While reading through an Orthodox web site, I found the strangest set of facts regarding Free Masonry in the Orthodox Church. It had been widely rumored that the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is a Free Mason, but I found no justification for this accusation. However, it seems that this rumor of Free Mason infiltration into the Orthodox Church started because of Ecumenical Patriarch Meletios IV Metaxakis in 1922.
After reading how this Meletios IV Metaxakis was elected Patriarch of Constantinople, then “resigned” the patriarchy for health reason, suddenly nominates himself and becomes the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria, then he is exiled from that post and finally he has the audacity to nominate himself as Patriarch of Jerusalem. What is going on here? Once Patriarch of a city ALWAYS the patriarch of that city, unless you fall into apostasy or heresy and are replaced. If that did happen then I doubt that one could nominate himself as Patriach to ANOTHER city. How could this man do what he did?
Please read the following link regarding the strange uncanonical election and let me know your thoughts. I realize that this article is written by Old Calendarist Orthodox, of whom I am one (Church of Jerusalem), but the calendar date is not the issue. I am interested in knowing what you think of Meletios IV Metaxakis and the fact that he was patriarch of two cities, with attempts to a third. Has this ever happened before? Is it canonical?
http://www.sisqtel.net/~williams/whoweare/whoweare.html
