Salt that has Lost its Savor [1985]

The ever-memorable elder of Aegina, the clairvoyant Father Ieronymos, once said the following characteristic remark to one of his spiritual daughters: "I am deeply grieved when I see clergymen in a state of deception."

Indeed, this contemporary elder was justified in grieving over such priests, for the words of the Sacred Gospel are certainly applicable to them: "If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into a ditch" (Matt. 15:14), and, "If the salt hath lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" (Matt. 5:13).

Unfortunately, however, as evens show, not even the Holy Mountain – especially in our times – is free of guilt in this matter when examined in the light of the elder's words! We write these words with grief, because we, too, are monks of the Holy Mountain, and we should be praising that which is our own. Yet, above all else, we must always speak the truth.

For who is ignorant of the position taken by the Sacred Community of the Holy Mountain since 1924, when the heresy of Ecumenism began to reveal its purpose in actual deeds? On an official level, the Sacred Community fought and, till this day, continues to fight especially against the zealot fathers who resisted and protested against this heresy. If continues to wage this war, unfortunately, without showing any signs of repentance. Whereas sixty years of heretical innovation should have been more than enough to convince the Sacred Community of the validity of the struggle which the aforementioned fathers have undertaken, nonetheless, it stubbornly continues to regard these fathers as schismatics and rebels!

During the course of a whole decade, Patriarch Athenagoras left no sacred canon or doctrine standing intact, and yet the Sacred Community continued to extol him – to the degree that at his funeral, it even sent a telegram in which the members of this administrative body prayed that Athenagoras be ranked together with SS. John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, and Photius the Great in paradise!!

For thirteen years, Athenagoras' successor, Demetrios, continues to do the same, and despite this, the members of the Sacred Community insist on writing the following:

The Holy Mountain remains vigilant in matters of the Faith, as is shown by the many declarations which have been sent to our Mother Church... we do this remaining united with the Church, expressing ourselves as sons, with humility and without disturbance, without creating scandals which men who are bereft of understanding and spiritual discernment create, and the Mother Church harkens unto us.

(Episkepsis, March 15, 1985)

When did the Mother Church ever harken to them? What restraint has the Church of Constantinople ever set on its corruptive ecumenistic course? To this very day, does it not continue to esteem the Pope as one who retains unbroken apostolic succession, with valid mysteries and divine grace, and, therefore, since 1969, has not the "Mother Church" been commemorating him in its diptychs? And what of the Holy Fathers of old, who resisted and cut off communion with their innovating bishops for matters which were far less serious – were they also "bereft of understanding and spiritual discernment?"

Behold how, in the final analysis, these excuses and self-justifications on the part of the Sacred Community lead it to a position opposite to that taken by the Holy fathers and Confessors of the past!

Hence, how can one not weep over the sorry state of these monks who, instead of being the vigilant conscience of the Church – as they should be – have transformed themselves into the servants of the Phanar, rendering service unto heresy and evil doctrines?

If this evil were restricted only to the Holy Mountain, then our grief would be less. But when monks, priests and abbots go forth from the Holy Mountain in order to preach and enlighten, in order to confess and inspire "in an Orthodox manner" all their brothers who are living in the world, then the whole matter takes on dramatic proportions.

For example, this past Great lent, the former chief representative of the Holy Mountain, Fr. Theoklitos of Dionysiou Monastery, at the invitation of the [new calendar] bishop of Hydra, preached on the island of Spetsae, and extolled Bishop Hierotheos – who is a persecutor of the Orthodox – and at the same time denounced as one "deluded" the persecuted confessor, Archimandrite Chrysostom [Spyrou]! Behold the criteria of these contemporary "prominent" monastics of the Holy Mountain!

In view of such developments, how is it possible for the "union of the Churches" not to take place one hour sooner?

As the faithful in America and Australia inform us by letter, Athonite priestmonks (of the "new brotherhoods") visiting these countries, publicly proclaim that everyone must show obedience to the local "Orthodox" bishops, regardless of the fact that these bishops have overturned the sacred canons and betrayed the traditions of Orthodoxy. These Athonites take care to emphasize that they, too, on the Holy Mountain, commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch and obey the Great Church of Christ!

Regarding the confessor, Fr. G. Loutsas, who was "defrocked" by Stylianos, the Greek Archbishop of Australia, because he changed over to the traditional ecclesiastical calendar, the aforementioned Athonites (of the Monastery of Gregoriou, as we have been informed) that the following at one assembly of the faithful:

Do not go to his church, because he is defrocked and his mysteries are invalid. It is the same as if you were to go to a house and drink a glass of wine. Such is the holy communion that you take there.

So we see that, whereas the old Athonites strengthened the faithful in Orthodoxy, the newer ones teach them to remain steadfast in heterodoxy and heresy!

It is indeed tragic for one to consider how the monastic order of Athonites has reached such a state of decline.

 

Original Greek source: Αγιορίτης, June 1985.

English source: Orthodox Christian Witness, Vol. XVIII, No. 50 (853), August 19/September 1, 1985, pp. 2-5.