1979 Letter of Metropolitan Philaret of New York to Metropolitan Epiphanios of Kition

(Kindly shared by Stavros Markou. Translated the original Russian, slightly corrected.)

 

President of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

15/28 [19]79

#77

75 East 93rd St.

New York. NY 10028

 

To: His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Epiphanios of Kition

Your Eminence,

At the last meeting of the Synod of Bishops, we read the letter of Your Eminence with the appeal for peace. We thank you for your zeal. Your disposition answers the commandment of God which promises blessedness to the peacemakers. Truly, what can be more desirable than peace and unity between the Holy Churches of God who are concerned with keeping unwavering fidelity to the Holy Orthodoxy of our Fathers!

It is probably known to Your Eminence that we have always been eager to maintain this peace, and we have written several times about it to our Greek brother-Bishops since we have accepted them into our communion of prayer. If this has not been achieved, the reason was not the lack of care for it on our part, but because our Brothers were more preoccupied with looking for reasons for separation than they were interested in fighting together with us against the spreading of antichristian modernistic and ecumenical ideas in our contemporary society. On one occasion, it happened because of a disagreement with our practice in receiving those who join the Orthodox Church, in another case owing to the full disrespect of Church canons regulating the relations between sister-Churches.

You are right when you point out that “independence" should be replaced by good relations. Unfortunately, however, we see that our Greek brothers not only began to reject the principle of oikonomia in Church administration, which was so vividly expressed by St Basil the Great in his first canon, so full of wisdom and love, but we are also accused for those decisions in which we were following his instructions in regard to those who came to the Holy Church, and those who are in danger of being seduced into the modem ecumenical heresy

There is no difference between us in the confession of the holy dogma of the Church but having a different flock than the Greeks and living in different conditions, we as spiritual physicians find it necessary to apply other medicine in treating its ills, using therapy in cases where you see no other means but surgery. We are acting this way according to the instructions of Canon 102 of the 6th Ecumenical Council. For several hundred years, there existed a difference between the Russian and Hellenic Churches in the practice of reception of converts from heresies, and this did not cause any disunity. So why introduce it now into our life, already difficult enough for the maintaining of pure Orthodoxy?

In some respects, Your Eminence has given the right definition of the ground for the separation between the Churches; however, it seems there is not sufficient information about the life of our flock and its relationship with the surroundings. On the other hand, as far as we know, the “Andreyans" have not fulfilled the decision conditioning their acceptance into communion with us. Namely, the prayer of absolution was not read over other Bishops and clergymen.

We do not accuse any of our brothers, defending the traditions of our Fathers and keeping the old calendar, of violating dogmatic adherence to Orthodoxy, and we were not the first to terminate the unity which was coming into existence. With those whom you call adherents of Auxentios, our relationship has been spoiled by their hasty ordinations. On the other hand, we know of statements against us from some zealots in Greece. Then discord began to arise as a result of hasty consecrations of which the necessity and canonicity were not understandable to us. We therefore found it better for the cause of Orthodoxy to keep away from any participation in the life of the Greek Church faithful to the Old Calendar until their life follows a normal course, and hasty uncanonical ordinations are discontinued, including those of our own former clergymen, and the acceptance of those who separated from us out of pride and suspicions of our failing in Orthodoxy [cease], already defended by us from long ago as far as we have the strength and ability in this world of apostasy.

For the sake of peace, we do not wish to argue with anyone, but we pray that the Lord would strengthen all the defenders of Orthodoxy, giving them the necessary wisdom and strength indwelling in their hearts, peace and common love.

With those thoughts, we ask for holy prayers of Your Eminence and remain your devoted Brother in Christ,

Metropolitan Philaret