Matthew Namee

Greek Archbishop to proto-CIA: “Your directions will be executed faithfully.”

It's long been an open secret that Patriarch Athenagoras' election as Ecumenical Patriarch was arranged, or at least facilitated, by the United States government. It's difficult to write about this as an historian, though, because smoking guns for that kind of thing tend to be kept under wraps. Occasionally, though,...

A Tour of the Orthodox World at the Turn of the 20th Century: The Serbian Churches

In 1908, a Roman Catholic priest and writer, Adrian Fortescue, published his landmark book The Orthodox Eastern Church, presenting Orthodoxy to the English-speaking world through the eyes of a very well-informed but also very papist Roman Catholic from England. In one section of the book, Fortescue surveys the Orthodox world, telling...

A Tour of the Orthodox World at the Turn of the 20th Century: Mount Sinai and the Lost Church of Georgia

In 1908, a Roman Catholic priest and writer, Adrian Fortescue, published his landmark book The Orthodox Eastern Church, presenting Orthodoxy to the English-speaking world through the eyes of a very well-informed but also very papist Roman Catholic from England. In one section of the book, Fortescue surveys the Orthodox world, telling...

A Tour of the Orthodox World at the Turn of the 20th Century: The Church of Greece

In 1908, a Roman Catholic priest and writer, Adrian Fortescue, published his landmark book The Orthodox Eastern Church, presenting Orthodoxy to the English-speaking world through the eyes of a very well-informed but also very papist Roman Catholic from England. In one section of the book, Fortescue surveys the Orthodox world,...

A Tour of the Orthodox World at the Turn of the 20th Century: The Church of Russia

In 1908, a Roman Catholic priest and writer, Adrian Fortescue, published his landmark book The Orthodox Eastern Church, presenting Orthodoxy to the English-speaking world through the eyes of a very well-informed but also very papist Roman Catholic from England. In one section of the book, Fortescue surveys the Orthodox world, telling...

A Tour of the Orthodox World at the Turn of the 20th Century: The Ancient Churches

In 1908, a Roman Catholic priest and writer, Adrian Fortescue, published his landmark book The Orthodox Eastern Church, presenting Orthodoxy to the English-speaking world through the eyes of a very well-informed but also very papist Roman Catholic from England. In one section of the book, Fortescue surveys the Orthodox world, telling...

The Legacy of Father Nicola Yanney

Ancient Faith Publishing recently released a wonderful biography of Fr. Nicola Yanney, the remarkable Syrian priest from Nebraska who died in 1918. I can highly recommend it -- the title is Apostle to the Plains -- but I'm hesitant to review it because I'm a bit conflicted, as I wrote...

The Nine Years that Almost Destroyed the Orthodox Church

Back in March, I published a 9-part series on the global Orthodox crisis of 1917-1925. I've made a few revisions to that account and added an Epilogue and a partial bibliography. Today, I'm publishing all of that -- 9,000+ words, altogether. Orthodoxy is currently facing a global crisis of unity....

Why Fr. Raphael Morgan Should Not Be Venerated or Canonized

On September 3, I published the documents from the divorce of Fr. Raphael Morgan and his wife Charlotte. The documents are tragic and disturbing. Charlotte accused Fr. Raphael of physical abuse, verbal abuse, and infidelity. The Morgans' former landlady corroborated the abuse allegations in her testimony. Fr. Raphael himself was...

The Fr. Raphael Morgan Divorce Documents

Fr. Raphael Morgan was the first black Orthodox priest in American history. He was ordained in Constantinople in 1907 and lived in Philadelphia until his death in 1922. He's an incredibly fascinating historical figure who has captured the imaginations of many people who have learned about him. He's also not...