I think that I will write this post before I start getting emails (one or two from inside the wider circle of current and former GetReligionistas) asking whether or not I will write this post.
But first, before I get to the journalism question for this post, allow me to pause and discuss the meaning of a key term — “Byzantine.” Here is the word in context: To understand the following news story, journalists will need to enter the Byzantine world of Eastern Orthodox polity in North America.
The word “Byzantine,” when used as an adjective, has two definitions. First there is this:
… relating to Byzantium (now Istanbul), the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Orthodox Church
Now, that meaning is — sort of — relevant in this case. But this second definition is the one that we need:
… (of a system or situation) excessively complicated, and typically involving a great deal of administrative detail.
When people ask questions about Eastern Orthodox “news,” I frequently have to remind them that Eastern Orthodoxy is not the Church of Rome. We do not have a pope, even if, from time to time, the ecumenical patriarch in Istanbul has tried to promote (with the help of many elite newsrooms) a papal vision of his “first among equals” role among Orthodox patriarchs, stressing “first” instead of “equals.” See: Ukraine.
With that in mind, let’s look at the GreekReporter.com story that ran with this headline: “First Greek Orthodox Baptism for Child of Gay Couple in Greece.” The question: Is this an important “news” story worthy of complex, balanced, accurate coverage in, let’s say, a mainstream publication such as The New York Times? Jumping ahead, my answer is “yes,” but with a heavy emphasis on “complex, balanced, accurate coverage.” Here is the whole story from Greece:
Evanggelos Bousis and Peter Dundas, both of Greek descent, became the first gay couple to hold a Greek Orthodox Baptism for their children in Greece. …
The couple’s children, Alexios and Eleni, were baptized by his Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at the Panagia Faneromeni Church in the southern Athenian suburb of Vouliagmeni.
“Yesterday was truly a special moment not only for my family and me but for our entire Greek Orthodox Church. … Thank you to our great spiritual leader, his Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, for christening the babies and not turning away any child or member of our faith,” George Bousis, brother of Evanggelos Bousis, wrote on Facebook. …
Many social media users considered the step a sign of great progress in the Greek Orthodox Church in terms of acceptance of the LGBT community.
“This is the progress and leadership we need in our church, where no person should ever be denied our Lord because of what they are, how they choose to live their lives, and who they love,” he stated.
George Bousis was also chosen as baby Alexios’s godfather. He stated on social media that “This will forever be a moment I’ll cherish and a commitment I’ll always hold to guide, love, and protect him every step of the way.”
Eugenie Niarchos, daughter of Phillip Niarchos and granddaughter of Stavros Niarchos, served as godmother to the couple’s daughter, Eleni. Italian model Bianca Brandolini was also chosen to be a godmother of the couple’s daughter.
Following the christening, the couple held a party at the Athens Riviera. Famous Greek pop star Anna Vissi was invited to the event and even sang her greatest hits.
Dundas and Bousis are well known figures in the fashion world. Dundas is a designer and has worked for big names like Roberto Cavalli, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Emilio Pucci. He also started his own label, Dundas, and even dressed Beyonce at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Bousis, his husband, is also his partner in business.
All kinds of questions leap to mind, in this case (some of which may have been answered in social media). Apparently, the youngest child was born to a surrogate mother — a relevant fact under Orthodox tradition. Hold that thought.
Here is another question: Why did an American bishop perform this rite in Greece? Was the setting chosen for reasons of history or some logic based on the current state of church laws?
As for the adjective “Byzantine,” it’s crucial to know that the Greek Orthodox Church in America is large (but shrinking quite rapidly) and rather wealthy. However, in terms of church history, the missionaries that brought Orthodoxy to American were Russians (in Alaska and the West). Archbishop Elpidophoros is not, as some might think, the archbishop of America — period. He is the leader of the Greek Orthodox in this very divided — in terms of Orthodox jurisdictions (thank the Russian Revolution for that) — land.
Here’s the big journalism question: Was this event a big news story in …
* Eastern Orthodoxy, period, as in the whole global communion?
* Eastern Orthodoxy as in parts of the European Union?
* Greek Orthodoxy in Greece?
* Greek Orthodoxy in America, or just New York City and other zip codes that really care about fashion celebrities?
I would assume the latter, but this quake will send aftershocks into other lands, if this story receives much ink in crucial publications and broadcast networks (hello BBC and Sky News).
Once journalists have asked these questions, they also need to ask whether — in his own mind — Elpidophoros intended this rite (crucial Instagram post here) as a theological statement, a doctrinal shot over the bow of the wider Orthodox world. And what if, in the rather near future, he were to become ecumenical patriarch?
Many of the fine details of this Byzantine puzzle are important, in terms of Orthodox tradition, law and theology. Here is a large chunk of a complicated Nick Stamatakis post at Helleniscope entitled “Has AB Elpidophoros Just Legitimized Gay Marriage Through Baptism?”
Hang on.
… Let’s examine the theological issues one by one.
1. Neither the Catholic nor the Orthodox Church recognizes gay marriage — and there are statements by the Pope and by the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in America.
2. For the kids to be baptized in an Orthodox Church the parents must be both Orthodox and if married, they must be married in the Church (please link here for a typical sample of prerequisites for baptism from one of our Churches).
3. On this serious issue, the Catholic Church and Orthodoxy usually recognize that “guilt or sin is not inherited” and so they usually proceed to baptize all children regardless of the status of their parents.
4. A serious prerequisite seems (for the particular case of surrogate mother) to be that the presence of the natural (surrogate) mother is required for a valid baptism; in most other respects it is considered equivalent to adoption. And so in our photos, you will notice that next to the gay couple, the kids, Elpidophoros, the godparents the surrogate mother was there in Athens.
5. As you will read (here is the link) about such experiences in the Catholic Church, pastors have been struggling with the decision. A basic requirement from the point of view of the Church is that the parents would raise the child according to the teachings of the Church. This is a very thorny issue for Orthodoxy and Catholicism: If gay marriage is not allowed, would the parents teach that to the baptized child? Furthermore, in our case, you will see that the two gay parents, Peter Dundas and Ev Bousis, are openly against the teachings of the Church and are considering their choices a matter of progress. Says Peter Dundas in the interview with Vogue (below): “What I don’t get about the Supreme Court ruling [that a Catholic social services agency in Philadelphia could refuse to work with same-sex couples who apply to take in foster children], what is the purpose? Do they really think in 10 years from now that’s gonna fly? I don’t think so for a minute. It becomes this holding off on the inevitable, and progress in our society.”
6. The requirement about raising the child (children) according to the baptismal faith became important because if the baptized child is not to be raised according to the faith then what is the meaning of baptism? Additionally, in the link we provided, many Catholic pastors were worried that if such a requirement was not there then the baptism would become a vehicle for the (indirect) recognition of gay marriage.
7. The case of an illegitimate child is very clarifying here: The Church does not support abortion and the mother in such a case is considered able to raise the child according to faith. But in the case of the gay couple, this is simply not possible …
8. In our case were the godparents, supermodel Bianca Brandolini and Eugenia Niarchos, Orthodox? Very doubtful in the first case… How can an orthodox baptism take place without Orthodox godparents?
Complicated? Can anyone imagine elite American publications covering this story without pulling the fighting in Ukraine into the mix?
Stay tuned.
FIRST IMAGE: Screen shot from various Twitter posts about this baptism rite.