Apostasy of the Shepherds — Proselytization of the Faithful into the Pan-Heresy of Ecumenism (2017)

The Misunderstandings That Divide Orthodox Anti-Ecumenists

A Scandalized [Non-Commemorating] Athonite Monk

 

 

There is a great misunderstanding that the devil exploits in order to sow discord among us, divide us, and accomplish his work—that is, to reign supreme.

Elder Joseph the Hesychast withdrew from the Zealot factions and returned to the [commemorating] monasteries. Why did he do this?

Because, in 1950, the Zealot factions issued an encyclical condemning the Official Church, which followed the New Calendar, as heretical and its Mysteries as invalid.

This caused him to become troubled, to pray, and to see a vision in which he had strayed from Mount Athos and found himself on a rock, surrounded by waves and in danger of drowning. Consequently, he left the Zealots and returned to the Patriarchate. However, he did not commemorate the Patriarch, for the Patriarchate is one thing, and the Patriarch is another.

When the Patriarch openly preaches heretical views, “with bared head,” you separate yourself from him, but not from the Church. This is precisely what Elder Joseph did when he saw that the Zealots were separating themselves not only from the heretical Patriarch, but also from the Church itself, which they declared heretical, and were establishing other churches—factions—each of which rejected the others. The holy Elder Paisios acted likewise: he ceased commemorating the Patriarch, but did not join the factions to quarrel over their leaders.

Thus, even now, we separate ourselves from the heretical Patriarch Bartholomew and do not commemorate him, but we do not establish a Church of our own. We remain within the Church and beseech God to send an Orthodox Patriarch who will condemn the heresy of Ecumenism and all the innovators within the Church, both clergy and theologians.

Elder Joseph did not commemorate the Patriarch until the end of his life, and all the monasteries associated with his brotherhood (his disciples) likewise refrained from commemorating the Patriarch until 1973. However, in that year, a delegation from the Patriarchate declared on Mount Athos that whoever did not commemorate the Patriarch would be deposed, and thus they began commemorating him. Other Abbots who refused to commemorate him were deposed, such as Andrew of St. Paul’s Monastery, Athanasios of Gregoriou Monastery, Evdokimos of Xenophontos Monastery, and Athanasios of Esphigmenou Monastery. Only Esphigmenou Monastery continued to refrain from commemorating the Patriarch.

Whether they did right or wrong in preferring commemoration to deposition, and the growth of monasticism to the confession of Faith, let God be the judge.

What matters now is that we have the Ecumenists, who are all united, while we Anti-Ecumenists are all divided.

Let us all unite in our Orthodox Faith and pray that God will remove from His flock all the tares that are choking the ears of wheat He has sown.

Let us expose to the people of God the great apostasy of the Shepherds from God, the proselytization of the faithful into the pan-heresy of Ecumenism, and the deceitfulness of the Council of Crete, which introduced the heresy of Ecumenism into the Orthodox Church on a pan-Orthodox and conciliar basis.

 

Greek source: https://paterikiparadosi.blogspot.com/2017/06/blog-post_72.html