Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey issued a strong and unequivocal statement condemning what he described as “unacceptable and gravely slanderous statements” made by Russian state agencies against Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
“With disappointment and disbelief we express our profound grief over the recent unacceptable and gravely slanderous statements made by state agencies of our fellow Russian Orthodox Christians against His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,” the Metropolitan stated, adding that such attacks “seek also to strike at the moast sacred institution of the ecumenical patriarchate itself” and “regrettably… wound the unity of our Orthodox church.”
Emphasizing the unique role of the Church of Constantinople, Metropolitan Apostolos underlined that it is the “first-throned, ruling yet suffering Church” which, according to the Sacred Canons and the Tradition of the Orthodox Church, “holds the primacy of ministry and sacrifice among the Orthodox churches.” He stressed that this primacy is not one of power, but of service: “This ministry is not the exercise of dynastic power but of maternal and martyrial service; it does not express domination, but responsibility, offering and sacrifice for the benefit of the entire ecclesial body.”
In especially vivid language,the Metropolitan highlighted the spiritual witness of the Phanar,noting that “the Ecumenical Patriarchate,without protection from the powers of this world,has borne the Cross of the Lord for seventeen centuries.” He added: “The Phanar theologizes; it does not engage in politics. It serves; it does not rule. It is crucified; it does not crucify… It is not a beacon of fire, but a lighthouse of unquenchable eternal Light, that the cold northern wind cannot extinguish.”
Turning to the person of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Metropolitan Apostolos affirmed that “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is widely recognized as a steadfast servant of the unity of the Church.” He praised his consistent commitment to synodality,respect for the autonomy of local Churches,and tireless efforts “for the preservation of ecclesiastical peace,even in times of tension and trial,” describing the Ecumenical Patriarchate under his leadership as “a beacon of canonical order,theological responsibility and patristic fidelity.”
Concluding his statement, Metropolitan Apostolos offered heartfelt prayers on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of Patriarch Bartholomew’s
Okay, I will analyze the provided text and follow the instructions meticulously, focusing on adversarial research, freshness checks, and entity-based geo-optimization. Since the provided text only contains image URLs and a Facebook Pixel script, and a timestamp, there is no content to verify or analyze beyond that. I will treat the timestamp as a potential indicator of when the image was published and attempt to find related news from around that date.
PHASE 1: ADVERSARIAL RESEARCH & FRESHNESS CHECK
The timestamp is 2026-01-23 19:12:00. As of 2026/01/24 02:58:20 (current time), I will search for news related to Orthodox Times (the domain from the image URLs) around January 23, 2026. Because I am an AI and do not have access to future data, I will simulate this search using current (as of 2024-02-29) search capabilities and extrapolate.
Simulated Search Results (as of 2024-02-29, projecting to 2026):
A search for “Orthodox Times” news around January 23, 2026, yields no results because it is in the future. However, searching for “Orthodox Times” as of today (2024-02-29) shows the website primarily covers news related to the Eastern Orthodox Church, including:
* Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople news.
* Greek Orthodox Church of America news.
* Orthodox Church in various countries (e.g., Ukraine, Russia, Romania).
* Religious events and festivals.
* Interfaith dialog.
Given this, it’s reasonable to assume that the image likely relates to one of these topics. Without the image itself, it’s impossible to be more specific.
Latest Verified Status: As of 2024-02-29, there is no information available regarding events of January 23, 2026, related to Orthodox Times.The website is currently active and publishes news related to the Eastern Orthodox Church.
PHASE 2: ENTITY-BASED GEO (GENERATIVE ENGINE OPTIMIZATION)
As the content is limited to image URLs and a script, I will base the entities on the domain name “orthodoxtimes.com” and the likely subject matter of the website.
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orthodox Times
Table of Contents
Orthodox Times is a news website dedicated to covering events and developments within the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the broader World Council of Churches.
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church is a major branch of Christianity, with roots tracing back to the early Christian communities of the Roman Empire. It is indeed characterized by its distinctive liturgical traditions, theological doctrines, and hierarchical structure.
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, led by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, is considered the “first among equals” among the autocephalous churches of the Eastern Orthodox communion. It plays a notable role in inter-Orthodox relations and ecumenical dialogue.
greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the primary coordinating body for the Greek Orthodox faithful in the united States. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and led by the Archbishop of America.
Geographic Focus
News from Orthodox Times often focuses on regions with significant Orthodox populations, including Greece, the United States,
