Announcement Concerning the Case of Protopresbyter Nikolaos Dimaras

On Thursday, May 23 / June 5, 2025, during its ninth regular Session, the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, under the Presidency of His Beatitude Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens and All Greece, discussed among other matters the long-standing case of the Reverend Fr. Nikolaos Dimaras. His letter was read, in which there was indeed a request for forgiveness; however, certain deficiencies were ascertained and pointed out.

The Holy Synod decided to summon him to a meeting with a committee of three Hierarchs for the provision of certain supplementary clarifications toward the final resolution of the case.

Wherefore, on Thursday, May 30/June 12, 2025 in the afternoon, Fr. Nikolaos was received by a three-member Synodal Committee. During the discussion that took place, Fr. Nikolaos agreed to provide supplementary clarifications. On the following day, he sent the following electronic message, as follows:

Your Beatitude Archbishop of our Church, kyr kyr Kallinikos, Most Reverend Hierarchs of our Holy Synod, Your blessing.

Supplementary to what I mention in my electronic letter dated May 22/June 4, 2025, to the Holy Synod through His Eminence Mr. Photios, I also submit the following clarifications:

In my aforementioned letter there is the statement concerning the Apostolic Succession: “which was preserved and continues to be preserved in its fullness in our Church.” It is clarified that this also includes the ability of the Bishops of our Church to judge ecclesiastical offenses, always in accordance with the Holy Canons.

To the request for forgiveness which I make to the Hierarchs of our Holy Synod, I add that I ask forgiveness from His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Attica and Boeotia, kyr Chrysostomos, for the disparaging characterizations directed toward him, as I have already stated (March 11, 2025), among other things, that he is: “a tyrant,” “with fascistic, indiscriminate, and heretical despotic behavior toward priests, monks, nuns, and laypeople (and also toward Hierarchs),” anathematized, excommunicated, “cut off from communion,” that “he believed he would dominate the monasteries, blackmailing them to transfer their property assets to him, behaving in a most brutal manner toward monks and nuns. He attempted, and in part succeeded, to drain the property assets of the monasteries in order to hold them under his fascistic and papal pseudo-authority,” that “he continuously brings reproach upon the Orthodox Church,” that “he belongs among the Ecumenists,” etc., and I declare unequivocally that he is not an Ecumenist.

Finally, I place myself under the judgment of His Beatitude, for the imposition of the most appropriate spiritual penance toward the final resolution of the case.

Beseeching Your God-pleasing prayers,
the last of all and unworthy servant of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Fr. Nikolaos Dimaras.

See the anti-ecumenist statements of His Eminence kyr Chrysostomos and the supplementary memorandum submitted to the Minutes.

Thereafter, His Beatitude Archbishop kyr Kallinikos, having communicated with the Reverend Protopresbyter Nikolaos Dimaras, imposed upon him the spiritual penance of temporary suspension from all priestly functions. However, since certain posts subsequently appeared on the internet which created the impression of a retraction by Fr. Nikolaos, explanations were requested from him in view of the Session of the Holy Synod on June 17/30, 2025, to which he was also invited. Fr. Nikolaos, responding, sent the following message:

Your Eminence kyros Photios! Your blessing!

I declare clearly and emphatically that I do not claim infallibility, nor am I above the Synod, and I ask once again for forgiveness, if the matter was rekindled by malicious critics of us and of our Synod.

Our Synod knows clearly better and more precisely the true and actual events and judges them far more rightly than our wretchedness and lowliness; I am persuaded by the explanations that were given by our holy hierarchs and by our Synod, and since our Church issues its decisions synodally—as I have declared explicitly and in writing, having signed the Confession of Faith (which I accept to this day) without ever retracting it— let the opinion of our Synod prevail, to which I submit as rightly dividing the word of truth,

and

I am under suspension, which I observe—suspension imposed by our Beatitude the Archbishop from the following Sunday until the Feast of the Holy Apostles—and we remain absolutely faithful to the agreements made with our three holy hierarchs.

This present message, I kindly ask you to publish wherever it is necessary and also in response to those who maliciously condemn us and our Synod—whom I categorically state that I do not know, what they wrote, what they are writing, who they are, and where and when they wrote anything—since I do not follow developments on social media, due to very serious health problems and my imminent admission to a clinic in Germany.

Beseeching Your God-pleasing prayers,
Fr. Nikolaos Dimaras

Fr. Nikolaos sent two additional supplementary messages confirming the first and expressing acceptance of the synodal decisions; therefore, the Holy Synod, during its Session of June 17/30, 2025, accepted his explanations and determined that the end of his suspension (which has rather a symbolic character) shall not occur automatically upon the passing of a set period, but that a prayer of absolution must be read over him in person. Wherefore, he was invited to Athens on the evening of Friday, June 28/July 11, 2025, at the celebrating Holy Church of the Holy Apostles in Daphne during the Great Vespers, where, in the presence of His Beatitude our Archbishop kyr Kallinikos and of whichever Hierarchs are able to attend, the prayer of absolution will be read over him by the authorized His Eminence Metropolitan of Attica and Boeotia kyr Chrysostomos, and the day of the conclusion of the suspension will be appointed, which may also be immediate, provided that his conduct until then indeed demonstrates sincere repentance.

The favorable conclusion of this case, which for a long period caused serious turmoil in our Church and distressed many souls, constitutes a cause for thanksgiving to the divine Founder of the Holy Orthodox Church, our Lord Jesus Christ, along with the prayer that this trial may instruct and bring understanding to all, toward the avoidance of hasty and indiscriminate actions, toward better communication and mutual understanding, toward a readiness to comprehend one another, and toward the prevalence of the spirit of love, unity, and peace.

From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy Synod
Athens, June 17/30, 2025

 

Greek source:

https://www.ecclesiagoc.gr/index.php/%CE%B5%CE%BD%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%81%CF%89%CF%83%CE%B7/%E1%BC%80%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BD%CF%8E%CF%83%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%82/2368-anakoinwsis-peri-tis-ypothesewv-tou-aid-pr-p-nikolaou-dimara