On "Bishop" Philaretos Bassett of the Russian True Orthodox Church (RTOC)

On “Bishop” Philaretos (Bassett) of Pallini and Western Europe of the Russian True Orthodox Church

by Bishop Sofronie of Suceava                                                    

The leader of this group (RTOC) is Archbishop Tikhon of Omsk and Siberia, the successor of Archbishop Lazarus Zhurbenko, who also has a rather complicated history. Their Christian community is very small, mainly in Russia and Ukraine, but they also have a few Christians in Greece and England. In charge of Christians in Greece and England is the so-called Bishop Philaretos of Pallini and Western Europe, a man with a troubled history, who is in charge of a monastery with a monk in Athens and a small parish in England. Having been born in the USA (his father being American), he knows English well and after being ordained a priest by the GOC synod (the Old Calendar Church of Greece, with which I have been in communion [currently headed by Archbishop Kallinikos]), for certain "personal reasons," if we can call them that, he left the GOC synod and was also subsequently defrocked in 1999. He first came under the omophorion of [then independent Metropolitan] Akakios of Diavleia, who had also broken away from the Old Calendar Greek Church, and after a few years went to another Old Calendar Greek synod, that of [Archbishop] Makarios. Later, he submitted to the Synod of Suzdal (ROAC [Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, currently headed by Metropolitan Theodore]) and, being dissatisfied with it as well, eventually chose to come under Tikhon, who immediately ordained him bishop, with the aim of "resurrecting" Orthodoxy in Greece and Europe (apparently also in Romania).

Thus, Philaretos went through all the old calendar confessions in Greece and beyond, pursuing, unfortunately, not the truth of faith, but consecration to the episcopate. Therefore, his elevation to the rank of bishop in the RTOC is null and void. Supporters of this group claim that they broke away from the GOC synod for reasons of communion with the Synod in Resistance led by [Metropolitan] Archbishop Cyprian, which is totally false, since on 23 December 2005 (OS) / 3 January 2006 (NS), Bishop Tikhon sent a letter to the Synod in Resistance asking for communion with it, but the reply was negative because, among other reasons, this so-called Tikhonite group (RTOC) does not baptize by immersion those who have been baptized by sprinkling by the Official Churches.

Source: Excerpt from “Press Release by Bishop Sofronie of Suceava on the RTOC,” published on May 8, 2023, at https://manastireasfantulglicherie.ro/comunicat-al-ps-episcop-sofronie-suceveanul-despre-rtoc/. Translation from the original Romanian.