One reader sent me this letter by an irregular "old style" Greek Orthodox bishop named Chrysostomos of Etna. In it he accuses the insightful liturgical theologian Alexander Schmemann of deviating from the Fathers, of dismissing "St. Constantine the Emperor" and his contributions to Christianity, and being a "Uniate." If any readers are familiar with Schmemann take a look. Many [traditional] Catholics and Orthodox with liturgical interest love Schmemann.
I am only vaguely familiar with Schememann, but the piece links to another piece written by Bishop Chrysostomos where he does something of a hack job on St. Francis for not conforming to certain (what appear to be 19th century Russian) Eastern Orthodox ideas about mysticism. He insinuates that the man was demonic, and even an Antichrist! I lack the expertise to parse his thoughts about Shememann, but it's hard to take him too seriously after reading that piece. My guess is that the Bishop has absolutized his reading of the tradition so much that even many of the most traditional of Orthodox walk around as suspected heretics in his eyes.
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