The Romanian Old Calendar Church on the "Russian True Orthodox Church" and "Bishop" Philaretos

Communiqué of His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Suceava regarding the RTOC

 

Beloved faithful,

Christ is risen!

With the help of the Good God, we have reached the Holy Paschal Feast, which I hope has found each of you at peace both with yourselves and with your neighbor. As always, let us give glory to God, for He has sent us again this year His love and blessing through the Holy Light that descended in Jerusalem, and we hope that through this undeniable truth, Christians will realize that our God has not forgotten us, even though we often forget Him and remember Him perhaps only in times of distress and trouble.

Although the Paschal joy is extraordinary, among my duties is also the responsibility of maintaining good order in the spiritual life of you, the Christians entrusted to me for shepherding. Even though the Great Fast has ended, and each has experienced its effort according to their own labor, this period following the Holy Resurrection is not one of relaxation, but one of continuing and persevering in prayer and good deeds. It is true that the Holy Fathers have established a more lenient period, both in terms of services and daily rules, as well as in terms of dietary allowances. However, from this leniency, we must not create mockery and continuous indulgence, but rather strengthen our bodies (which are presumed to have weakened due to the fast) with prudence and moderation, as should be the life of a Christian.

In his Epistle to the Ephesians (chapter 6, verses 9-18), Saint Apostle Paul gives us teaching on how we should be as Christians, likening us to a soldier preparing for battle. However, our battle is not physical but spiritual. Moreover, this battle is continuous, unlike a worldly war that eventually ends. Our struggle ends when we reach the end of our earthly life: “Brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Furthermore, we must understand that everything we do must be done in God, that is, placing Him first as our helper and guide, because without His support, we cannot bring to a good end any good work that has continuity and is beneficial both for us and for others.

Certainly, since I have already mentioned fasting and the fact that even though it has ended, we must not now discard its elements, it is important to also speak of prayer. Prayer must be unceasing, and through it, the Christian acquires a breastplate, an armor, by which we can repel the poisoned arrows of the cunning enemy. The less and more superficial the prayer, the more fragile that breastplate becomes, and the three rulers who battle against us – the flesh, the world, and the devil – can more easily wound us.

These brief guidelines are meant both to strengthen you in the true faith and in the practice of good works. For what benefit is it, brethren, if someone says they have divine faith but do not have works befitting that faith? This is also what the Apostle James teaches us, saying: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).

And because, as I mentioned, our struggle is continuous, I would like to bring up another matter. I have been informed that in Vatra Dornei there are plans to build a church by certain clerics who also follow the Julian calendar but with whom we do not share Eucharistic communion. These "clerics" belong to a branch that split from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, a branch calling itself the RTOC (Russian True Orthodox Church). To establish this "parish" in Vatra Dornei, they appointed one of their "priests," Daniel Candrescu, a former member of our Church, who many years ago renounced the teaching we received from our forefathers at the cost of their blood and who was "ordained" in this group. I do not wish to open debates on this topic, nor do I want to cast blame on anyone, especially in this online environment. However, it is my duty to warn you that these individuals are not in communion with us. Even though they follow the old calendar and may present themselves to you as priests "on the old calendar," know that they are NOT part of our Church. They merely use our name to deceive you.

The bishop holds the most important role in the Church. Therefore, during services, he stands with his feet on a round rug on which an eagle is depicted. The significance of that eagle is as follows: just as this bird is very vigilant and selects its prey from a great distance, in the same way, the bishop must watch over the entrusted flock from above, to observe danger and save it from destruction. Thus, sensing the approaching danger, it is necessary to inform you about certain details regarding these clerics. Since there is no Eucharistic communion between our Church and them, it means that there are certain problems there.

The leader of this group (RTOC) is Archbishop Tikhon of Omsk and Siberia, the successor of Archbishop Lazar Zhurbenko, who also has a rather complicated history. The community of Christians belonging to this group is very small, predominantly found in Russia and Ukraine, with a few members also in Greece and England. Responsible for the Christians in Greece and England is the so-called Bishop Philaret [Bassett] of Pallini and Western Europe, a man with a troubled history, overseeing a monastery with one monk in Athens and a small parish in England. Born in the USA (his father being American), he speaks English well. After being ordained as a priest by the Synod of the GOC (the Old Calendar Church of Greece with which we were in communion), he left the GOC Synod due to certain "personal considerations," if they can be called so, and was later deposed in 1999. He first came under the omophorion of Akakios of Diavleia, who had also separated from the Old Calendar Church of Greece. After a few years, he joined another Old Calendar Synod in Greece, that of Makarios. Later, he submitted to the Synod of Suzdal (ROAC) but, dissatisfied with it as well, ultimately chose to come under Tikhon, who immediately consecrated him as a bishop with the purpose of "reviving" Orthodoxy in Greece and Europe (and, apparently, also in Romania).

Thus, Philaret has wandered through all the Old Calendarist confessions in Greece and beyond, unfortunately seeking not the truth of faith but his consecration to the rank of bishop. Therefore, his elevation to the episcopal rank within the RTOC is null. Supporters of this group claim they separated from the GOC Synod due to communion with the Synod in Resistance led by Metropolitan Cyprian, a claim that is entirely false. On December 23, 2005 (Old Style) / January 3, 2006 (New Style), Bishop Tikhon sent a letter to the Synod in Resistance requesting communion with them, but the response was negative because, among other reasons, this group, called Tikhonite (RTOC), does not baptize by immersion those who were baptized by sprinkling in the official churches.

Moreover, driven by pride and a zeal uncharacteristic of an Orthodox Christian, one of our priests, Hariton, chose to become part of this "church" that claims to be "true" and was received by Bishop Philaret. For this reason, our Holy Synod decided to depose this hieromonk, and we explicitly warn our faithful not to attend the "services" officiated by him.

If you engage in discussions with them and they raise certain topics/issues, or if you yourselves have questions regarding them, I strongly urge you to discuss these matters with your spiritual father or with any other cleric of our Church to clarify them.

Recalling the words of the Lord, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21), I urge you, my beloved, to remain close to the Church, not to separate yourselves from its body, to pay close attention to its teachings, and to follow them. Strive, as much as possible, to be balanced and temperate.

Christ is risen!

Yours in prayer to God,

Bishop Sofronie of Suceava

Translated from the original Romanian.