2017 RESOLUTION FROM BOTOȘANI

RESOLUTION FROM BOTOȘANI OF THE NATIONAL ORTHODOX SYNAXIS FROM JUNE 18, 2017

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

We, the Orthodox clergy, monks, and faithful who oppose ecumenism, gathered on the Sunday of the Romanian Saints in the National Synaxis of clergy, monks, and faithful who have ceased the commemoration of the hierarchs participating in the assembly of Crete, out of the desire to preserve unchanged the Holy Orthodox Faith, which we have received from generation to generation from Christ, through the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers in our Holy Orthodox Church, which all Orthodox confessors have defended throughout history at the cost of their lives:

1. We condemn ecumenism as the heresy of all heresies, which, by denying the unity of the Church, aims to erase the boundary between Orthodoxy and the Christian-inspired heresies, other monotheistic religions, and pagan religions, and to achieve a syncretic religious union among them based on dogmatic minimalism and a so-called "unity in diversity"; we ask the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to definitively and irrevocably condemn ecumenism as a heresy and all ecumenist practices as heretical.

2. We condemn Freemasonry, as the author of ecumenism and all globalist ideologies, condemned by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church through Decree 785 of March 11, 1937, still in force today, as an anti-Christian organization and pagan religion; we recommend to all hierarchs, clergy, and the faithful Orthodox people to have no connection with it, as decided by the Holy Synod's decision of 1937.

3. We condemn the "World Council of Churches," the "Conference of European Churches," and all forms of ecumenist organization at the global, regional, national, or local levels as heretical syncretistic organizations, along with all erroneous spiritual practices inspired by the involvement of Orthodox in the ecumenist movement; we ask the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to disaffiliate the Romanian Orthodox Church from all these organizations, to cease participation at all levels of representation in all ecumenist activities: WCC or CEC general assemblies, theological agreements, theological commissions, common prayers, etc.

4. We condemn the so-called "Holy and Great Council of Crete" (June 2016) as a heretical assembly, reject all its documents on the grounds that they legislate ecumenism as an ecclesiological doctrine and missionary policy in the Orthodox Church, recognize an ecclesial status to heresies, destroy the principle of unanimity as a rule for validating a council, and approve mixed marriages; we ask the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to reexamine and reject them entirely.

5. We announce that, based on Apostolic Canons 31, 15 of the First-Second Council, and 3 of the Third Ecumenical Council, we have separated ourselves from the heresy of ecumenism by ceasing the commemoration in the holy services of the hierarchs who directly signed the decisions of the assembly in Crete, as well as those who tacitly accepted them by participating in the Holy Synod's meeting on October 28-29, 2016, or by not publicly condemning them; the cessation of commemoration will continue until the hierarchs publicly renounce these decisions, either at the level of the Holy Synod or personally, reserving the right to resume it whenever they engage the Church in any kind of ecumenist action of the type condemned in articles 1, 3, 4, which fulfill the conditions required by the canons invoked in this article for the cessation of commemoration of a bishop who preaches heresy.

6. Following the teachings of Saint Maximus the Confessor, we urge, support, and await all priests (especially those who openly confess against the assembly in Crete but have not yet ceased the commemoration) to, based on the Holy Canons mentioned in article 5 and the practice of the Holy Fathers in such situations, cease the commemoration of the hierarchs who do not publicly renounce the decisions of the assembly in Crete and to align themselves with the requests made to the Holy Synod regarding ecumenism, as formulated in articles 1, 3, 4.

7. We recommend that the faithful who, after thoroughly informing themselves about the heretical decisions of the assembly in Crete and the position of the Holy Synods and the Holy Fathers regarding those ecumenist errors, decide to break ecclesiastical communion with the hierarchs who partake in the ecumenism legalized by the assembly in Crete, to attend the churches of the priests who have ceased commemoration. In the spirit of humility and love, they should inform other Christians and the commemorating priests about the reasons that led them to break ecclesiastical communion with those who partake in heresy and to advocate for the fulfillment of the requests addressed to the Holy Synod regarding ecumenism, as formulated in articles 1, 3, 4.

8. We condemn the repression faced by priests, monks, and nuns who have ceased commemoration, or ecclesiastical communion, and based on the canons invoked in article 5, we consider the defrocking of these confessing priests as invalid. We give these priests the honor due to defenders of Orthodoxy against schism and heresy, as they have upheld their promise made at ordination to be shepherds of Christ's flock. We reject as insulting and uncanonical labels such as "former priest," "schismatic," "fanatic," etc.

9. We commend the position of those local Churches that have decided not to participate in the assembly in Crete, not to recognize its decisions, and to remain steadfast against ecumenism, as well as the position of the bishops who did not sign or have rejected the documents and publicly confess against that heretical assembly. We respectfully request that they use all the canonical and pastoral tools provided by the Holy Synods and the Holy Fathers to prevent the spread and entrenchment in the Church of the ecumenist heresy legalized in Crete and to work towards convening an Orthodox council that will officially condemn the assembly in Crete, ecumenism, and, by name, the bishops who remain adherents of these.

10. We strongly reject the accusation that by ceasing the commemoration of the hierarchs who partake in ecumenism and the assembly in Crete, we have committed a schismatic act or a revolt against the bishops of our Church. We are in communion with the local Churches and bishops who publicly reject ecumenism and the assembly in Crete, with their priests and faithful, as well as with the priests and faithful who have broken communion with the bishops who accept them. We remain within the Universal Orthodox Church, within the Romanian Orthodox Church, with no intention of separating from it, adhering to heretical or schismatic organizations, or coming under the obedience of any bishops other than those of our locality.

11. We await the hierarchs of our Church to renounce ecumenism and the assembly in Crete and to take the lead in the fight of Romanian Orthodox against ecumenism. We earnestly urge all the faithful Orthodox people to engage in fasting, prayer, and spiritual effort, so that God may raise up confessing Orthodox hierarchs and priests who will defend the Truth of Orthodoxy and safeguard His Holy Orthodox Church from the divisions caused by heresies and schisms.

Through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, of the Romanian Saints, whose commemoration we make today, of the Holy Martyrs of the communist prisons, and of all the Saints, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

Adopted in Botoșani, today, June 18, 2017, on the Sunday of the Romanian Saints, after participating in the Holy Liturgy at the "Transfiguration of the Lord" Parish, Orășeni Hermitage.

Romanian source: https://www.marturisireaortodoxa.ro/documente-programatice/