October 4/17, 2010
I thank God for all
that He has providentially ordained for my unworthiness during these days. I
glorify His Most Holy Name! He took me from the Metropolis of Achaia, which I
humbly served for thirty years, and elevated me to the throne of the Archbishop,
the Primate of our martyric Church, which is the Church of Christ.
In 1924, this
Church rejected the anathematized Gregorian, or Frankish, Calendar. She cut off
from her body all the innovating Hierarchs who changed the Old Calendar,
together with those in communion with them. It was then that the schism of 1924
arose.
We must boldly
confess that the underlying basis of this New Calendarist schism is the heresy
of Ecumenism, which the New Calendarists themselves call the pan-heresy!
It is always the
devil who devises heresies. He seeks to exclude men from salvation; he seeks to
lead them with him into eternal damnation. Our Church, which is the Church of
Christ, is the only Ark of salvation for mankind.
Especially today,
when the flood of sin, impiety, unbelief, apostasy, and modern idolatry
prevails everywhere, the presence of the Church in the modern world is more
necessary than ever before.
For this reason,
“the ruler of this world,” the cunning devil, has waged war against her from
the very beginning, mercilessly and unceasingly. We experience this war against
the Church every day. On one side, we see the vast camp of the devil’s
followers. On the other stands the camp of Christ.
The camp of Christ
is the Church. Today, this camp is small. It is the “little flock.” To it
belong those who, in these last days in which we live, have not been led
astray; those who “work out their own salvation with fear and trembling”!
This Church was
shepherded by her Primates, distinguished clergymen such as: the First
Hierarch, Germanos of Demetrias; Chrysostomos Kavouridis, the Confessor and
Chief Shepherd of our Church; the ever-memorable Archbishop Akakios Pappas,
who, despite his extremely advanced age, did not hesitate to travel all the way
to America to bring us the Episcopacy; Archbishop Auxentios Pastras; and
finally, his successor, Chrysostomos Kiousis, who recently reposed at a very
advanced age.
Our ever-memorable
Archbishop Chrysostomos rendered immeasurable services during the twenty-four
years in which he shepherded the Church. My brother Bishops called me to
succeed this Hierarch, whose repose was so wondrous and saintly, although there
were others more worthy and capable than myself. Never in the past had I
imagined that I would be elevated to the rank of Archbishop, nor had I ever
sought it.
I did not refuse
this responsibility, which the love of my holy brethren, the Most Reverend
Hierarchs of our Holy Synod, placed upon me. Despite my limited strength and
precarious health, I undertook the duty of serving the Church in this position.
I desire to
continue the work of the ever-memorable Archbishop Chrysostomos Kiousis. In
this undertaking, I look to God for His help. I am confident that I shall have
the wholehearted support of my holy brethren, the Hierarchs, the other clergy,
the monks, and all the faithful. I realize that this work, which proceeds from
my position as Primate of our Church, is multifaceted and exceedingly
difficult. I shall set forth its particular aspects:
My first concern as
Archbishop, with God's help, shall be the confession of the right Faith. The
Holy Fathers of the Church emphasize: Without the right Faith, no one can be
saved! The right Faith is a necessary condition for salvation. The Orthodox
have always defended, and continue to defend, the right Faith. For the sake of
preserving the right Faith in all its exactitude, they have even shed their
blood.
The Fathers say: “A
heretic is one who deviates even in the slightest degree from the right Faith!”
Thus, they handed down to us the Faith, unadulterated and free from
innovations. This was the reason why, in 1924, the faithful refused to accept
the New Calendar, lest they become Latinized.
Latinization is a
heresy. The Franks have been condemned and anathematized by Ecumenical
Councils: the Eighth Ecumenical Council, which convened in 867 during the time
of St. Photios the Great, and the Ninth, which convened in the years 1341 and
1351 during the time of St. Gregory Palamas. In our own times, the heresy of
Ecumenism is spreading everywhere!
It teaches that the
Orthodox Church is merely one among the many heretical “churches”! It teaches
that even these heretical “churches” can supposedly save people! As though such
a thing were possible! Ecumenism seeks to unite all these heretical “churches”
into one “church,” which in reality is a “false church”! This “false church” of
the Ecumenists can never save anyone!
Already, the
Patriarchs, Archbishops, and other clergy of the New Calendar have united with
Papism. This “union” was signed in 1965 by the notorious Patriarch Athenagoras
and the Pope! It is this “union,” this “false union,” that Bartholomew is
striving to bring to fruition in our own days! I draw attention to the satanic
and sinister role played by this man called Bartholomew! This fateful man,
Bartholomew, has undertaken to impose this “false union” everywhere! The full
implementation of this “false union” was entrusted to Bartholomew because he is
the only man at the Phanar capable of imposing it. For this reason, they are
hastening to bring this “union” to full realization now, while Bartholomew is
still alive! This is why Bartholomew wishes to convene the “Ecumenical Council”
in order to ratify this “false union”!
For this reason,
the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou is being persecuted by the Phanar with such
fury, cunning, and malice! But we, too, are here! We, the Old Calendarists! We
are the guardians standing upon the ramparts of Orthodoxy, her watchmen! We who
uphold the “exactitude” of our right Faith! This is our Confession! This
Confession of Faith is accepted by all, or almost all, Old Calendarists. For
this reason, our Church does not administer her Mysteries to New Calendarists
and other heretics.
Our Church is the
counterweight to the heresy of Ecumenism. Within New Calendarist circles,
voices are occasionally raised against Ecumenism, against Papism, and against
Bartholomew and those with him, by conservative theologians, clergy, and other
individuals.
Yet these volleys
fired by the New Calendarists who speak out against Ecumenism, Papism,
Bartholomew, and the other officials of New Calendarism are nothing but blank
shots! For those whom they denounce as holding false doctrines, they
simultaneously commemorate in their churches as Orthodox. And they remain in
“communion” with them! This fact renders them inconsistent and unworthy of
trust.
Certain
conservative theologians of the New Calendar who slander our Church, such as
Epiphanios Theodoropoulos, will also be without excuse on the Day of Judgment.
Through their writings, these men render immeasurable services to the
Ecumenists! I believe that the time has come for all these erroneous doctrinal
views of these theologians to be refuted.
Our Church
believes, confesses, and proclaims that the Church is One. She is our Orthodox
Church. She alone saves those of her members who desire their salvation and
struggle to attain it. No heresy can save! No heresy possesses Grace! No heresy
possesses Mysteries! This confession was proclaimed in 1935 by the
ever-memorable Primate of our Church, Chrysostomos Kavouridis. Our Church
upholds this confession to this day.
For this reason, we
do not administer the Divine Eucharist or our other Mysteries to those who are
not members of our Church, such as the New Calendarists. There is a serious
issue that concerns our Church: schisms among Old Calendarists, which have
resulted in the formation of separate factions.
This deplorable
phenomenon of separate factions arose either from ecclesiological differences
or through the actions of former clergymen who had been deposed. I shall be
particularly happy if, during my ministry as Archbishop, I can contribute, even
in the smallest degree, to the resolution of these ecclesiological differences
in a manner pleasing to God, through theological dialogue conducted in good
faith and sincerity.
As for the factions
established by certain deposed former clergymen, I desire to facilitate the
return of all these people to the fold of the Church. Should they so wish, they
will be received in accordance with the Sacred Canons, the precepts of the Fathers,
and the practice of the Church.
In the Divine
Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, we beseech God to “put an end to the schisms of
the (local Orthodox) Churches.” We also pray that He may restore “those
who have gone astray” to the Church. I believe that this unity of all Old
Calendarists within the Church is the desire and prayer of everyone. This is
also my own desire and aim.
The Church does not
consist of Bishops alone. She also includes the other clergy, the monks, and
the laity. All these together constitute the body of the Church and are her
defenders, as the Patriarchs of the East declared in 1848.
My desire and aim
are to encourage the active participation of all the members of the body of the
Church. Each member has a distinct and important role to play. First and
foremost, the other clergy.
The Priesthood is
the highest ministry in the world. St. Kosmas of Aetolia used to say that if he
encountered a priest and an angel on the road, he would kiss the priest’s hand
first, and then that of the angel.
The Priesthood is
not a profession by which one earns a living. As the elders used to say, there
is not room for even a hair in the Priesthood. Those who are unworthy cannot be
or become clergymen. The Fathers require every clergyman to be worthy! This is also
attested by the faithful at the ordination of new clergymen, when they exclaim,
“Worthy! Worthy!” Above all, the Fathers require that those being ordained be
free from carnal impediments, so that they may be worthy. For this reason,
during the Cherubic Hymn we pray: “None of those who are bound by carnal
desires and pleasures is worthy to approach or draw near...”
Our age is
anti-spiritual! It is materialistic! Parents want their children to become
anything but priests or monks! In our Church, there is a shortage of vocations
to the Priesthood. We must all help encourage our young men to enter the
Priesthood—young men who are worthy, devout, and filled with missionary zeal!
This is the
foremost qualification that a clergyman must possess. Education, if he has it,
is useful, but it is not the primary requirement. It is upon this area that I
wish to concentrate my efforts. What kind of Genuine Orthodox Christians shall
we be if we cannot staff our parishes with worthy priests?
Next, the monks. In our days, monasticism is undergoing a crisis. It no
longer draws people's hearts as it once did. In former times, entire families
would leave the world and enter monasteries, placing themselves under holy
Elders. Today, our monasteries are declining because of a shortage of monks. We
need monks, not merely to prevent the monastery buildings from falling into
ruin. Monks are models of the perfect spiritual life, which all people ought to
attain. This is the calling of every human being. Whoever does not love
monasticism is not Orthodox! I shall be happy if I can help monasticism
flourish once again in our Church.
Finally, the laity.
In Orthodoxy, the laity are not passive members. They are active. They
participate in the Church’s many activities, such as the catechesis of the
faithful, charitable works, addressing the many problems of the Church, and
other areas. When the members of the body of the Church are actively engaged
and labor on her behalf, then the Church advances. She carries out her work in
a manner pleasing to God. I desire that the awakening and active participation
of all the members of the Church should be my constant concern as Archbishop.
I desire to devote
particular attention to our youth. Our young people who remain steadfast and
immovable in the traditions of the Church are worthy of praise. Blessed by God
are our young men who have not been led astray by the intoxicating enticements and
pleasures of this world, who do not feed upon the “husks” of the Prodigal Son,
such as rampant sexual permissiveness, drugs, wild revelry, and so many other
things. These young people are the hope of the Church! They are the future of
our homeland! Man cannot live without oxygen. And the Church, too, has need of
“oxygen”!
The “oxygen” of the Church is Theology. Not just any “theology,” but the
theology handed down to us by the Holy Fathers! This theology was revealed to
them by God Himself.
The Fathers are our authentic teachers. What they teach is not idle
speculation. Their teaching springs from their personal experience, which led
them from “purification” to “illumination” and “theosis.” The calling of
every human being is to become like God. This is also the purpose of the
Church: to deify man! To make him a saint! Only the Church produces saints! Not
the “pseudo-saints” proclaimed by Bartholomew and his fellow heretics, who have
even proclaimed Chrysostomos of Smyrna a saint!
A Church without Patristic Theology is not Orthodox! If we, the G.O.C.
in particular, live without the teachings of the Holy Fathers, we are in
reality merely “thirteen-dayists”! We are not Genuine Orthodox Christians! I
desire to labor with all my strength to establish Patristic Theology firmly
among the members of our Church. There is much more I would like to say
concerning how I desire to shepherd our Church as Archbishop, so that I may not
be condemned on that Day when I shall give an account to God! But I shall say
only this:
I desire to shepherd the Church, as her Primate, in accordance with the
Sacred Canons! For all matters concerning the Church, the Canons provide for
their regulation in a manner pleasing to God. In the governance of the Church,
they prescribe what is known as the “synodal system.” This means that neither
the Archbishop, who is the “First” of the Synod, may act on his own as he
pleases, nor may the other members of the Synod do as they wish without him!
The 34th Canon of the Holy Apostles decrees: “The Bishops of each
province must acknowledge the one who is First among them and regard him as
their head, and do nothing of greater importance without his consent. But
neither may he, that is, the First, do anything without the consent of all. For
thus there shall be concord, and God shall be glorified!”
I believe that at this sacred moment, the Fathers and all the Saints of
our Church are invisibly present. Among them are the Martyrs and the Venerable
Fathers who struggled for the right Faith. The holy Angels and Archangels are
present as well! Also present are my ever-memorable predecessors, Archbishops
Germanos Mavrommatis, Chrysostomos Kavouridis, Akakios Pappas, Auxentios
Pastras, and Chrysostomos Kiousis, together with our departed brother
Hierarchs, who unite their prayers with ours for the Church.
Finally, as for myself, I assure you that, by Divine strength, there is
room in my heart both for those who love me and pray that God will strengthen
me, and for those who may have less affection for me, or none at all! I desire
to please those who sincerely love God, and not the world.
I love you all in Christ and bless you! I shall be at the disposal of
each and every one of you. I shall be happy to meet each of you personally.
Anyone who wishes may meet with me at the offices of the Holy Synod, where, God
willing, I shall be present several days a week, as will be announced shortly.
I extend my brotherly prayers and good wishes to our ailing brother, His
Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos of America, for whom I pray that his health may be
restored. My prayers and blessings go out to our clergy and monks who minister
throughout the world. I especially greet and bless the Holy Monastery of
Esphigmenou, which is struggling for the sake of the Faith and suffering
persecution at the hands of Bartholomew, together with all the Zealot monks of
Mount Athos.
“The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” Amen.
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