The Ecclesiological Defense of Archimandrite Chrysostomos Spyrou of Spetses (1984)

Text by Our Legal Advisers

As is fitting, and in connection with the text of the Walling-Off, we reproduce below the text composed by our distinguished and eminent legal advisers, Theodore Theodoropoulos and Vasileios Bonos, who, in the courts, fought "like lions," "breathing fire" and imbued with a genuinely Orthodox mindset. Thoroughly versed not only in legal science but also in Orthodox Ecclesiology and Tradition, they launched a vigorous and devastating attack against today's "sickness unto death," namely, Syncretistic Ecumenism, dogmatic minimalism, and the relativization of Truth. They painstakingly demonstrated that the ecumenists from among the Orthodox are "conforming to the times" (St. Gregory the Theologian), having suffered shipwreck concerning the Faith and fallen in matters of Faith. They publicly denounced and demolished the arguments and the futile efforts of the guilty parties to justify themselves. They emphasized the importance of the "Orthodox, God-pleasing Resistance" required by the Church (Venerable Theodore the Studite, P.G. 99, 1045), and through their courtroom addresses demonstrated that: "For indeed, there is among us a war without weapons of iron, in which words are hurled back and forth; but we possess as our trophy of victory the unconquerable Truth" (St. Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople).

 

 

"I testify unto every man that heareth..."

(Rev. 22:18)

 

We have already entered the third millennium since God entered history through His Church. Thus, historical time acquires its meaning as a time of salvation until the end of time, that is, the coming of the Second Advent. Accordingly, between the First and Second Advents of the Lord, history unfolds through His Church as a work of faith leading to salvation.

Specifically, the Church is a spiritual institution founded by our Lord Jesus Christ and governed by the Holy Spirit dwelling within Her, and is consequently invincible, in accordance with the words, "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Heb. 8:1–2). The Church derives "Her origin" "from the Father," receiving from Him "the purpose, the will, the initial impulse, but the fulfillment of these through works comes through Christ" (St. John Chrysostom, P.G. 1, 62, 15).

On the other hand, the path of the faithful member of the Church is also clearly defined and predetermined, following a course parallel to that of the Church, since it constitutes an essential prerequisite—conditio sine qua non—for man's relationship with God. Here it must be noted that man's relationship with God, being an entirely personal relationship, rests solely upon man's free will: "Whosoever will come after me..." (Mark 8:34). This relationship forms the basis of a far-reaching transformation on earth, a second creation of a new humanity, established within an order governed by a spirit that is free, perfect, and derives its origin directly from the Creator: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6); "The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" (John 14:10).

Christian teaching soon became a subject of study among men—an exceptionally difficult undertaking in the unparalleled effort to render accurately the divine teaching contained in the Gospel—as well as a subject of lengthy philosophical and dogmatic discussions. Yet it is universally acknowledged that it constitutes the most perfect form of Faith, fully satisfying every restless spiritual disposition in the endless quest to discover the unknown content of the concept of truth. Such was Pilate's searching question concerning it: "What is truth?" (John 18:38). And this quest culminates in the fortunate result of a clear understanding of its objective purpose, namely, the salvation of the human soul.

Consequently, the divine institution, which derives its origin and governance from God, possesses its own dogmas, its own teaching, its own internal Order, and its own liturgical rite. These are not merely human inventions, nor can they be compared with human constructions, or understood and interpreted by analogy with them. Nor are these things subject to change, as human institutions are; neither are they adapted to the times, modified, or abolished by men, nor are they applied at anyone's discretion. As regards their interpretation, only the Church in Her entirety, and not any one particular Local Church, may pronounce judgment upon them. It is an unshakable belief and dogma, also constitutionally safeguarded in our homeland, that when the Church thus pronounces judgment, She does so infallibly, since She pronounces judgment in the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the course of two thousand years of history, and in the effort to render the divine teaching accurately, a multitude of heresies and heterodox teachings appeared, which the Church successfully confronted by condemning the erroneous teachings that deviated from the genuine Christian Faith, and by severing from communion and unity with Her every separate Christian community that disagreed with the dogmatic teaching of the true Church. "A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself" (Titus 3:10–11).

Such severed "Christian" communities now constitute the so-called other Christian "confessions" or "Churches," which, by every means and at all times, seek to strike against the Orthodox Church, having created during the past twentieth century the so-called "Ecumenical Movement," ostensibly for cooperation that would progressively lead to the "unity" of the Churches.

The blow against the Church of Greece was struck in 1924 through the forcibly imposed calendar innovation, ostensibly for the sake of scientific "modernization" and "keeping pace" with the civilized world, but in reality, for the sake of an anti-Orthodox union with unrepentant heretics and heresies.

It follows, therefore, that the disruption of worship through the imposed innovation of introducing the Gregorian calendar, or the supposed correction of the traditional calendar by adding 13 days, constitutes an unlawful action and a heterodox practice that strikes at the very Faith itself. The traditional festal calendar of the Orthodox Church constitutes an institution established by divine good pleasure.

Therefore, the feast days have been sacredly appointed by the Lord and His Church as markers of the stages of the Faith and have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Every act of the Church that recognizes rather than abolishes the honor accorded to a feast day is an act that has as its preexisting divine purpose the salvation of man, namely, the directing of the people's aspirations toward unwavering Faith, as a perpetual liturgical expression of honor and reverence.

Thus, every alteration of the clearly established movable and immovable feasts constitutes a disruption, a direct and immediate violation of what has been instituted and steadfastly observed in worship by both the Synods and Tradition.

Furthermore, the uncanonical shifting and alteration of the traditional festal calendar appears, on the one hand, as a product of papal usurpation of authority, and, on the other, the supposedly scientific correction appears as an incursion of a heterodox Protestant spirit. Both together, however, lead to the rapid growth and dominance of syncretistic Ecumenism, since they introduce through the wide gate into the sacred synthronon, as rulers, the sword and calculation, that is, the means of achieving the dominion of the fallen, earthbound world.

Ecumenism is a pan-heresy of communion, communion in pan-heresy, that is, anti-ecclesiastical and uncanonical communion between Orthodox and heretics for the sake of peace, love, and unity or union without a common Orthodox confession and Faith. In other words, it is a syncretistic or even eclectic tolerance of heresies, unresisting silence in the face of heterodox teachings and innovations, silence in the face of attacks against Orthodoxy, and gradual communion and association between Orthodox and heretics outside the Truth and Grace in Christ, and contrary to the canonical institutions of the Church, the ecclesiastical and civil legal order of the state, and the ethical principles governing social coexistence. In other words, it is a directed, concealed, unobtrusive, unceasing, all-encompassing, enticing, and insidious transformation of Orthodoxy into heresy, and a subversion of the very identity of the Orthodox, through the tactic of not contending for the Faith, thereby shifting them outside the Church.

The tactic of the ecumenists consists in tolerating or promoting the ecumenistic innovation and in persecuting the Orthodox confession and resistance, as well as the ecclesiastical communion of salvation in Christ. For this reason, those who tolerate, accept, and defend the ecumenistic innovation and communion, and the ecumenists themselves, unlawfully attack the Orthodox resisters who have canonically walled themselves off, confess the Faith in accordance with the Fathers, and struggle for the Faith in accordance with Tradition. Thus, they contribute to the further division of the Church in Greece.

Since then, that is, since 1924, the Orthodox Church in Greece has been divided into adherents of the schism caused by the calendar innovation associated with the heresy of Ecumenism, and those who canonically resist this innovation, seeking to overcome the ecumenistic schism and restore the unity of the Church through a common Orthodox Synod of Union, which will condemn the ecumenistic heresy, reunite those who have become separated, and restore the order that existed before 1924. Consequently, the Orthodox resisters struggle and wall themselves off in a manner pleasing to God, while the innovators remain subject to Orthodox ecclesiastical judgment, that is, they have not yet been specifically condemned. The innovators and the resisters are parties to a dispute and stand opposed to one another.

According to the Holy Fathers of Orthodoxy, the Mysteries of both parties—those of the resisters and those of the innovators who have not yet been condemned—are valid. However, the penalties imposed by the adherents of the calendar innovation upon the Orthodox resisters are ecclesiastically invalid, null and void, and without effect. Because of the division, the Synod of the Hierarchy of the united Orthodox Church in Greece cannot presently be constituted. Consequently, the "Holy Synod of the Church of Greece" is not the Synod of the united Orthodox Church in Greece, but a Synod persisting in innovation, subject to the judgment of a future Orthodox Synod of Union that is to be convened, and therefore lacking competence to resolve ecclesiastical matters or impose penalties upon the Orthodox resisters. Neither do the existing Synods of the resisters constitute the Synod of the united Orthodox Church in Greece, since they themselves seek its convocation for the purpose of Orthodox unity. These Synods are understood as associations and groups of Orthodox Bishops cooperating in resistance to the ecumenistic innovation and for the union of the Church in Greece in Orthodoxy.

It is therefore imperative that Orthodoxy and the unity "of the Faith" (Eph. 4:13) be proclaimed and established. To this end, the resisters must intensify their Orthodox struggle against the pan-heresy of Ecumenism and for the Orthodox union of the Church. Those who, whether through ignorance or with full knowledge, adhere to the calendar innovation of Ecumenism must likewise become Orthodox resisters. And, as soon as possible, a common Synod of Union must be convened to condemn the pan-heresy of Ecumenism, to condemn the calendar innovation and its unrepentant adherents, to proclaim the Orthodoxy handed down by the Fathers, to restore the traditional festal order, and to reunite the divided Church in Greece through the unity "of the Faith."

The syncretistic leveling of distinctions in our times is already causing concern even among the leading figures and sympathizers of the Ecumenical Movement, since they are now discovering, especially after the collapse of the atheistic, materialistic, and authoritarian regimes of Eastern Europe, that Orthodoxy is being openly attacked on every front, and that the Orthodox peoples are confronted not only with Uniatism but also with brutal military violence. The relentless objective of the secularized "Churches" and heterodox teachings is the destruction of the freedom of the human person, which springs from and flourishes within Orthodoxy, culminating in the final subjugation of the Orthodox to the counterfeit currency of the prevailing system of exchange, which bears the two faces of Catholicism and Protestantism.

Before those who have been misinformed or who sympathize with Ecumenism become aware of the grave danger it poses to the Church and to man, there have been anguished Orthodox voices raised by the true Shepherds of the People of God, who have exposed the snares and the impending catastrophe.

With prophetic vehemence and stentorian force, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS SPYROU proclaimed urbi et orbi the error and dangers arising from the pan-heresy of Ecumenism, stirring the entire island of Spetses and souls throughout the country who thirsted for the water of life. In 1983, the Very Reverend Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS proceeded to wall himself off from the official Church, as prescribed by the Sacred Canons, and specifically Canon 15 of the First-Second Council of Constantinople, sending a written CONFESSION OF FAITH to Metropolitan Ierotheos of Hydra, and the entire Sisterhood of the Holy Monastery of ALL SAINTS OF SPETSES followed him.

The departure from the sphere of ecumenistic error within the official Church is attributable to enlightenment from above, as occurred among the peoples who thirsted for the truth in the early Christian centuries. And indeed, Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS received enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, and his walling-off was the result of this enlightenment. The text constitutes a monument in the unbroken continuity of the great patristic tradition, and the positions set forth therein correspond to the identical positions of the great defenders and Confessors of Orthodoxy. For our times, it constitutes a great testimony to the living Sacred Tradition. This critical resistance to Ecumenism is a combined testimony of unerring wisdom and profound pastoral experience; it is the distillation of knowledge according to Christ and of true spiritual ministry, in which strict adherence to the Faith takes precedence. Nor could it be otherwise, since genuine spiritual work always addresses critical problems, even when these are thoroughly and carefully concealed. The great and critical problem now confronting us Greek Orthodox is the subversion of our very identity through Ecumenism, which is being carried out silently, unceasingly, and comprehensively in every sphere of life, under the insidious and enticing guise of innovation, another name for which is so-called modernization.

Great is the problem, great is the danger, and great also is the responsibility. Naturally, Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS could not shirk such responsibility, nor could his spiritual lambs any longer refrain from supporting him. Together with his memorandum, Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS also submitted his resignation, declaring that he was ceasing the commemoration of the Bishop for reasons of Faith.

From that time onward began the ordeal and persecution of the Sisterhood and its Spiritual Father by those in power, who went so far as to resort even to physical violence, violating centuries-old institutions and venerable constitutional human rights on that harsh day of March 3/16, 1984. The struggle of the Sisterhood and Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS was arduous and waged on every front, since their persecutors employed every means and procedure—criminal, civil, and administrative—even resorting to the odious measure of banishment, in order to destroy the Confessors physically and morally and extinguish their struggle for the Faith. Yet Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS, as a true Shepherd, had provided his rational flock with the solid food of true Teaching, which alone leads to sound Orthodox discernment. "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14). "For truly worthy of the highest blessedness is... to distinguish the counterfeit from the genuine and pure, and to proclaim the Faith of the Fathers without the slightest hesitation" (St. Basil the Great).

By Divine Grace, and with the assistance of Orthodox Christians everywhere, the Sisterhood and Fr. Chrysostomos won a great victory. At the same time, despite overwhelming adversities, on January 4, 1985, they founded the Holy Monastery of PANAGIA GORGOEPIKOOS AND THE MYRRHBEARERS on Spetses, in no way neglecting the fulfillment of their angelic vow. "Keep your angelic profession faithfully, walking in a heavenly manner" (Venerable Theodore the Studite, P.G. 1, 99, 1824).

The crowning glory of the Holy Monastery of PANAGIA GORGOEPIKOOS AND THE MYRRHBEARERS and of Fr. CHRYSOSTOMOS is the example it presents today of a community in which the true Faith is a lived experience, wherein a whole range of explicit and implicit elements, derived from natural laws of a universal character and from ontological, ethical, epistemological, social, psychological, or methodological assumptions, are subordinated and transformed into a single coherent worldview, which perfects and elevates the human person, while also defining his freedom of choice as the royal path of salvation, leading to God in Trinity. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).

 

Greek source: Η ΑΠΟΤΕΙΧΙΣΙΣ ΜΟΥ, Archimandrite Chrysostomos Spyrou, Holy Monastery of Panagia Gorgoepikoos and the Myrrhbearers, Spetses, 2008, pp. 51-62.

Also see: https://orthodoxmiscellany.blogspot.com/2025/05/trial-of-elder-chrysostomos-spyros-of.html

https://orthodoxmiscellany.blogspot.com/2025/04/when-righteous-are-praised-people.html

https://orthodoxmiscellany.blogspot.com/2026/09/st-philaret-new-confessor-recognizes.html