Nikolaos Mannis | February 7, 2024
[Parts 1 and 2]
[Trans. note: "Sakarellism" refers to the ideology
of the Greek New Calendarist theologian and canonist Athanasios Sakarellos
(+2021), who spent a period of his life in the Church of the G.O.C. and
influenced many prominent Genuine Orthodox with an exclusionary and
isolationist ecclesiology. It fails to recognize, among other facts, the
historical reality of the fragmentation of resistance to heresy prior to its
definitive condemnation by a Pan-Orthodox body, due to disagreements,
misunderstandings, human failings, etc.]
After the theoretical
deconstruction of Sakarellism to which none of its remaining proponents
(Archbishop Mr. Kallinikos Sarantopoulos, Fr. Nikolaos Dimaras, et al.)
has responded so far,
(See: http://krufo-sxoleio.blogspot.com/2023/03/blog-post.html)
a new series of articles is being
inaugurated, concerning the consequences of the practical application of
Sakarellism, in order that the ecclesiological alienation suffered by the once
rightly-believing good portion of the Genuine Orthodox may be better
understood.
Based on the ecclesiological
heresy of Sakarellism, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church is
blasphemously identified with the "Church of the G.O.C. of Greece" of
Archbishop Mr. Kallinikos (successor of Archbishop Chrysostomos Kiousis).
From the heretical periodical
"Orthodox Observer" (no. 120/Sept.-Oct. 1995), which was published by
Kalliopios of Pentapolis together with Kallinikos of Achaia, under the
supervision of Athanasios Sakarellos.
[Translated: We agree that all true
and genuine Orthodox Christians must unite with the One Church, which exists
and functions under our Holy Synod. It is the Church that continues its life
from the day of its founding, Holy Pentecost. Whoever truly desires Union has
no choice but to depart from the false churches, which are perpetuated by
various unceasing opportunistic monks, who pose as “archbishops,”
“metropolitans,” “bishops,” or other so-called “clergy”... They are all false
bishops, deposed and unconsecrated.]
Therefore, every Mystery
performed outside the “Church of the G.O.C. of Greece” of Mr. Kallinikos is
considered as being performed outside the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
Church, that is, as invalid or, more correctly, as non-existent!
Let us see what consequences this
has in practice by citing two or three characteristic examples:
1. On the official website of the
“Church of the G.O.C. of Greece” of Mr. Kallinikos
we observe the following [honorific]
order of Metropolitans:
1st. Metropolitan of Piraeus &
Salamis, Mr. Gerontios
2nd. Metropolitan of Attica & Boeotia, Mr. Chrysostomos
3rd. Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Mr. Gregory
4th. Metropolitan of Demetrias, Mr. Photios
5th. Metropolitan of Toronto, Mr. Moses
6th. Metropolitan of America, Mr. Demetrius
7th. Metropolitan of Philippi and Maroneia, Mr. Ambrose
8th. Metropolitan of Oropos and Phyle, Mr. Kyprianos
9th. Metropolitan of Larisa and Platamon, Mr. Clement
10th. Metropolitan of Methone, Mr. Ambrose
However, upon reading their
biographies, we see that if the order were based on seniority of consecration,
as it ought to be, it would be as follows:
1st (from 10th!). Metropolitan of
Methone, Mr. Ambrose (1993)
2nd (from 7th). Metropolitan of Philippi and Maroneia, Mr. Ambrose (April 1996)
3rd (from 5th). Metropolitan of Toronto, Mr. Moses (October 1996)
4th (from 1st). Metropolitan of Piraeus & Salamis, Mr. Gerontios (1999)
5th (from 2nd). Metropolitan of Attica & Boeotia, Mr. Chrysostomos (1999)
6th (from 3rd). Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Mr. Gregory (1999)
7th (from 4th). Metropolitan of Demetrias, Mr. Photios (1999)
8th (from 6th). Metropolitan of America, Mr. Demetrius (2006)
9th (from 8th). Metropolitan of Oropos and Phyle, Mr. Kyprianos (2007)
10th (from 9th). Metropolitan of Larisa and Platamon, Mr. Clement (2007)
Thus, we see that based on the
first (and currently in effect) Directory, the Hierarchs Ambrose of Methone, Ambrose
of Philippi, Moses of Toronto, Demetrius of America, Kyprianos of Oropos, and Clement
of Larissa are regarded as false bishops from the year of each one’s consecration
until their integration into the “Church of the G.O.C. of Greece” (Mr.
Moses and Mr. Demetrius in 2011, the rest in 2014) ...
Whether this acceptance, on the
part of the said Hierarchs, constitutes an expression of humble-mindedness and
is justified “for the sake of unity,” or whether it constitutes an affront to
the episcopal dignity and a tolerance of the heresy of Sakarellism—let each
one’s conscience judge.
One may rightly wonder: “And what
significance does the order have?”
And yet, it has great
significance—not only because, with the forthcoming repose of Mr. Kallinikos
[b. June 24 / July 7, 1946] (may God grant him many years and repentance!), a
Hierarch who in reality does not possess seniority of consecration will be
appointed—even if only temporarily—as President of the Synod, but also because
it is revealed that the said Synod openly adopts the heresy of Sakarellism,
applying it in practice, thereby proving that it stands far removed from the
Orthodox ecclesiology handed down to us by the Leader of the Holy Struggle,
Saint Chrysostomos, formerly of Florina.
Greek source: https://krufo-sxoleio.blogspot.com/2024/02/1.html
[End of Part 1]
Yet another consequence of
Sakarellism in practice was the establishment (within the ranks of the
successors of [St.] Chrysostomos, formerly of Florina) of the unlawful title
“Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.”
And while it is indeed known that
Auxentios was the first to use the title “Archbishop of the G.O.C. of
Athens,” later adding “and All Greece,” yet under the administration of
Sakarellos (that is, during the outward governance of Chrysostomos and
subsequently Mr. Kallinikos), the “G.O.C.” was removed, and—contrary to the canons
and the practice of the Church—the title was fully usurped.
In order to justify this unlawful
usurpation, the so-called “Anathema of 1998” was used as an argument—a text
ecclesiologically full of holes, composed by Sakarellos and signed by the
G.O.C. Hierarchs lacking theological education—by which it was supposedly
declared that the Archbishops of Athens Meletios Metaxakis and Chrysostomos
Papadopoulos were anathematized, and in their persons, the entire Church of
Greece.
Behold, then, how the “Episcopal Directory
of Athens” appears, as it has been posted on the website of the “Archdiocese”
of Mr. Kallinikos:
https://iaathgoc.gr/index.php/portfolio-2/piskopikos-katalogos-thin-n
{Relevant portion translated:
112. Prokopios II Oikonomidis
1896–1901
113. Theoklitos I Minopoulos (1st
period) 1902–1917
114. [Meletios III Metaxakis 1918–1920]
(anathematized synodally in the year 1998 as a supporter of the pan-heresy of
Ecumenism and was stricken from the diptychs)
Theoklitos I (2nd period) 1920–1922
Archbishops
115. [Chrysostomos I Papadopoulos 1923–1938]
(anathematized synodally in the year 1998 as a supporter of the pan-heresy of
Ecumenism and was stricken from the diptychs).
Archbishops of the Genuine Orthodox
Christians
(de facto Shepherds of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, without
receiving the title of “of Athens”)
116. Germanos Mavrommatis (of Demetrias) 1935–1939
117. Chrysostomos Kavouridis (former of Florina)
1939–1955
118. Akakios Pappas (of Talantion) 1960–1963
Archbishops of Athens
119. Auxentios Pastras (from Gardikion) 1963–1985
120. Chrysostomos II Kiousis (from Thessaloniki)
1986–2010
121. Kallinikos Sarantopoulos (from Achaia) 2010–}
We see, then, in this
unprecedented “Episcopal Directory of Athens” that all the Archbishops of
Athens—from Chrysostomos Papadopoulos up to the current Mr. Ieronymos—have been
arbitrarily erased (and without any deposition decision, as prescribed by the
Holy Canons).
This, indeed, is entirely
consistent with the heresy of Sakarellism (which absolutely identifies the
boundaries of the specific “Church of the G.O.C. of Greece” with the boundaries
of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ), but it is utterly
inconsistent with Orthodoxy, as will be immediately demonstrated.
In all Episcopal Directories, all
Bishops are included (even if heretics, unjust, or antichrists) up until
their deposition. And this is so not only because the Church is not afraid
to show that among her Bishops—as among the Twelve there was a Betrayer—there
were also unworthy ones, even heretics (for in the Church there exist tares as
well, and not only the “pure” and the “deified,” as the heresy of Sakarellism
claims), but also because such unworthy Bishops are considered active Bishops
(with canonical Priesthood and valid Mysteries) for as long as they act in the
name of the Orthodox Church and have not been deposed by Her.
Let us look, for example, at the
Episcopal Directory of Constantinople. There one will find dozens of heretical
Patriarchs (from Eusebius of Nicomedia, Macedonius, and Nestorius to Bekkos,
Kalekas, Kondaris, and many others). All are recorded with the dates of their
episcopacy, without any clever super-Orthodox individual erasing them.
Even Sergius, Pyrrhus, and the
rest of the Patriarchs who were condemned afterwards (posthumously) by the
Sixth Ecumenical Council are still included in the relevant Episcopal Directory!
The reason has already been explained.
The same will be encountered in
the Directories of the other Churches as well (Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem,
etc.).
It is also worth noting that in
the G.O.C. “Episcopal Directory of Athens” (and despite the anxious effort of
“cleansing” through deletion and erasure!), at least two heretical Bishops have
remained. Namely:
No. 55. Meletios I (1275–1289): He was, as a champion of union with the
Pope, a collaborator of John Bekkos and was deposed together with him (see
Chrysostomos Papadopoulos, The Church of Athens, Athens, 1928, p. 42).
and
No. 87. Daniel (1636–1655): He
too was pro-Papist, confessed to a Franciscan monk, and had declared that if
the long-desired “union of the churches” were to take place, he was “willing to
resign in favor of the Latin Archbishop of Athens” (ibid., p. 60)!
These are matters of shame, but
since someone might ask, “Well, what practical consequence does all this
arbitrariness have that it should concern us?”, the answer is as follows:
Sakarellism constitutes a
deliberate nullification and alienation of the objective purpose of the Holy
Struggle, as set forth by its two Leaders, Chrysostomos of Florina and Leonty
of Chile. And this purpose is the creation—through the militant and
revolutionary character of the Struggle—of the proper conditions for a truly
Pan-Orthodox Council.
The Sakarellists (“Archbishops,”
“Metropolitans,” and their hangers-on) do not desire this character (on account
of its provisional nature and its… danger), but on the contrary have settled
into self-justification, deluding themselves that the Church is at peace and
that they supposedly lawfully hold the titles (with all the rights those
entail), merely demanding “obedience.”
Such “obedience,” of course,
constitutes a betrayal of the Holy Struggle and is, in essence, disobedience to
its true Leaders.
[End of Part 2]
Greek source: https://krufo-sxoleio.blogspot.com/2024/02/2.html
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