Saint Justin Popović (1894–1979): Theological Confession and Anti-Ecumenist Discourse in the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Twentieth Century

(Presentation of a profoundly moving confessional text)

Protopresbyter Dimitrios Athanasiou | July 20, 2026

 

 

Introduction

The text that we present in summarized sections, on account of its great length, was written by Archimandrite Justin Popović (1894–1979) on January 14, 1971, the feast day of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, in his Cell at Ćelije Monastery. Fr. Justin had already been marginalized since 1948, following his unjust removal from the University of Belgrade because of his refusal to compromise with the communist regime. The occasion for its composition was an anonymous letter addressed to German, Patriarch of Serbia, in which it was implied that his marginalization was due to his opposition to German’s election.

By an act dated October 16, 1970, the Holy Synod asked Fr. Justin to state whether he desired an ecclesiastical appointment in Belgrade.

His response went beyond the personal issue and constituted a systematic theological-ecclesiological confession. The text sets forth the crucial problems of the Orthodox Church in the twentieth century, denounces Ecumenism as a heresy and a threat to the unity of the Church, invokes the Patristic tradition as the sole criterion of Orthodoxy, and highlights the principle “We ought to obey God rather than men” as the foundation of ecclesiastical life. It thus takes its place among the great Orthodox confessions, from the Epistle of the Eastern Patriarchs of 1848 to the contemporary anti-Ecumenist confessions.

The principal theological issues that it addresses are four.

First, the ecclesiology of Ecumenism: Fr. Justin denounces the accession of the Patriarchate of Belgrade to the World Council of Churches, which he characterizes as a “heretical union” of 233 heresies, and extends his criticism to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Moscow, and other Orthodox Churches.

Second, he denounces common prayers, the recognition of the Mysteries of heretics, and the reception of “blessings” from heretics, invoking Apostolic Canons 45 and 64 and Canons 32–37 of Laodicea.

Third, the inaction of the Bishops in the face of heresy is characterized as “betrayal of God,” with reference to Saint Gregory the Theologian: “By silence one betrays God.”

The text concludes with an invocation of the Synodikon of Orthodoxy and an appeal for a return to the “Theanthropic path of the Holy Apostles and Holy Fathers.”

The author’s method is confessional, not polemical. He systematically invokes the Holy Fathers (Basil, Chrysostom, Maximus, Damascene, Symeon, Gregory Palamas), provides precise Patristic references, and employs the language of the Ecumenical Councils. He does not attack persons, but defends the Truth. Just as Saint Maximus the Confessor refused to enter into communion with the heretical Patriarch Pyrrhus without proclaiming a schism, so too Justin refuses to concelebrate with those who have betrayed Orthodoxy, without separating himself from the Church.

More than fifty years after it was written, the text remains timely. The issues it addresses—the relationship between Orthodoxy and Ecumenism, ecclesiastical consciousness, obedience to Tradition, and the stance toward heresy—continue to concern the Orthodox Church. The “Great and Holy Council” of Crete (2016), relations with the Vatican, intercommunion with heretics, and the crisis of Orthodox identity render Justin’s discourse prophetic and necessary.

The text comes from a manuscript of Saint Justin, typewritten on seventeen pages, bearing his own signature and date (“On the day of Saint Sabbas, 1971, at the guesthouse of the Cell”), and is preserved in the archives of the Holy Monastery of Ćelije.

“Our first and final need today is this: to return to the Orthodox path of the Holy Fathers... This alone, and this alone, can save us, wretched and miserable as we are.”

The complete [Serbian] text may be found at the following web address:

https://svetosavlje.org/odgovor-na-anonimnu-dopisnicu-o-clanstvu-u-ekumenskom-savetu-crkava/

* * *

RESPONSE TO ANONYMOUS CORRESPONDENCE

INTRODUCTION: THE OCCASION

A. The Anonymous Letter to the Patriarch (October 1970)

In October 1970, German, Patriarch of Serbia, received an anonymous letter, which stated the following:

“Your Holiness,

I consider it necessary to inform you that there has lately been much discussion among the people about Fr. Justin, and that he has been languishing at Ćelije for a long time solely because you desire it, because he opposed your election as patriarch.

Fr. Justin is regarded as the most learned man in Orthodoxy, and some even call him a martyr of the red patriarch. If he has offended you in any way, you should forgive him and bring him to Belgrade for some duty, and in this way the various stories would be brought to an end.

Respectfully,

An Orthodox Christian”

B. The Decision of the Holy Synod (October 16, 1970)

In presenting the letter, Patriarch German stated that he was deeply convinced that Archimandrite Justin had nothing whatsoever to do with its contents, but considered it necessary that the Holy Synod be informed of the “street versions” that were circulating. The Synod decided:

“Through His Grace Bishop Jovan of Šabac-Valjevo, the competent diocesan bishop, a copy of the aforementioned letter is to be delivered to the Very Reverend Archimandrite Fr. Justin, and he is to be asked to state whether he would wish and be able to accept some ecclesiastical appointment in Belgrade, and what kind.”

C. Fr. Justin’s Response

Fr. Justin replies to Bishop Jovan with the following introductory declaration:

“Having awakened all the eyes of my conscience and having examined my entire Orthodox consciousness from top to bottom, throughout all its divine infinitude, by means of the Holy Apostolic and Patristic Tradition, I resolved to respond to the aforementioned act. But our most inescapable and dreadful reality compels me to set forth in my response that which is ‘the one thing needful’ (Luke 10:42), and which is more important than the most important matter in our Serbian Orthodox Church today.”

Fr. Justin dismisses the personal issue as secondary and proceeds to a forceful denunciation of the crucial problems confronting the Church.

SECTION I

ORTHODOX ECCLESIOLOGY AGAINST ECUMENISM

1. The Uniqueness of the Orthodox Church

Fr. Justin begins with the fundamental ecclesiological principle:

“The One and Only Holy Ecumenical (Catholic) and Apostolic Church of Christ in heaven and on earth, the one heavenly and earthly Theanthropic Body, is the Orthodox Church of Christ. Thus have we been infallibly taught, and thus has it been universally handed down to us by all the Holy Apostles, the Holy Fathers, the Holy Martyrs, the Holy Confessors, the Holy New Martyrs, and all the Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils.”

He refers to the Council of Žiča and to the discourse of Saint Sava, who handed down to his successors the Orthodox Faith, the Church, Tradition, the Dogmas, and the Canons. Saint Sava characterized this Faith as a “spiritual teaching” that “is neither a game nor the madness of human thoughts,” but “the Holy Faith that he preached, upon which all the holy truths concerning Christ Jesus our Lord were founded.”

2. The Betrayal of Orthodoxy

Fr. Justin denounces the fact that this Holy Orthodox Faith has begun to be betrayed by many Orthodox Patriarchs, Bishops, and Pastors. The successors of Saint Sava, instead of defending Orthodoxy, “collaborate in, support, and participate in” the destruction of the Church.

He poses the burning question:

“Why did the Patriarchate of Belgrade (I shall never say: the Serbian Orthodox Church), under Patriarch German, join the heretical union called the ‘World Council of Churches,’ which consists of approximately 233 heresies? And also: Why did the Patriarch of the Orthodox Serbian Church accept the presidency over those 233 heresies?”

The Orthodox conscience, “astonished, wounded, struck to the heart,” cries out: “O horror of horrors! O shame of every shame!”

3. The Stance toward the Patriarchate of Constantinople

Fr. Justin denounces the “neo-papal conduct” of Patriarch Athenagoras, who:

• Denies the unique and all-saving truth of the Orthodox Church

• Recognizes the Roman and other heresies as equal to the Truth

• Recognizes the Roman Pontiff with “demonically anti-ecclesiastical pride”

• Prepares a “Great Pan-Orthodox Council” with a “scholastic-Protestant agenda”

4. The Silence of the Hierarchy

Fr. Justin denounces the silence of the Serbian Hierarchy concerning:

• The decision of the Moscow Patriarchate (December 16/29, 1969) regarding communion with Roman Catholics

• The recognition of the Mystery of Matrimony celebrated by a Roman Catholic priest

• Common prayers with heretical dignitaries

• The preaching of the “Ecumenism” of Protestant syncretism by theologians and professors

He refers to the words of Saint Gregory the Theologian: “By silence one betrays God” (PG 35, 1112).

5. True Love versus False Love

Fr. Justin rejects the “sentimental and empty phrases” concerning the “dialogue of love” and the “spirit of Ecumenism.” These phrases are “superficial, untruthful, ignorant, and false,” because, instead of the “love of the Truth” (2 Thess. 2:10) and “truth in love” (Eph. 4:15), they lead to the “dead sea of superficial European man-worship.”

He quotes the words of Saint Maximus the Confessor (PG 91, 465):

“I do not desire that heretics suffer, nor do I rejoice in their evils—God forbid!—but rather I rejoice in their conversion... I desire and counsel only that heretics not be assisted, as heretics, in supporting their foolish belief, but rather that one be stern and uncompromising.”

6. The Rule of Saint Gregory Palamas

Fr. Justin invokes the rule of Saint Gregory Palamas (1345):

“Those who are of the Church of Christ are also of the Truth; and those who are not of the Truth do not belong to the Church of Christ... For we have learned to measure Christianity not by persons, but by the truth and exactitude of the Faith.”

SECTION II

THE SCHISM IN THE SERBIAN CHURCH

Fr. Justin points out that never in its history has the Serbian Church known so dreadful a tragedy: “with two soul-destroying schisms, created during the patriarchate and episcopacy of our present hierarchy.”

Instead of ecclesiastical reconciliation and canonical therapeutic sanctions, the Hierarchy has resorted to “self-justification and the shifting of responsibility onto others.” The result is a “dreadful slaughter of Serbian souls.”

He refers to the words of Saint John Chrysostom:

“Nothing so provokes God’s wrath as the division of the Church... Not even the blood of Martyrdom can atone for such a sin” (PG 62, 85).

SECTION III

“WE OUGHT TO OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN”

1. The Pan-Gospel of the Orthodox Church

Fr. Justin presents Acts 5:29 as the “soul and heart of the Orthodox Church,” as her “Pan-Gospel”:

“We ought to obey God rather than men.”

This is “the principle above all principles, the holy of holies above all holy things, the standard above all standards.” It is the essence of all the Holy Dogmas and Canons.

2. The Nature and Value of Authority

Authority comes from God (Rom. 13:1–6), but the authorities are to be obeyed only insofar as they reflect the divine order. When the authorities “become a terror to good works” and persecute the Supreme Good—the Lord Christ—then the Church is obliged to defend the Theanthropos “by sacred evangelical means.”

3. The Evangelical Coexistence of Church and State

The passage “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21) establishes the immutable principle: “God is always in the first place, and man in the second.” Everything essential in man—soul and body—belongs to God.

4. Patristic Testimonies

Fr. Justin cites a series of Patristic testimonies:

Saint Basil the Great (before Modestus):

“You cannot confiscate the possessions of one who has nothing... I do not fear exile, for the whole earth is the Lord’s... I do not fear tortures, for death will only bring me closer to God... In all other matters we conduct ourselves humbly and meekly, but when someone seeks to take God and His righteousness away from us, then we regard no one.”

Saint John Chrysostom (before Eudoxia):

“Let the empress rage as much as she wishes, but I shall not cease to speak the truth. For it is better for me to anger men than God; and if I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).

Saint Maximus the Confessor:

“I cannot grieve God by remaining silent concerning those things which God has commanded me to speak and confess... I willingly consent to everything the emperor commands me, provided that it is not contrary to God” (PG 90, 124 and 161).

Saint John Damascene:

“It is not the task of emperors to enact laws for the Church... Emperors are responsible for civil matters, while ecclesiastical affairs belong to the Pastors and Teachers. We shall not remove the eternal boundaries established by our Fathers” (PG 94, 1297).

Saint Symeon the New Theologian (before the Patriarch of Constantinople):

“If you consent to teach us according to the Holy Scriptures, following the Holy Fathers who came before you, we shall receive you as equal to the Apostles... But if you do not wish to teach us in this manner... we can say nothing other than what the disciples of Christ said: We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

SECTION IV

APOSTASY AND THE NEED TO RETURN TO THE PATRISTIC PATH

1. The Scourge of Apostasy

Fr. Justin observes that “the people of God of Saint Sava are being burned to ashes in the fire of our apostasy.” Hundreds of thousands are “unbaptized, unmarried, and without Communion.” The Serbian Church “has never been more gravely ill than it is today: a sick woman upon her deathbed, in agony.”

2. Ignorance of the Orthodox Faith

Fr. Justin points out that theologians and professors do not know the Patristic path in any field: Dogmatics, Ethics, Ecclesiology, Liturgics, or spiritual life. “And how could these poor children know this Orthodox, Apostolic-Patristic path when we, the pastors of the Church, do not follow it?”

3. The Only Path of Salvation

“Our first and final need today is this: to return to the Orthodox path of the Holy Fathers in every respect and in every sphere of ecclesiastical life and work.”

Only a “pure return to the Theanthropic path of the Holy Apostles and Holy Fathers” can save the Church from the “dead sea of European cultural idolatry.”

4. The Synodikon of Orthodoxy

Fr. Justin concludes by invoking the Synodikon of Orthodoxy:

“Our Holy Fathers, fulfilling the divine commandment... did not conceal the lamp of divine knowledge... What those Holy Fathers rejected, we also reject; and what they cursed and anathematized, we also anathematize... Thus, therefore: as the Prophets beheld, as the Apostles taught, as the Church received, as the Teachers proclaimed, as the universe agreed, as Grace shone forth, as the Truth was demonstrated, as falsehood was banished, as Wisdom spoke boldly, as Christ confirmed—so we think, so we speak, so we preach Christ our True God... This is the Apostolic Faith, this is the Faith of the Fathers, this is the Orthodox Faith! This Faith establishes the universe.”

COMMENTARY ON FR. JUSTIN’S STANCE TOWARD THE HOLY SYNOD

In the relevant letter, the Holy Synod asks Archimandrite Justin to state “whether he would wish and be able to accept some ecclesiastical appointment in Belgrade, and what kind.”

In his response, Justin avoids giving a direct, one-word answer (“yes” or “no”). Instead, he passes over the personal issue and shifts the discussion to the crucial dogmatic problems of the Church. Specifically, he states:

“I do not wish to concern myself with the details of my ‘situation’ and other personal problems. Especially today, when the dreadful, fiery problems of our truly apocalyptic age consume us all... we cannot and must not remain silent.”

His stance, however, remains clear and unequivocal: he indirectly but plainly refuses to concelebrate with a Hierarchy that he considers to have betrayed the Orthodox Faith. His refusal is not stated explicitly in the phrase “I do not concelebrate,” but is inferred from his discourse as a whole.

The Arguments for His Refusal

• Accession to the World Council of Churches (WCC): Justin denounces the fact that the Patriarchate of Belgrade “joined the heretical union called the World Council of Churches, which consists of approximately 233 heresies,” and that Patriarch German “accepted the presidency over those 233 heresies.” For him, this development renders all liturgical communion impossible.

• Communion and common prayer with heretics: He condemns the decision of the Moscow Patriarchate (1969) “to commune in the Holy Mysteries with public heretics.” At the same time, he points out that the Serbian Hierarchy also “prayed together with heretical dignitaries,” an act entirely contrary to the explicit Apostolic Canons and the Canons of the Council of Laodicea.

• The Profanation of the Truth: He characteristically writes that the Bishops “participate... in the profanation of the Truth and in the selling of the sacred things of the Church of God to heretics.”

• The principle “We ought to obey God rather than men”: Section III develops the argument that when human ecclesiastical authorities turn against God, the Church is obliged to stand by the truth of God. Justin invokes a series of Patristic testimonies—Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Maximus the Confessor, Saint John Damascene, and Saint Symeon the New Theologian—who refused to submit to ecclesiastical authorities that had altered the Faith.

• The rule of Saint Gregory Palamas: He invokes the Saint’s theological position: “Those who are of the Church of Christ are also of the Truth; and those who are not of the Truth do not belong to the Church of Christ.”

Conclusion

Justin does not choose the words “I do not concelebrate,” since such a formulation would mean that he recognizes the Synod’s question as legitimate. Instead, he rejects the very premise of the question.

His silence concerning the personal issue and his immediate shift to the dogmatic problems constitute his substantive answer: there can be no “ecclesiastical ministry” with one who has joined a union of hundreds of heresies. Just as Saint Maximus the Confessor refused to enter into communion with Pyrrhus, the Monothelite Patriarch of Constantinople, so too Justin refuses all liturgical communion with Patriarch German—not out of personal animosity, but as an act of confession of the Orthodox Faith.

 

Greek source: https://fdathanasiou-parakatathiki.blogspot.com/2026/07/18941979-20.html