Due Honor to the Memory of Saint Chrysostomos the New Confessor
Bishop Kallinikos of
Talantion | September 20, 2026
In the troubled ecclesiastical
history of the twentieth century, the figure of the Holy Hierarch Chrysostomos
(Kavouridis), former Metropolitan of Florina, stands forth as a beacon of
unadulterated Orthodox witness and ecclesiastical ethos. At a time of widespread
retreat, secularization, and the introduction of the innovative Gregorian
calendar in 1924—which constituted the first substantial rupture of the
ecumenist deviation—this blessed Hierarch consciously chose the path of the
Cross, of being walled off, and of confession.
The Great Decision and the
Historic Declaration of 1935
Leaving aside the honors,
episcopal thrones, and comforts of the prevailing Church, Saint Chrysostomos
joined the struggling faithful of the Patristic Calendar in 1935. His decision
to lead the sacred struggle of the Genuine Orthodox Christians was not an act
of schism, but an act of ecclesiastical responsibility and obedience to the
Holy Canons of the Holy Apostles and the Ecumenical Councils.
As an outstanding theologian and
reverent shepherd, he emphatically proclaimed that the defense of the tradition
of the Fathers does not consist in attachment to mere numbers on the calendar,
but in unwavering adherence to ecclesiastical order, Pan-Orthodox unity, and unadulterated
dogma in the face of the advancing pan-heresy of Ecumenism.
Persecutions, Exiles, and the
Martyrdom of Conscience
For Saint Chrysostomos, the path
of confession was filled with tribulations, for after the Historic
Concelebration at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Kolonos, on
the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman in 1935, there followed:
a) “Deposition” and State
Persecutions: He suffered the unjust condemnation of the synodal courts of
the innovating hierarchy and continual public vilification.
b) Confinements and Exiles:
He was severely tried in harsh places of exile (the Holy Monastery of Saint
Dionysios on Mount Olympus, the Holy Monastery of Ypsilou on Lesbos, etc.),
enduring hardships, isolation, and physical deterioration.
c) Pastoral Self-Sacrifice:
He remained meek, praying for his persecutors and unwavering in the spiritual
guidance of his persecuted flock, serving as the support of thousands of
confessing Christians.
Characteristic also was his reply
to the then Archbishop of the prevailing [i.e., Official] Church, Spyridon
Vlachos, who, under the pretext of their friendship, tried to persuade him to
abandon the struggle on behalf of the Old Calendar, promising that he would be
restored to a Metropolis and would once again receive his salary, even
including the back pay owed to him:
“Your Beatitude, see to it
that you unite the Church by restoring to her the traditional Calendar handed
down by the Fathers, so that the Orthodox Christians may be at peace. I have no
interest in pensions or money, nor will I, for their sake, resolve to violate
my conscience, especially now in the twilight of my life. It is utterly false
that the Old Calendarists have been dissolved or are being dissolved; on the
contrary, their religious conviction is being tempered like steel. But even if,
hypothetically, all the Old Calendarists should go over to the New Calendar, as
you claim, and only one Old Calendarist should remain, that one will be I.”
The Sacred Legacy for the
Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians
His repose on 7/20 September 1955
sealed an earthly course of absolute dedication to the Truth. His official
canonization confirmed what the conscience of the faithful people had long
before discerned: that Saint Chrysostomos had proved himself equal in stature
to the ancient Confessors and Hierarchs of Orthodoxy, such as Saint Athanasius
the Great, Saint Maximus the Confessor, and Saint Mark of Ephesus.
For the pleroma of the
Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, the memory of Saint
Chrysostomos of Florina constitutes an abiding compass of faith. It reminds us
that the authentic Church of Christ is not defined by state recognition, but by
the exact preservation of the Apostolic Tradition and the fearless confession
of Orthodoxy unto the end.
Through the intercessions of
the Holy Hierarch and Confessor Chrysostomos, O Christ our God, have mercy on
us and save us.
Greek
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