Concerning the Old Calendarists (the alternative view)...
Nikolaos Mannis, educator
| October 10, 2019| Romfea.gr
Honorable Mr. Poligenis,
greetings in the Lord.
I read on your Agency the contribution
of the, unknown to me, beloved Fr. Elias Makos titled “Concerning the Old
Calendarists,” [1] [translated below -- tr. note] and since I know that Romfea.gr is not
afraid to host all views, provided of course that they are written with
sobriety and contain reasoned arguments, I am sending you another view on this
subject, and let each reader form their own opinion.
The first and great error that is
made, not only by Fr. Elias, but also by most who engage with this issue, is
that they treat the so-called “Old Calendarists” as a single body.
This, of course, is the easy
solution; “we throw them all into one sack,” as the saying goes, and be done
with them once and for all. But often the truth is not so simple, nor can
everything be dealt with according to the logic of “black-and-white.”
The so-called “Old Calendarists”
of Greece, therefore, do not constitute a single body, but a distinction must
always be made as to whom exactly we are referring.
There are Old Calendarists with
valid Apostolic Succession (from the Russian Church Abroad during the time of
Saints John Maximovitch and Philaret—both of whom have incorrupt relics), who,
although they have broken communion with the Ruling Hierarchy (that is, with
the persons, and not with the concept of the Church of Greece, within which they
are found), have been seeking the resolution of the calendar issue and the
matters related to it since 1924. Unfortunately, not only has the Hierarchy of
the Church of Greece (which overflows with love only when it concerns heterodox
or those of other religions) persecuted (and continues to persecute in other
ways today) these people, but the other Local Churches have also turned a deaf
ear (even the calendar issue was removed from the agenda of the so-called
“Council of Crete”), sadly showing indifference toward the resolution of this
thorny issue.
There are also “Old
Calendarists,” truly schismatics, without Apostolic Succession, with Donatist
views and a “Purist” ecclesiology, who have renounced the entire Church
and do not accept either Mysteries or Saints outside of their sect. But even
for them, should there not be concern, so that they may be enlightened and
return to the Right Confession of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
Church?
Lastly, there are also a very few
clerics of the official Church who, after being deposed for matters unrelated
to the Faith (mainly of a moral nature), now pretend to be “Old Calendarists”
in order to attract followers and for legal cover. These clearly have no
relation to Old Calendarism, but rather to charlatanism and imposture.
Is it not, then, unjust to lump together, for example, the late Petros of Astoria [2] (ordained by the Hierarchs of the Russian Diaspora—Leonty of Chile, a close friend of Saint John Maximovitch, and Seraphim of Venezuela) with the pseudo-Old Calendarists [“Archbishop” Parthenios] Vezyreas, [“Archbishop” Iakovos III] Giannakis, and the rest of the deposed clergy of the official Church?
From left: Leonty of Chile, St. John
Maximovitch, and Petros of Astoria, outside the Old Calendarist church of Saint
Markella, N.Y.
Fr. Elias concludes his article
by proposing a way for the issue to be mitigated. What is that?
“Love on the part of the Old
Calendarists, both as a disposition and as an action,” he writes. I agree with
him, but I also disagree. For love, in order to work wonders, requires two; and
no matter how much love the Old Calendarists may show, if there is no love from
the other side (which, unfortunately, treated them from the very beginning with
terrible violence, as has been proven with irrefutable evidence), [3] then
there will be no positive result. Therefore, it is good to seek love, but also
the other virtues, first from ourselves, and then from others.
The Old Calendarist Bishop Petros of
Astoria with [Official Church] Metropolitan Dionysios Bairaktaris of Chios.
However, before I conclude my
intervention, I must emphasize one more thing, extremely important, in view of
ecclesiastical developments.
As everything indicates (and as
is confirmed by the actions of American diplomats and politicians in our
country—e.g., Geoffrey Pyatt, Mike Pompeo), the Church of Greece will the day
after tomorrow recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Schismatics,
resulting in the declaration of non-communion with it on the part of the
Russian Church, and, consequently, the expansion of the Schism.
The day before yesterday, His
Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk [4] hypothetically asked: “How
would the Church of Greece react if the Russian Church were to recognize one of
the Old Calendarist factions?”
This, I must tell you, knowing
persons and matters, is not at all a hypothetical scenario.
If the Russian Church objectively
studies the history of the Old Calendarists of Greece, then it will surely
identify that “faction” which meets the criteria for recognition. And then many
things will change...
And not only that. The thousands
of faithful (clergy and laity) of this “faction” are ready to align themselves
with the Russian Church, provided, of course, that it also takes a clear stance
regarding the issues over which the former separated themselves from the Church
of Greece and the Patriarchate of Constantinople (namely, the calendar issue
and the heresy of Ecumenism).
In any case, things are certainly
not as simple as some would like to present them, and for this reason we must
be careful and work for the will of God to be done, and not that of deceitful
men.
NOTES
[1] https://www.romfea.gr/diafora/32187-peri-palaioimerologiton
[2] See attached photographs.
[3] https://www.hsir.org/pdfs/2016/04/09/20160409eDiogmoi.pdf
Greek source: https://www.romfea.gr/katigories/10-apopseis/32203-peri-palaioimerologiton-i-alli-apopsi
***
Concerning the Old Calendarists...
Fr. Elias Makos | October 9, 2019 | Romfea.gr
Faithful ask to learn who the Old Calendarists are and
whether or not they are outside the Orthodox line. Clearly, in our estimation,
through their actions, they violate basic elements of Orthodoxy.
From the outset, it should be clarified that this is no
longer a matter of the difference between the old or new calendar, as the issue
had initially begun.
This is not a primary issue, since the old calendar is
followed also by Churches and Patriarchates, as well as by the Holy Mountain.
But it is a matter of the great and insurmountable problem
concerning whether their priesthood is true or not, a fact which is related to
the salvation or the loss of souls.
Old Calendarist groups operate with priests and hierarchs of
unknown origin and of doubtful and “inauthentic” priesthood, who present
themselves as “super Orthodox.”
Furthermore, obsessions and extremes and fanaticisms and
incomprehensible claims of the type “the official Church is schismatic and
heretical” or “in the churches of the New Calendarists there is no grace of
God” or “their Mysteries are invalid” or the denial and slander of saints, such
as Nektarios [of Aegina] and Paisios [the Athonite], show in practice that the
boundaries of ecclesiastical legitimacy have been greatly exceeded on the part
of the Old Calendarists.
As for the individuals who follow the many (almost countless
by now) mutually denouncing and at times mutually destructive Old Calendarist
Churches, we do not doubt that they are people of piety and zeal.
From that point on, however, they are led astray by persons
who either ignore the depth and breadth of Orthodoxy or possibly have
self-serving motives.
Thus, for decades now, they have not maintained an attitude
of respect, acceptance, and acknowledgment of the official Orthodox Church,
undermining the climate and the corresponding atmosphere that are necessary for
the attainment of communion and dialogue.
The respect they owe to the official Church leaves them no
room for comparison, judgment, and condemnation. The acceptance of canonicity
means that it is not permissible to deny or distort canons and dogmas.
The acknowledgment of deviation will lead them, through
repentance, to the realization of catholicity and unity as a dynamic system of
attitudes and needs, toward their proper orientation.
What is the way for the issue to be mitigated?
Love on the part of the Old Calendarists, both as a
disposition and as an action. Love is active, and its actions are known to us
in an experiential manner.
All the characteristic features of love, gathered together,
are summarized in two verbs, each of which inaugurates a program of life: love
“is kind,” love “does not behave unseemly.”
That is, it does everything that is good and avoids
everything that is disgraceful.
Greek source: https://www.romfea.gr/diafora/32187-peri-palaioimerologiton
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.