Not the first time our bishops have been slandered...

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Anastasios
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Joined: Thu 7 November 2002 11:40 pm
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Jurisdiction: GOC-Archbishop Kallinikos
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Post by Anastasios »

Here is my source for the claim that ROCOR broke communion with the Synod of Archbishop Auxentius in 1976:

Unfortunately, prior to 1976 and the official rejection of the correction of their Consecrations by the ROCA, which prompted Metropolitan Kallistos to disavow his former Bishops, the "Matthewite" view of the State Church had come to assume more respectability. The extremism of this group could no longer be easily dismissed. Any union of Old Calendarists in Greece would now have to view the "Matthewite" Bishops as speaking from a presumed position of canonicity which they had not previously held. (We say here "presumed position of canonicity," since there is to this day some question as to whether the correction of the Consecrations of all of the "Matthewite" Bishops took place following the actions of the Russian Synod, which had advised that such corrections be undertaken.) It is no wonder, then, that the Synod under Archbishop Auxentios, among whose Bishops were individuals reared with a "Matthewite" mentality (if not within the movement itself), issued an encyclical in 1974, stating that the Mysteries of the State Church of Greece were invalid—pwithout Grace! This led to the resignation of Bishop Petros of Astoria (Exarch in the United States) from the Holy Synod and caused great consternation among other Old Calendarists of conscience and of a moderate spirit.

Secondly, the unfortunate administrative inabilities of Archbishop Auxentios led to many anomalies and canonical disorders, and also to the admission of many questionable elements from the ranks of the State Church, individuals seeking refuge in the Old Calendar movement from various personal problems and not for reasons of Faith. This led to internal strife, the virtual crippling of the Synod of Bishops, and to such unfortunate results as the severance of relations, in 1975, by the Russian Church Abroad, as a protest against every sort of improper action, culminating in the uncanonical Consecration, under astonishing circumstances, of a clergyman of the Russian Church Abroad as Bishop of Portugal. Archbishop Auxentios himself acknowledged that the direction of the Church had fallen from his hands and that administrative chaos was a positive term by which to describe the state of the Church. Every sort of ecclesiological view was pronounced as the official view of the Synod, contradictory decrees were issued, and petty jealousy and personal resentment colored every action of the Hierarchy.

--from Bishop Chrysostomos, Bishop Auxentius, and Bishop Ambrose,
The Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Greece, pp. 33-35.

Now in order for the GOC under Archbishop Chrysostomos II, who took over the GOC after several bishops deposed Archbishop Auxentius (who continued on in his own Church and took in Holy Transfiguration Monastery in 1987), to break communion with ROCOR in 1994, that would mean that ROCOR would have, after 1976 when the communion was broken, and after 1985, when Chrystomos II was elected Archbishop of Athens, had to have restored communion with Archbishop Chrysostomos II.

The claim that Metropolitan Cyprian was deposed by Archbishop Chrysostomos II cannot be true because he never belonged to his synod; when Cyprian was consecrated by Met. Kallistos of Corinth in 1979, Chrysostomos was not a part of the Synod of Auxentius.

If anyone has facts to the contrary, please show them so I can be corrected. I am still looking for sources for the other claims I made, which are based on sporadic readings I have done over the past few months.

anastasios

Disclaimer: Many older posts were made before my baptism and thus may not reflect an Orthodox point of view.
Please do not message me with questions about the forum or moderation requests. Jonathan Gress (jgress) will be able to assist you.
Please note that I do not subscribe to "Old Calendar Ecumenism" and believe that only the Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos is the canonical GOC of Greece. I do believe, however, that we can break down barriers and misunderstandings through prayer and discussion on forums such as this one.

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