stop-supporting-the-violent-persecutors-of-the-ukrainian-orthodox-church/

🇺🇸TRC ABDUCTED THE DEAN OF THE OLEKSANDRIIA DIOCESE OF THE UOC!

🇺🇦ТЦК ВИКРАЛИ БЛАГОЧИННОГО ОЛЕКСАНДРІЙСЬКОЇ ЄПАРХІЇ УПЦ!

TRC unlawfully detained the rector of the Holy Martyrs Theodore and Anastasia Church the dean of the Oleksandriia District, Oleksandriia Diocese, of the UOC, Fr. Oleksii Mykytenko.

The UOC diocesan secretary, Fr. Mykhailo Boburka, reported that the priest was abducted while being on his way to serve the Divine Liturgy.

⭕️ Fr. Oleksii was taken to a TRC facility, where he remained at the time the statement was published.

⭕️ The diocese appealed to the clergy and laity, calling for prayerful support for the detained priest.

“We ask everyone who is concerned to intensify their prayers for Archpriest Oleksii, so that the Merciful Lord may strengthen him and that this situation may be resolved as soon as possible.”

The source - First Cossack

#truth_about_Ukraine
#persecution_UOC

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UOC hierarch calls faithful to daily prostrations to soften hearts of the persecutors
https://orthochristian.com/180147.html

His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil is calling on the faithful of his diocese to make three prostrations every day, praying for the softening of the hearts of those working against the Church.

“He has brought me back to the house of my Father, He has shown me the inheritance of glory prepared for me, far beyond the limits of this world. And my being was brought into existence for this cause: that the goodness of creation’s nature would be seen by all. Blessed be His magnificence unto the ages of ages. Amen.” A prayer by Abba Issac the Syrian.

Well, you don't say? https://publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-finds-artificial-intelligence-use-reprograms-the-brain-leading-to-cognitive-decline/

Another of my interviews done with "Roots of Orthodoxy" is up. These interviews are no longer available on RO. Since the channel took a direction I could no longer agree with, I requested that interviews with me be removed. The proprietor of RO did amicably grant me permission to post the interviews on my own channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gVW6kZgDlg

And as those trying to be Christians lets let the full force of the next to last paragraph sink in: "Dimianakis claims that Patriarch Bartholomew "cannot be approached" for assistance in ending the violence without first “recognizing” his “supreme authority” in Ukraine.
In other words Bartholomew will intervene only if Orthodox Christians recognize the OCU.
It can be concluded that the Phanar' archon is calling to recognise the “legitimacy” of the decision by the Constantinople Patriarch —the very decision that has been used to legitimize the OCU raiders, who seize churches and resorting to violence.
Those actions, the argument suggests, are now being acknowledged even within the Phanar itself." It is insinuated that Pat. Bartholomew will only condemn the violence against Ukrainian Orthodox Church if his authority is recognized. This indeed would be an absolutely insidious reality, to use violence to force recognition of "authority." May the Lord have mercy.

Representatives of the Constantinople Patriarchate have themselves provided evidence that they are very well aware of the scale and severity of the OCU crimes against Orthodox Christians in Ukraine
❗️If anyone still believe that the Phanar leadership is unaware of violent takeovers of churches and acts of intimidation—or knows only limited information—the statements made by the Constantinople archons—its sponsors and supporters- exposed the extent of their own knowledge.

⭕️ Elias Dimianakis, an archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, published an article in "Fos Fanariou", a publication what is a mouthpiece for the Phanar.The article, published on September 10, 2026, is a response to statements made by Cherkasy and Kaniv Metropolitan Feodosiy in his interview with the Greek publication "Romfea".

From the outset, however, Dimianakis shifts the focus away from the OCU crimes toward the issues of “Moscow” and the “Russian world.”

He writes:

“He appealed to the Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew, asking him to help stop the violence and occupation of holy churches in Ukraine. At first glance, this appears to be a pastoral appeal. And, of course, no Christian can praise violence, intimidation, or the forcible removal of a parish from its church.
But beneath this appeal lies a contradiction so profound that it cannot be concealed by hierarchical titles, modest clothing, or the constantly repeated reference to the ‘canonical order'."
archon states

Notably, Dimianakis does not deny the OCU crimes. On the contrary, he explicitly acknowledges them.

“He condemns the occupation of churches and rightly condemns violence…
He wants the world to see only an occupied church, an enraged crowd, broken doors, and injured believers. And these things matter…"
The archon writes.
⭕️ What makes the situation particularly cynical is the pressure from the Constantinople representative.

Dimianakis claims that Patriarch Bartholomew "cannot be approached" for assistance in ending the violence without first “recognizing” his “supreme authority” in Ukraine.
In other words Bartholomew will intervene only if Orthodox Christians recognize the OCU.
It can be concluded that the Phanar' archon is calling to recognise the “legitimacy” of the decision by the Constantinople Patriarch —the very decision that has been used to legitimize the OCU raiders, who seize churches and resorting to violence.
Those actions, the argument suggests, are now being acknowledged even within the Phanar itself.

In other words, the sponsor of Patriarch Bartholomew is insisting that Constantinople’s catastrophic mistake—or even a crime (visible in all their disturbing reality) remains a priority and a blessing.

The source - First Cossack

#truth_about_Ukraine
#persecution_UOC

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Abp. Elpidophoros to Invest 47 New Archons in New York

NEW YORK — On Sunday, October 18, 2026, Abp. Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will preside over the investiture of 47 new Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate following the Divine Liturgy at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City.

A notable individual who is scheduled to become an Archon is Michael Huffington, the former U.S. Representative known for marrying Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington, who co-founded the Huffington Post.

After serving in the House of Representatives, Michael Huffington – a Republican – lost a race for U.S. Senate to longtime California Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 1994. Following a divorce from Stassinopoulos in 1997, Huffington came out as bisexual and became an activist for the LGBTQ cause. He has contributed millions in funding to establish a Huffington Ecumenical Institute at both Loyala Marymount University and Hellenic College Holy Cross.

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A new article is up on my Substack! https://substack.com/home/post/p-215146339

Metropolitan Theodosiy said the Ukrainian authorities’ actions against the UOC fall under the Rome Statute’s definition of genocide.
Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy gave an interview to the Greek news agency Romfea in which he said that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is being subjected to a systematic genocide.

The UOC hierarch stressed that the actions against the country’s largest religious community fully meet the Rome Statute’s definition of genocide. Article 6 of the statute, to which Ukraine is a party, defines genocide as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a religious group. Such acts include killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life intended to bring about the group’s physical destruction.
The Cherkasy hierarch recalled incidents of severe physical violence against clergy and faithful. In particular, during the forcible seizure of the cathedral in Cherkasy, radicals struck the bishop on the head with a club, leaving him with a concussion and spinal injury. The attackers also knocked out six teeth of an Orthodox priest and fired traumatic weapons at worshippers inside the church.
At the Sviatohirsk Lavra, attackers wearing military gear shot and killed Monk Varsonofiy and seriously wounded two other monastery residents with knives. According to Metropolitan Theodosiy, these crimes point to an attempt to completely destroy the UOC. “What is taking place in Ukraine today is nothing less than a genuine genocide of millions of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Anyone in Ukraine who fails to see this must be blind,” the hierarch stressed.
The bishop also criticized the Ukrainian leadership’s record on human rights. He cited the Ukrainian president’s statement that citizens’ constitutional rights can be “put on pause” during wartime. “Who gave officials the right to use this as grounds for committing genocide against millions of Orthodox Christians remains a deeply troubling question,” the UOC hierarch said.
For several years, Metropolitan Theodosiy has presented the position of the persecuted Church at the United Nations at the invitation of human rights advocates. UN special rapporteurs issued a press release describing the Ukrainian authorities’ actions as “collective punishment” of believers. UN experts acknowledged the criminal prosecution of Orthodox hierarchs, but Kyiv has ignored these international legal findings and continues to exert pressure through the court system.

The source — UOJ

#truth_about_Ukraine
#persecution_UOC

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Terrible. https://krdo.com/news/2026/09/10/pueblo-church-statues-damaged/