"I grew up with the feeling that I belong to a minority": An Interview with Vladyka Klimis

Ondrej Rác | September 25, 2025

(Translated from published Czech edition)

 

With the interview with Bishop Klimis, Metropolitan of Larissa and Platamon, we continue the series of interviews through which the Greek Orthodox Old Calendarist Church is being presented. Vladyka Klimis oversees the Moravian Eparchy of this Church, which is composed of Czech, Slovak, and Polish Orthodox Christians. The interview took place on the occasion of Metropolitan Klimis’s visit to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2025. The first of the interviews, in which Dr. Ondrej Rác responded, is published here:  https://info.dingir.cz/2025/08/35717/

- The Editors.

 

You are a bishop. In the Orthodox tradition, a bishop usually comes from monasticism. What was your path to monasticism and the priesthood?

It was the natural path of someone who, from childhood, lived in the Church and served her and her work with all his strength. Already at a very early age, more than 50 years ago, I began singing in the church choir, studied theology, received monastic tonsure, served for approximately two decades as a deacon and priest, and in the year 2007 I was elevated—without desiring or seeking it (on the contrary, I tried by all means to avoid it)—to the episcopal ministry. It seems this was God's will. It is a great honor, for which I am deeply thankful to God's love for mankind, but at the same time also a great cross, the burden of which I can bear only with God's help and with the prayers of all who esteem me and love me.

Was there something you would like and be able to share, which you consider key in your decision for monasticism?

Love for God and for the Church.

The figure of Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos was known even outside of Greece. How did he influence you spiritually?

My spiritual father, Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Phyle (†2013), of blessed memory, was the person who profoundly influenced my decision for the monastic life. I needed help, encouragement, and inspiration. He tonsured me a monk and ordained me to the first two degrees of the priesthood. I am grateful to him for everything he offered me, for what he taught me, and for the example he set for me.

He was a spiritual man, cautious, prudent. A man of order, system, and creativity. A man focused on the essence, who could distinguish the important from the unimportant, the primary from the secondary. A man persevering in good, patient in trials, a man of sacrifice and service. He was a true spiritual father and superior in the monastic life.

Throughout his entire path, of course, there were also contentious points regarding his ecclesiastical decisions (his personal life, however, was Christ-centered, Eucharistic, and utterly pure), but these are for God and history to judge. The work and the people he left behind speak for themselves—and whoever has eyes to see, sees.

In Greece, the main church is the Church of Greece. However, you belong to the Greek Orthodox Old Calendarist Church. This distinction is not entirely clear in our country. How would you explain it to Czech Orthodox Christians?

The Church of Greece is the official church of our country, to which, theoretically, the overwhelming majority of the population belongs. The leadership of this church introduced, a hundred years ago in 1924, into its liturgical life the so-called new calendar—and this on the basis of a political directive, but also by the will of some of the highest-ranking modernist clergymen, who had deviated from the Orthodox tradition and sought to introduce innovations in order to draw closer to Western non-Orthodox Christians.

The first step of this rapprochement was the joint celebration of feasts according to the Western Gregorian calendar, which was in force in civil life, and this in the spirit of ecumenism. The ecumenical movement, which emerged mainly among Protestant Christians with the aim of unified missionary activity, common witness, and social service, found a response also among some Orthodox clergy and professors. These had studied in the West and were influenced by the political and religious currents of their time.

According to the Orthodox faith and tradition, however, the joint celebration of feasts with those of other confessions, as well as common action and witness in the world, is only possible once unity has been achieved in the faith of the one, singular, and undivided Church of Christ. This Church is historically identical with the Eastern Orthodox Church. This conviction was and is the true confession of Orthodox Christians, for the Orthodox Church believes and experiences that which has always and everywhere constituted the truth of the Church—by which we mean the experience and consciousness recorded in her written monuments, as well as the faith and awareness of her ancient and modern saints.

This is not an arrogant statement, but a firm biblical conviction that “there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Drawing near to those of other confessions makes sense only as a missionary appeal to their repentance and their entry into the fullness of catholicity and truth—that is, into the Orthodox Church, which is identical with the “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church” of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

It follows from this that the acceptance of the new calendar—whether under the pretext of correcting an alleged astronomical error in the Orthodox Paschalion, or for political and secular purposes, or for rapprochement with those of other confessions—is, for the Orthodox conscience, a violation of a fundamental principle. Therefore, there was resistance on the part of simple clergy and laity against this uncanonical decision, which was implemented without pan-Orthodox consensus, thereby causing division among the Orthodox—which is inadmissible. Some local churches (the majority and more numerous) remained with the so-called old (ecclesiastical) calendar, while others adopted the new calendar. The result is that to this day there remains a division in the celebration of feasts, and the issue has remained open and unresolved for an entire century. The official churches, which seek to reinforce and expand this liturgical innovation for ecumenical reasons, do not wish a return to Orthodox practice. On the contrary, they are attempting to drag into error even those local churches which, for serious and pastoral reasons, do not intend to accept either the new calendar or the new Paschalion, which has recently been much discussed.

Our forefathers, who in Greece stood against the introduction of this innovation, acted rightly, in accordance with the sacred canons, which permit separation from those who err in matters of faith and tradition (31st Apostolic Canon, 15th Canon of the First-Second Council), in order that the innovation might not spread but rather be corrected. This does not mean schism, but on the contrary, the correction of the schism introduced by the innovators. Those in the Greek Church who stood against the new calendar and later against the ecclesiological heresy of ecumenism were called authentic or true Orthodox Christians [in the Czech context, the term “Old Calendarist” became common – ed. note], and they formed a distinct ecclesiastical body in order to fulfill their mission. Their communities, parishes, and monasteries came to number in the hundreds across the country. From the year 1935, when bishops joined their ranks, they were ecclesiastically structured according to synodal order. In the years 1960 and 1962, they received episcopal consecration from the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and continue in their holy mission both in our homeland and in the diaspora—not only among Greek Orthodox Christians, but wherever they are asked for ecclesiastical assistance and spiritual care, sharing its principles, mission, and ministry.

We strive for the unity of the Church, which has been disrupted—but on the basis of Orthodox principles, not according to political or ecumenical aims and intentions.

How are you viewed in Greece?

In Greece, we are perceived as a minority that insists on upholding the principles of Orthodoxy. These principles, though still worthy of respect for a large portion of people, are for the most part already considered outdated. Few understand the very essence of our mission, and few share our struggle and what we are striving for. The majority—within the framework of the secularization of postmodern society—view us as so-called “Old Calendarists,” as people clinging to the past, as backward-looking individuals who are not in harmony with the spirit of the times. Contemporary society, after all, generally perceives Christianity itself as in many respects outdated and incompatible with the needs and demands of modern man, who feels no need for God. For understandable reasons, then, the opinion of the majority of society toward those who strive for a pure and unadulterated form of Orthodox Christianity is even more dismissive and contemptuous.

Unfortunately, this has also been contributed to by the fact that within the Old Calendarist movement, there appeared various extremes among individuals who were characterized by fanaticism and a general tendency toward arbitrary separation, self-justification, and harsh condemnation of all others.

Likewise, there were individuals who exploited our situation and, under the pretense of ecclesiastical separation—supposedly for reasons of faith and conscience—entered among the Old Calendarists with the aim of promoting other interests: personal, self-serving, and opportunistic. There arose various arbitrary actions, divisions, and confusions.

We strive to bear good witness both to those near and far, despite the fact that in our milieu during the past century there have appeared problems caused by human weakness and the cunning of the devil. However, we can say with certainty that our honest and self-sacrificing effort, which is spreading also through the internet, has in recent years contributed to correcting public opinion about us. Anyone who is a person of good will can, even on the basis of serious historical study, discern who among the Old Calendarist Orthodox represents the true continuation of our Church, free from extremes and arbitrariness—according to the line bequeathed to us by our leader, the holy Metropolitan Chrysostomos, Bishop of Florina († 1955). Sources of information are available.

You serve in the city of Larissa in Greece, which is an ancient episcopal see. Could you briefly introduce it?

In Larissa, our Church has had an episcopal see since 1979, when my predecessor, Metropolitan Athanasios († 2021), a native of this region, was consecrated. After many decades of service here, he left a positive mark through his consistency and seriousness. He was a peaceable man, a lover of the divine services, and at the same time a fighter. Since January 2022, I have been serving in this beautiful and historic city of Thessaly, located in the geographic center of Greece, even though I myself come from northern Greece and had served for decades in the south of the country.

In the region, we have churches, parishes, and a considerable number of faithful. However, there are few priests (only 7), which is not enough to meet all the ecclesiastical needs. A major problem is the lack of new vocations to the priestly ministry. Even I, though a bishop, am often obliged on Sundays and feast days to serve alone, like a simple clergyman, in order to meet the needs of the faithful. We place emphasis on ensuring a proper liturgical life and on meeting the immediate pastoral needs—on my part, this primarily means the sacraments of repentance, that is, confession, and the preaching of the word of God.

We established a charitable association for the implementation of social and philanthropic work. We maintain the active website of our Metropolis, which is updated almost daily, and we publish a special brochure Bastion of Orthodoxy (Έπαλξις Ορθοδοξίας) to acquaint the wider public with our witness and work in Christ, which is carried out with His blessing and help. We also publish books and brochures about our identity and spiritual mission.

The patron saint of our city is Saint Achilleos, the protector of Larissa, who lived in the 4th century. A co-patron is Saint Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa during the time of Turkish rule (16th century), a wonderworker. Daily we turn to their intercessions, that they may help and guide us. However, our primary hope and refuge is the Most Holy Mother of God Mary, our Panagia, the Mother to whom our cathedral church is dedicated.

For a long time, the Greek Old Calendarist Church was outlawed. What is the situation today?

From the very beginning, our Old Calendarist Church faced fierce persecution both from the state and from ecclesiastical innovators. We even had martyrs who shed their blood for their unwavering stance in favor of authentic Orthodoxy. Our martyric leader, Saint Chrysostomos (Kavouridis) of Florina († 1955), was twice sent into exile (in the years 1935 and 1952) and endured unimaginable sufferings. The same holds true for many other clergy, monks, and laypeople—may their memory be eternal!

Today, we no longer face open persecution, because the times are no longer favorable to such methods; nonetheless, there exist indirect forms of discrimination against our Church.

What kind of persecution did you experience as the Greek Old Calendarist Orthodox Church, and how do you remember it?

For decades, both before and after the Second World War, throughout the 20th century, we faced open persecution from authoritarian political and ecclesiastical authorities. This lasted until the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. I was born during that time, and therefore I do not have personal experience of those dreadful years. But from childhood, we grew up on the stories of relatives and acquaintances from our circles who did have such experiences.

In my time, as I remember, we were mainly pointed at as “Old Calendarists.” I grew up with the feeling that I belonged to a minority that was the object of ridicule. There was a kind of social pressure, something like bullying. During my studies at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Thessaloniki, I had to be especially cautious so that my ecclesiastical affiliation would not be revealed, otherwise I could have had problems continuing and completing my studies.

Later, in 1994, when I participated as a hieromonk in a significant anti-ecumenical conference in Athens, where I delivered a lecture, the official Church of Greece intervened with the military authorities and requested that I be defrocked and drafted into the army! At that time, together with other clergy and monks of our Church who faced a similar issue, we appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court and were acquitted. Secular justice treated us more humanely than the supposedly kind and philanthropic church, which once again forgot its mission and behaved—to its great shame—as a persecutor.

And although I forgive the wrongs committed, I nevertheless remain cautious, because I am not an irresponsible person.

Ecumenism is a worldwide phenomenon. Most churches and Christian organizations engage in it to varying degrees. Is there any form of cooperation between Christian churches that you consider permissible without compromising the faith?

No, there is no form of cooperation between Christian churches. It is something new, which is not found in the history of the Church. Social relations based on mutual understanding and neighborly coexistence can exist, especially in regions where Christianity is generally a minority and where the state, in seeking to secure legal advantages, tries to support the formation of informal bodies to discuss shared issues. But even in such cases, great care must be taken to avoid erroneous conclusions and practices that contradict the canonical tradition of the Church—such as, for example, common prayers. If such things occur, then we are truly dealing with an impermissible compromise in the faith, which is unacceptable for us.

Is there cooperation in Greece between Old Calendarists and New Calendarists?

No, neither officially nor unofficially. On a personal and local level among individuals, yes, because we live together with our fellow citizens and compatriots. We are obliged to live in peace, solidarity, social responsibility, and mutual assistance.

What would you advise an Orthodox believer who begins to doubt ecumenism?

That he carefully examine this issue, and above all, that he pray and ask the Lord to inwardly instruct him concerning His will.

What is your relationship with the bishop of the official Greek Orthodox Church in Larissa?

We maintain a courteous social relationship. We avoid any tension. Our statements and witness regarding our positions and views are not of a personal nature. Moreover, it is evident that we operate in different spheres. Thus, each of us is free to reflect, assess, and draw his own conclusions without prejudice.

Your Synod is known for its missionary activity. Where are your Orthodox missions active?

On nearly all continents of the world. In Europe (Germany, Italy, England, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland), in the Americas (USA, Canada, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil), in Africa (Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Zambia), on the border of Europe and Asia (Georgia, South Ossetia), in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia), and in Oceania (Australia, New Zealand).

How do you view the use of liturgical language in missionary work in countries where Greek is not spoken?

Each region has the duty to worship God in its own local language. Our divine service is “reasonable” (λογική λατρεία), and therefore requires the conscious participation of the faithful who take part in it. However, care must be taken that translations of biblical and liturgical texts are rendered in a dignified and sacred manner, so that they truly transmit spirit and life.

What were the first steps of your mission in the Czech Republic, and how did it begin?

As far as I know, some faithful from the Czech Republic began to take an interest in the questions of ecumenism, searched and discovered our church community in Greece, and around the year 2000 requested spiritual assistance. This created a spiritual relationship. The result was the founding of small centers of traditionalist Orthodox faith in the Czech Republic, the first of which was the house community of the priest Fr. Jeremiáš Cvak in Jezdovice near Třešť.

(https://info.dingir.cz/2025/08/nabozenstvi-na-cestach-pravoslavni-krestane-v-jezdovicich/)

This place was visited both by the late Metropolitan Cyprian († 2013) and by Bishop (now Metropolitan) Ambrose of Methone, as well as by other of our clergy.

How do you recall the beginnings of your service among Czech Orthodox Christians?

I first visited the Czech Republic as a bishop in the summer of 2008, when we held the ceremonial opening of our first and, at that time, only Orthodox church in the country—in Jezdovice. It is dedicated to Saint Archbishop John Maximovich. It was a particularly blessed experience. Since then, I have formed a spiritual bond with the small missionary community there, and subsequently, several more visits took place in the following years.

The mission developed slowly but surely, and this continues to this day, which is encouraging. Naturally, there were also painful cases of laypeople or clerics who turned away from us; this, however, was mostly due to personal difficulties which they were unable to overcome.

A great helper and co-worker in this work was—and still is—our Czech priest, Father Jiří Ján—a convert to Orthodoxy and a scholar of Greek. He serves as my interpreter and also as a link with the local environment. Without his invaluable assistance, no essential part of this effort could have been realized.

It is well known that in many parts of the world, more than one Orthodox jurisdiction is active. In our country, the autocephalous Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia is present. How do you respond to the claim that your mission interferes with its canonical territory?

What applies to Greece also applies to other regions. My answer to your first question already contains the answer to this one. Whoever does not accept our existence and presence in Greece—mistakenly regarding it as uncanonical and schismatic—naturally cannot accept our activity in any other geographical area either.

You are also the administrator of the Moravian Eparchy. What does that mean exactly?

With God's help, I oversee and support the development of our missionary presence and witness in the territory of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, until it becomes possible to establish a more suitable form of ecclesiastical organization for traditionalist Orthodoxy in this region—specifically through the appointment of someone as a local bishop. Once a year, I visit parts of the eparchy, primarily in the Czech Republic, but I also remain in ongoing contact and communication with the clergy in order to address matters requiring my care and blessing, so that church life may proceed in a proper and God-pleasing manner.

Can it be said that this eparchy is defined more by the persons of the faithful than by geography?

Church life and development are always locally determined—in a specific geographical area where the faithful live and act. Persons and place are inseparable. Wherever faithful appear, effort and care are exerted to ensure ecclesiastical service for them through the establishment of a local community. In this way, our various small communities in the territory of the Moravian Eparchy have come into being.

In Czechia and Slovakia, there are parishes that follow the old calendar and others the new calendar. This often leads to the same feasts being celebrated on different dates. Does a similar phenomenon occur in Greece? What pastoral and spiritual challenges arise from this?

As we have already said, the fact that some introduced a liturgical innovation into the Orthodox context brought with it an inadmissible phenomenon—an internal division among Orthodox Christians regarding the celebration of feasts. This is essentially in contradiction to the work and care of the holy Church Fathers, who, through sacred councils and canons, strove to ensure that all Orthodox Christians would celebrate the feasts together, outwardly as well, at the same time, as a sign of unity in faith, mutual love, and unanimity.

Differing celebration brings division and schism and must be corrected immediately—not, however, by yielding to the calendar innovation, but by returning to the traditional ecclesiastical calendar.

In recent decades, the New Calendar Church in Greece has, in regions with conservative populations, established parishes that do indeed use the Old Calendar, but belong to the New Calendar Church and commemorate their local bishop. This, however, was not done out of reverence for tradition or from any genuine concern for correcting an error, but for uniate-like reasons—that is, in order to preserve an outward form for the purpose of deceiving the faithful, so that they would not join the Old Calendarist Church. Such a practice is dishonest and condemnable.

You also concern yourself with Church history. What is your attitude toward Saints Cyril and Methodius?

They are exceptionally great missionaries of the Orthodox Church who entered history with their unique contribution to both the Church and culture. We hold them in immense gratitude and should regard them as protectors and inspirers of our ecclesiastical life. Especially in our Moravian Eparchy, we consider ourselves the direct continuators of their holy mission, in the very place where they began and carried it out. Several years ago, I wrote an extensive text about them, addressing the entire issue and significance of their unique work, as well as their message for the present time.

Did there exist veneration of these saints in Greece, and how were they perceived?

Veneration of these great saints from Thessaloniki was renewed in Greece especially in the last decades of the 20th century, when they began to receive due recognition.

Europe is facing serious problems with uncontrolled and illegal migration, as well as with the integration of immigrants—especially economic migrants—into local societies. How is this problem manifesting in Greece?

Because Greece represents the main entry gate into Europe from the East, it is precisely Greece that is facing an exceptionally serious problem with uncontrolled migration flows. The Orthodox Church has always been open in offering help to people in need, regardless of their origin. Her mission is to assist every person in a difficult situation.

In this case, however, it is mostly not about people in need. They are not coming to us to escape the horrors of war or other disasters. These are not exhausted women with children, nor elderly, sick, or wounded people. Such individuals make up only a small portion. The overwhelming majority are young, strong, physically fit men, who moreover often have no verifiable identity documents.

It is essentially an army, a “peaceful invasion” of our homeland and of Europe, a conquest from within. These are compact groups of people, mostly of Muslim faith, who do not come in order to peacefully integrate into the local environment with respect for its culture and history, but in order to settle and assert themselves. They are a foreign body that does not assimilate. The serious problems that arise from this for Greece and for Europe are well known.

What I am saying is not an expression of racism, but bare fact. Decisive political measures must be taken to address this urgent and dangerous problem, which is leading toward a change in the population and culture of Greece and Europe. However, since I am not a specialist on this subject, it is not my place to speak about it. As spiritual fathers, we only sound the alarm.

Missionary activity among these people is not the topic. They do not give us the opportunity, nor any sign of openness. The issue is how we ourselves will protect and preserve our religious and national identity. And it is precisely here that the Church has the duty to play a leading role as part of her mission.

The fact that we are not xenophobic does not mean that we are naïve, nor that under the pretext of vague love and tolerance we will accept our own decline and self-destruction without taking steps to protect and preserve our Christian identity. Moreover, Greece and Europe are facing a serious demographic problem, while these so-called migrants have many children with multiple women. It is simply and logically evident what will happen within a few decades if the necessary restrictive measures are not taken.

If an Orthodox Christian realizes that he would like to join the Church of the True Orthodox Christians of Greece, what procedure should he follow? Is there a predetermined way or guidance for such a step?

The person should turn to the appropriate priest—spiritual father—and discuss this matter with him. Given the seriousness of such a step, the bishop of our Church responsible for the given area should be informed, so that he may determine the manner in which the interested individual will be integrated into our ecclesiastical life. I am convinced that in such matters, the spirit of discernment and graciousness should always prevail—a spirit which, after all, reflects the philanthropic spirit of the sacred canons of our Church.

 

Czech source:

https://info.dingir.cz/2025/09/vyrustal-jsem-s-pocitem-ze-patrim-k-mensine-rozhovor-s-vladykou-klimentem/