1924-1934
The objection of the Orthodox
The ecumenistical tendencies that appeared in Orthodox Church and the change of the traditional church calendar at the beginning of the previous century were found in front of the courageous reaction of Orthodox faithful of Greece. The change of the church calendar was insidious and sudden in purpose, Orthodox people did not realize it. So when at 12th of March of 1924, the bells were ringing happily all over the country, all the people were surprised and asked each other “why are the bells ringing? Is there any celebration today?” The answer was given in churches “Today is the celebration of the Annunciation of Virgin Mary (25th of March)”, and the faithful people in sadness and indignation repeated constantly “alas, they made us Roman-Catholics”.However, God did not abandon the crew of his Church in the hands of the innovators. At the same time, with the traitorous attitude of the innovator Hierarchy Of Greece, God illuminated and encouraged some men who had the zeal and faith in the tradition of their Orthodox ancestors. Just after a week, some people have gathered and created “The Union of Orthodox” which when it received, at 1926, a Pan-Hellenic movement was renamed “Greek Religious Community of the Genuine Orthodox Christians”. Main concern of this religious institution was serving of the faithful in the non-innovated Orthodox faith, the creation of appendices in all of the country, and mainly to provide priests, whom came from Mount Athos. Just for historical reasons we report some names from this concentration in pursuit of honouring these fighter-martyrs. Ioannis Sideris was the Chairman of the Association. Among the others were Andrew Vaporidis, Andrianos Papadimitriou, Konstantinos Karagiannidis, the monks (then) Paisios Filokaliotakis, Chrisanthos Vrettaros and others.The reaction of the faithful was not predicted by the innovating Church. So, since they couldn’t manage to subdue them, they tried to impose their decisions by force. At 1925, the commotion of G.O.C. decided to celebrate the Holy Epiphany at the coastal location of Palaio Faliro. The Archbishop of the newcalendar Church learned this decision and accused the aggregation to the government as saboteurs of Democracy. The police besiegeded the temple ,of which G.O.C. were gathered, and dissolved the concentration by force. Police arrested 30 people and led them to the police office for a body search so that they discover incriminating elements. They didn’t find anything by this search except some religious objects, and the police officer shouted “Democracy does not fall by Gospels, crosses and beads”. The fact of the appearance of the Holy Cross at the sky during the vigil of the 13th to 14th of September of 1925 encouraged G.O.C. to face the becoming pogroms. We transport here a characteristic extract from the publication of this fact from the newspaper “Helliniki”. “…two thousand people saw this scrumptious phenomenon of God’s gift, on their knees and crying, they watched for over half an hour, because the Holy Cross overshadowed the church. That police outpost saw the miracle and became excited of this, left the guns and joined the faithful to offer doxology and prayer to the Lord of Glory”. The persecutions were also continued and the freedom of performance of religious duty of G.O.C. was broken pointedly by the New-calendar Church. Despite off all these, more population were continuously drawn up to the Genuine Orthodox Christian Church. As long as the population showed their disapproval at the innovative Archbishop Chrysostomos Papadopoulos, so much this hardened the pressures. In 1926, the Greek government because of the general outcry for the misdeed and the violence of the new-calendar Archbishop Chrysostomos Papadopoulos against the Old-calendars, was forced to be differentiated. With a decision of the Minister of Internal Affairs P. Tsaldari, it was allowed for G.O.C. to exercise freely their religious ceremonies in privately-owned Temples. With another decision of Ministers of Education and Internal Affairs (1933), it was allowed to the Old-calendars to build privately owned temples. In 1927, a fighter of Orthodoxy Constantine Karagiannidis, led from indignation for the confusion which had been inserted in the Hellenic Church, the innovative Archbishop decided to “meet” him. It was at the celebration of Saint Konstantinos (new calendar) and the New-Calendar Archbishop was about to serve at the celebrant Holy Temple in Piraeus. As soon as the Archbishop reached and advanced with his escort to the Holy Step, Constantine Karagiannidis stand in front of him. Archbishop believed that he wanted to take his wish, but Karagiannidis suddenly removed from his pocket a pair of scissors and cut his beard. After this engagements and arrests were followed. Karagiannidis and three nuns were led to the Public prosecutor and after a trial they were found not guilty. For one decade the weight of the Holy fight raised the priest-monks from Mount Athos and certain Priests whom had left the New-calendar Church as well as the Christians whom were constituted occasionally in the Council of "Community of Genuine Orthodox Christians". The devout population was continuously increasing. At this first decade the annexes of G.O.C. reached the 800 all over Greece. Wanting to deposit a homage to the fighters and ringleader clergymens of that time, of the Holy Agon we will report the names that we are informed of. From Mount Athos hieromonks: Eugenie Lemonis, Gerasimos Skourlis, Artemios Nodarakis, Parthenios Skourlis (afterwards Bishop of Cyclades ), Artemios Xenofontianos, Antonios Koutsonikolas, Gideon Papanikolaou, Ilarion Ousounopoulos, Akakios Papas (afterwards Bishop Talantiou), Priests Vasileios Sakelleropoulos, Constantine Karapostolou, Constantine Lagos, Stefanos Goulas, Savvas Papadopoulos, Michael Savvopoulos, Monks Marcos Haniotis, Antonios Moustakas, Victor Matthaiou, and many others.
1935-1955
The intellectual leadership of the Holy Struggle
The objection of Orthodoxy against the innovation that
the leaders of
the
Managing Orthodox Church enforced in Church’s worship was not an instant
reaction but a realised expression of Orthodox Confession. Their distress
 however from the first years was the deprival of Archpriests. They knew that
this lackness rendered them firstly without
ecclesiastical leadership and secondly it would create
problems in the performance of their religious duties because of the lack of
priests. All these years there were efforts to amplify
certain Hierarchs, so that they recant the innovator Church and undertake the
leadership of the Holy Agon. So, they also visited
Metropolitan of Florina Hrisostomo (Kavouridis).
At 1928,
Metr.
Chrysostomos (Kavouridis)
after a disease he asked to
be abdicated of his duty and
to stay as
an inapprehensive in Athens
permanently. He had the chance to
know closely the zeal and the
crowd of the Orthodox faithful whom were fighting
against the innovation of the new-calendar,
he realised their ingenuous fight and decided to join them. After some contacts
he had with other Hierarchs he undertook the pastorate of Genuine Orthodox
Christians of Greece with Metropolitans Dimitriados Germano (Mavrommati) and
Zakinthou Hrisostomo (Dimitriou).At the 13th of May, a Holy Liturgy
took place by the three Hierarchs at the H.T. Of
Assumption – Athens. The three Hierarchs, in front of
25000 faithfuls, declared the undertaking of pastorate of G.O.C. and read the
relative proclamation which was their Orthodox
Confess. On the next day they sent to the Synod of the
New-calendar Church their
renunciation and their interruption as members.
 As
soon as the three Hierarchs found that, the New-calendar Church, was
about to proceed against them with trials and persecutions, they decided
to ordain Bishops. The ordinations were done in the Holy Monastery of Pefkovounogiatrissa at Keratea- Attika
 and were
elected the Archimandrites: Germanos (Varikopoulos) as Bishop of Cyclades,
Christophoros (Hatzis) as Bishop of Megara, Polikarpos (Liosis) as Bishop of
Diavlia and the abbot of the Monastery Matthaios (Karpathakis) as Bishop
Vresthenis. So, the Church of G.O.C. acquired its
Ecclesiastical Administration and the president was
Metr. Germanos of Dimitriados. The reaction of the New-Calendar Archbishop of
Athens Chrysostomos was direct. He
accomplished to turn the Government against the
Hierarchs of G.O.C.He sent a powerful police force at the offices
of Archdiocese
of G.O.C (at that time they were at 37 Aristotelous
St.)
and placed the three Metropolitans in
restriction inside the offices. The restriction began on 29th
of May and on the 1st
of June the Hierarchs were judged by the New-Calendar Church and were
condemned in cashiering and exile. Our Hierarchs remained limited in the offices
and with guards up to the 7th of June. We should say that three
synodical Metropolitans of the New-calendar of Church did not agree with the
prosecution of Archbishop Chrysostomos against the Hierarchs of G.O.C. These
were Metr. Prokopios Of Hydra, Metr. Ireneus Of Samos and Metr. Ierotheos
Of Aitolia , they reached up to the point of resigning from their synodical duties.
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At
the 7th of June, the pastorals of G.O.C. were led to the exile. Metropolitan
of Dimitriados was exiled in the
Monastery of Hozeviotissa
in the island Amorgos, ex- Metr.Chrysostomos of Florinis in the Monastery of
Saint Dionisios at Olympus and Metr.
Chrysostomos of Zakinthos in the Monastery of Romvou
at Akarnania and while the two first were led to the
place of their exile, Metr. Chrysostomos of Zakinthos, declared penitence
and came back in
 his province. The four neworda-ined Bishops received the same
sentences. Except two of them, Polikarpos of Diavlias and Christophoros of
Megaridos who followed the example Chrysostomos of Zakinthou. They apologized
to the New-calendar Synod and avoided their punishment. They hadn’t
been accepted as Bishops but as Archimandrites.
However, they hurried to declare that are convinced in the decision of Church
but in their conscience they feel Bishops. So –they
declared – neither will they act anything as Bishops
but neither will they function henceforth as Priests, thing which they made. The
other two, Germanos of Cyclades was exiled in the Monastery Strofadon of
Zakynthos, and Vresthenis Matthaios was limited because of illness in his
Monastery. After the return of the Hierarchs from the exile the holy Synod of
G.O.C. were constituted from the Germanos of Dimitriados, Chrysostomos of
Florinis, Germanos of Cyclades and Matthaios of Vresthenis. However the ordeal
of
G.O.C. at this second period does not finish here. The two Metropolitans
Germanos of Dimitriados and Chrysostomos of Florinis as main perpetrators of the
recommended Hierarchy of the G.O.C. accepted as was natural a bigger rage from
the New-calendar Church. They considered necessary not to accept passively the
unfair decisions of New-calendar Hierarchy against them. With letters to the
leadership of the New-calendar Synod and to the Government, they protested and
explained the reasons of their cutting off, from the “government owned” Church.
Also,ex-Metr. of Florinis used in his speeches the theological term "by power
and not by action", meaning that the New-calendar Hierarchy is schismatic
against Orthodox, but the schism they made, it is ratified only by Panorthodox
Synod. Is eligible - clarified the memorable Hierarch - each Orthodox to
interrupt ecclesiastical society with a schismatic clergyman or popular and to
denounce this, but cannot declare him officially schismatic, a right which only
the Synod has. From the above, the Bishops Germanos of Cyclades and Matthaios
of Vresthenis disputed the Orthodox consent of Metropolitans Germanos and
Chrysostomos. The two Metropolitans uselessly tried to maintain the unity of
the Hierarchy. A civil war
prevailed for a lot of years. They did not stop to sent letters one to the
other, the clergy and the faithful were
fanaticized and finally the race in favour of the faith was
changed in internal conflict. |
We should report for historical reasons that the
ex- Metr. of Florinis tried many times to meet the Bishop of Vresthenis in his
effort to stop this war but unfortunately all his efforts stopped in the
intolerance of Bishop Matthaios and his advisers. At 1944, Metropolitan Germanos
of Dimitriados died. Next year, Bishops Hristophoros of Megaridos and Polycarpos
of Diavlias,
joined G.O.C. again under the presidency of ex- Chrysostomos of
Florinis. At 1947, was organised the first Pan-Hellenic Congress of G.O.C. in
which took part 500 representatives from all Greece. At 1948, Bishop Matthaios
of Vresthenis proceeds alone in ordinations of Bishops. Bishop of Germanos of
Cyclades ceases the ecclesiastical communion with him and joins, again, the Holy
Synod of G.O.C. under the Presidency of ex-. Chrysostomos of Florinis.At 1949,
Archbishop and Primate of the New-calendar Church becomes the Metropolitan
Spiridon Vlahos. The more intense persecutions of G.O.C became at his days.
Hierarchs were exiled, priests were unfrocked and shaved, Holy Temples were
stamped, Holy symbols and utensiles were profaned, simple faithful were jailed,
the children of G.O.C. were excluded from the Theological faculty of University
of Athens and a lot of other savageries against the G.O.C. characterize this
era.Bishop Matthaios Karpathakis died at the 14th
of May of 1950. The New-calendar’s Archbishop Spiridon Vlahos
exploiting the pan-hellenic uproar that had been done by the
scandals of the Keratea Monastery (Bishop Matthaios’s) accused the whole
old-calendar people and asked from the state their prosecution. Metropolitan
Chrysostomos knowing the Archbishop’s Spiridon
mischief, tried to unite the
variant Old-calendar people to confront the upcoming new trials. Many clerics,
H.
Temples and Monasteries that followed the Matthiouites, returned to the
canonical Synod of G.O.C. by this unionist circle of
his. He also prepared the Hierarchs, the clerics and the faithful for the new
befalling persecutions. The feast of Epiphany at
1951 was unprecedented.
Thousands of people followed
their Hierarchs and clerics.
This fact made Archbishop Spridon’s anger to get wilder. At the 1st
of February 1951 ex-Metr. of Florinis
was arrested and led for an other time to the exile, this
time in the Monastery of Ipsilou in Mitilini. At the town of Desfina, the
New-calendar Metropolitan of Fokida Athanasios, entered during the time of the
H. Liturgy in the Temple of G.O.C., struck the Priest who officiated and after
he threw in the floor the Holy Communion started to step on it. At the island of
Hios, Metr
Panteleimon of
Fostinis had
arrested and unfrocked
10 monks of the Holy Monastery of Saint Markos and the
nuns of the H. Monastery of Megali Panagia, because they followed the old
calendar. A lot of our priests were hiding so they can
avoid the anger of the new “Dioclitianos” Spiridon
Vlahos and were servicing secretly in country churches and in basements.
At the dawn of 24th of March of 1951, Bishop Germanos of Cyclades is
transferred from the house he was hiding to the hospital because of cerebral
accident. Since he had realised the gravity of his situation, memorable Stavros
Karamitsos (member of the Administrative Council of the Community of G.O.C.)
went to Archbishop Spiridon and asked him to stop the persecution for a while
and especially for the dying Bishop, so that a priest could go to a hospital and
give him the Holy Communion. He also asked from the Archbishop Spiridon to
unseal a Temple so that it could be chanted the burial service when the patient
Bishop would have been dead. The cruelty of Archbishop Spiridon didn’t
buckle even this moment. On the contrary he sent police force in the Hospital in
order to guard the dying Bishop. At the evening of the same day, Bishop Germanos
of Cyclades whom the police force was continueing to guard died. In spite of all
these, the rigidity of the "representatives of love», was beat by simple people.
Fr. Andreas Konstantinatos secretly (rather with the tolerance of guards) went
to the hospital and gave to Bishop Germanos the Holy Communion. Since the
patient Bishop slept, the head of the guard who was guarding the dead Bishop,
learning the cruelty of Archbishop Spiridon, approached somebody from the
faithful who was found there and told him secretively “bring a priest in the
night to chant the burial service for the dead”. He hesitated to accept fearing
that it was subterfuge in order to arrest the Priest who would come. Then the
officer assured him by his honor that he would not arrest the priest. So, at
that night, since they dressed the dead Bishop with his pontificals, and eased
the pile seating (at the ancient customs of
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Orthodox Church), the burial service
was chanted by the (at that time) Archim.
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As it happens in such cases, a lot of promises are given. A lot of deputies promised to help for the recall of the Old-calendar in Church if their party was elected. There was a proposal for our Hierarchs to resign from the ecclesiastical administration of G.O.C. for facilitation of counsel. Such it happened. But memorable ex- Chrysostomos of Florinis distinguished the game of politics quickly. He recalled his resignation immediately, but Bishops Hristophoros and Polikarpos after consultations with the New-calendar Church adhered to it and were accepted as Bishops (they were promoted to Metropolitans later). The blissful Primate Hrisosomos alone was facing the cruelty of the New-calendars and the bitterness of Matthewites until the 7th / 20th of September of 1955, when his blissfully soul flied to the sky so that God give him the wage of faith’s confessor.
1955-1978
The new Hierarchy of G.O.C.
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After the death of the confessor
Hierarch ex-.Florinis Chrysostomos the Holy
Agon of the G.O.C. became orphan. The ecclesiastical administration undertook
committee from clergymen with chairman reverence Archimandrite Akakios Papas and
members the Archimandrites Loggios
Hatzistefanou, Merkurios Kaloskamis, Germanos
Athanasiou, Auxentios
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At 1962, Bishop Akakios invited the Archbishop Leontios of Chile of the Russian
Church of Dissemination, and ordained three Bishops, Parthenios (Skourlis) as
Bishop of Cyclades, Ayxentios (Pastras) as Bishop of Gardikiou and
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His counteractive tactics climaxed with the new ordinations of Bishops. Archbishop Auxentios and Bishop Gerontios, since Bishop of Magnisias Chrysostomos suffered by hemiplegia, thought to ordain new Bishops afraid of new lack of Hierarchs, having bad experience from the past. Bishop of Diavlias Akakios didn’t agree with this decision. The two Hierarchs, Auxentios and Gerontios, The two Hierarchs Auxentios and Gerontios, having and the conform opinion of patient Bishop of Magnesias Chrysostomos, ordained at 1971 four new Bishops, the Archimandrites, Paisios (Eftimiadis) as Bishop Evripou, Chrysostomos (Kiousis) as Bishop of Thessalonica, Kallinikos (Haniotis) as Bishop of Thavmakou and Akakios (Ntouskos) as Bishop of Canada. At this period, the Temples and Monasteries that depended in the Holy Synod are up to 250. The next year becomes effort once again for the approval of Constitutive Chart but also again fails and is withdrawn. Memorable Archbishop Auxentios trying to coil the Hierarchy achieves to restore in the Holy Synod the Bishop of Diavlias Akakios. |
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1979-1995
The internal conflicts are extended
We could say that the year of 1979 is the year that became the beginning of all the later trials of our Church. Two Metropolitans, Kallistos of Korinthos and Antonios of Megaridos, secretly and without any reason of faith, ordained eight Archimandrites as Bishops. These were Kyprianos Koutsoumbas (Filis), Maximos Tsitsimbakos (Magnisias), Kallinikos Sarantopoulos (Ahaias), Matthaios Laggis (Inois), Germanos Athanasiou (Eolias), Kalliopios Giannakopoulos (Pentapoleos), Merkourios Kaloskamis (Knosou), Kallinikos Karafillakis (Dodekanisou). After their illegal act they asked from the Archbishop Auxentios and the Holy Synod to recognize them. Archbishop Auxentios with the other Bishops did not accept this blackmail, and the putschists seceded from the Church. By an abjuration they sent at 14th/27th of February of 1979 to the Holy Synod, they composed their own illegal Synod with chairman Metropolitan kallistos of Korinthos, and decided fake unfrockings against clerics. The Holily Synod constituted henceforth from the Archbishop Auxentios, and the Metropolitans Gerontio of Pireas and of Salaminas, Paisios of Evripou and Evia, Kallinikos of Phioidos and Thavmakou and Akakio of Canada intended to create a major Synod capable to judge the fissurists of the Church, ordained legally and regularly ten Bishops, the Archimandrites Eftimios (Orfanos) as Bishop of Stavroupolis (later Metr. of Thessaloniki), Paisios (Loulourgas) as Bishop of Gardikiou (later Metr. of America), Theophilos (Tsirbas) as Bishop of Christianoupolis (later Metr. of Patra), Athanasios (Postalas) as Bishop of Platamona (later Metr. of Larisa), Maximos (Valianatos) as Bishop of Kefalinia (later Metr. of Eptanisa), Stefanos (Tsikouras) as Bishop of Kardamila (later Metr. of Chios), Paisios (Philocaliotis) as Bishop of Egina, Gerasimos (Vrakas) as Bishop of Talantiou (later Metr. of Thiva), Athanasios (Haralambidis) as Bishop of Grevena (later Metr.of Aharnes), Ioustinos (Kolotouros) as Bishop of Marathona (later Metr.of Evia). The new recommended Holy Synod with chairman the Archbishop Auxentios put on trial the affair of the seceded and condemned in cashiering both the ordainers and the ordained.
The Holy Synod at 1979. (from the left to the right) Bishops Maximos, Gerasimos, Athanasios (Postalas), Efthimios, Metropolitan Gerontios, Archbishop Auxentios, Metropolitan Kallinikos, Bishops Theophilos, Stefanos, Athanasios (Haralambidis), Ioustinos and Archim. Nikolaos Liapidis Secretary of the H. Synod.
The unfrocked didn’t regret for their illegal act but they tried with every way to prevail in the consciences of G.O.C. In order to receive legal substance they activated the Presbyterian Association that was founded at 1961 by the then Archim. Kalliopios Giannakoylopoulos. This Association was created by this Archimandrite when he was isolated from everyd of G.O.C. with other Priests and named it "Greek Church of G.O.C." in order to appear that it represented the G.O.C. in Greece. The putschists activated this association of Congregational type and were written as members in 1979 so that they appear in the state as the Administration of G.O.C. in Greece. The breaking in pieces of the G.O.C. started at this year. While up to the year 1979 the parties of G.O.C. were two (Matthaikoi and Afxentiakoi), were added also the Kallistikoi who began to pay their illegal act. Did not pass a long time and they began to split. Metrop. Kallistos seeing the tepidity of faith of his Bishops, withdrew in 1983 from their Synod and was limited in his Monastery up to his death at 1986. Then, since they repented, Bishops Maximos Tsitsimbakos, Germanos Athanasiou and Kallinikos Karafillakis were accepted by heirothesia from the Holy Synod under Archbishop Auxentios. In 1984, Bishop of Phili Kiprianos created his own part and ordained Bishops with Bishop of Sardinia Ioanni, titled “Synod of the Opposed”. The rest of the illegal act of 1979, Metr Antonios of Megaridos and Bishops Kalliopios of Pentapoleos, Kallinikos of Ahaias and Matthaios of Inois (Bishop Merkourios of Knosos died in 1980) remained isolated with some clerics who were favored by the provisional conflict of Archbishop Auxentios and Metr. Gerontios and were accepted by Gerontios’s part.At 1985, the two prelates Auxentios and Gerontios feeling perhaps that they are responsible for the existed bad situation of the Church, communicated and decided to link the two fighting portions. Unfortunately this union was cursory and hastily so that profited only the four impenitent and dangerous putschists. That is how the sneaky war began and the presumptive putschists succeeded what they couldn’t do when they were out of the Church. Archbishop Auxentios and his Hierarchs were the mark. The first who was put in the “guillotine” was Archbishop Auxentios because of the ordination of Archim Dorotheos Tsakos by Metr Maximos of Kefallinia and Gerasimos of Thiva, whoms ordinations were ascribed to Archbishop Auxentios. The ringleaders of 1979 Kallinikos of Ahaias and Kalliopios of Pentapoleos acted once again and finally misleading the Synod accomplished the condemnation of Archbishop Auxentios. This fact created two parties again and simultaneously they ostracised four regular Hierarchs with Archbishop Auxentios, because Metr Maximos of Kefallinias, Athanasios of Larisis, Germanos of Aiolias and Gerasimos of Thivon followed him. Their next movement was the election of a new Archbishop. They approached the promotion of someone who was malevolent with the Auxentians and had common intentions with them (the putschists of 1979). Bishops Petros of Astorias, Diavlias of Attica, Chrysostomos of Thessalonikis and Cycladon Germanos, who were out of the Synod, were invited to participate the Holy Synod. From these, the first whom were included in the Synod were the erased at 1974 for reasons of faith Bishop Petros of Astoria, without to be asked his coidentity with the Confession of Faith of the Holy Synod. The other three didn’t accept to rejoin the Holy Synod by sending letters, but suddenly Metr Chrysostomos of Thessalonica’s retracked and presented to the Meeting of the Holy Synod at the 15h/28th of January of 1985 without being restored of the penances (leisure and handing-over) against him and put candidature for Archbishop. The unprecedented fact of this case was that during the voting for the election of the new Archbishop voted two Metr of Thessaloniki, Efthimios and Chrysostomos . Chrysostomos Kiousis was the elected as Archbishop with lean majority. The initial counsel of extermination of everything that reminded Archbishop Auxentios was placed immediately. The active Metr Efhimios of Thessaloniki was the new mark. They resurrected an affair (subject Giosaki) that had been rejected irrevocably at 1985 because of lack of sufficient evidence. So, they rendered the Metr Efthimio in pending trial, in order firstly to be discredited constantly and secondly Archbishop Chrysostomos to go freely and function in Thessalonica. They did not allocate the majority and their counsels could not be applied, so the Holy Synod was operating faulty. When memorable Metr of Pireas Gerontios died at November of 1995, it was presented the subject of his replacement in the Metropolis Piraeus. They took with their part the American Bishops Paisio and Vikentio by promising to Vikentios this post. Bishop Vikentios was elected as Vicar of the Metropolis of Pireas, prospecting his election as Metropolitan. Thus the initial counsel was stalk.
1995-Today
After five months, Archbishop Chrysostomos called at June 1995 a second meeting with the Holy Synod as continuity of the first, where appeared evidently henceforth the suppression of synodical institution. Meanwhile, the agreement between the Americans and the team of Kiousis did not go well. They did not trust each other. The Americans required the election of Vicentios to be done firstly and then the ostracism of Metr Efthimios, and from the other the conventicle of Archbishop Chrysostomos (that in the substance did not want Bishop Vicentios) asked from the two American Bishops, their complete support in their objectives and as remuneration would elect Bishop Vicentios as Metropolitan of Pireas. That meeting led to be the drop that overflowed the glass with the pointed abuse of power of Archbishop Chrysostomos as we will see below.The first subject was the circular about the electronic cards. In this subject agreed the majority of members of Holy Synod but because Metr Kallinikos of Achaia, Matthaios of Oinois and Kalliopios of Pentapoleos did not agree with the other nine Hierarchs, Archbishop Chrysostomos withdrew the circular. Second subject once again the creation of Constitutive map even though it had been rejected twice in the past. The subject was transferred in next meeting and the majority reacted once again. Third subject was about the election of a new Metr of Pireas. The majority of Synodical Hierarchs voted for direct election but Kallinikos of Achaias did not agree. The Archbishop wasn’t able to face the dissatisfaction of Hierarchs for the contempt of majority, rose by his place and dissolved the meeting, abandoning the rest Synodical Hierarchs and the remainder daily provision of subjects. (For historical reasons we report that the fourth subject was the deposition of Bishop Petros of Astoria because of the ecumenist statements of the Canon). Triggered and indignated the Hierarchs from this tactic of the Archbishop and three Metropolitans Kallinikos of (Achaia), Kalliopios and Matthaios, six of them signed a letter to the Archbishop Chrisostomo and they asked the convocation of Holy Synod in order to express their dissatisfaction , against the conventicle that was created. The convocation was done but the subject wasn’t the demand of the six Hierarchs, but the charge of Metro Kalliopios at certain from the denouncer Hierarchs and for subjects that they had already decided. Then the six Hierarchs, Fthiotidos Kallinikos, Chiou Stefanos, Thessalonikis Efthimios, Evripou Ioustinos, Avlonos Vicentios and Americis Paisios, realised that the team of Archbishop Chrysostomos “struck” for their final intention which was the split of Holy Synod and the depredation of all the Ecclesiastical administration. They sent therefore a new letter by which they denounced in the Synod Archbishop and the three Metropolitans Achaias, Pentapoleos and Oinois. With this development however was revealed the drawing of God. Let us advert the result of the facts.From the fourteen Hierarchs of the Holy Synod, two of them (Megaridos and Aharnon) remained neutral.The remainder twelve were separated in two equal parts. The first was of unmixed Auxentian origin, the other of clean arbitrary origin with generator in it, for more of ten years, troublemaker, and argon and deposed Metro Chrysostomos Kiousis. The Kiusians exploited the charge of the six Hierarchs. They propagated that these six Hierarchs left from the Holy Synod and made schism. After six days without no respect in the rules of Church they dealt with their beloved action, namely they “unfrocked” (as in 1979) the six Hierarchs (because they dared to check them) and from the tens of clergymen who remained faithful in the legal H. Synod, six Archimandrites. The satisfaction of the Kiousians was so much that they succeded to split the Church that they were shouting and writing in their magazine "Glory to God!” The Holy Synod after the sadness of the first days, assembled and placed the prelateship in the comprise embassy, respectable Metr Kallinikos of Fthiotidos and they continued the administration of Church.At December of 1995, after the ecumenist statements of the American Bishops Paisios and Vicentios (already Metr of Pireas), they broke away of the Hierarchy of the Church of G.O.C. of Greece. Metr Stefanos of Chiou and Ioustinos of Evripos followed them. The Holy Synod after a little time, tried to contact the Kiousian party for union hard-pushed by faithful and Mount Athos monks, but uselessly.At the beginning of 1996 the Holy Synod was constituted by Metr Kallinikos of Fthiotidos, Efthimios of Thessalonikis and Athanasios of Aharnon, whom unfamiliarity changde over the created party of the American Bishops and became their president. The two remained Metr Kallinikos and Eftimios weren’t able to cover the pastoral needs of Church and the administration of it, so they decided with the conform opinion of clergymen, to ordain new Bishops. In April of the same year, they ordained the Archimandrites Makarios Kavakidis as Bishop Petras, Amvrosios Nikiforidis as Bishop Filippon, Anthimos Karamitros as Bishop Gardikiou and Christophoros Angelopoulos as Bishop Eginis. The Kiousians without obstacles advanced in their intentions. At September of 1995 they made the Church, Association. This association was made like congregational type, because they identified Church and Association. For example, the aim of the association is reported that is the salvation of members of Church (hence the Church cannot by herself save her faithful and needs some Association!). The Administrative Council was life-long and was constituted by the Synod. The decisions of the Synod were decisions of Administrative Council and reversely. Whoever was member of the association simultaneously he was member of the Church, while nothing was forecasted for the members of the Church that were not members of the Association. Any member of Association-Church that violates the Statute of Association-Church will be erased, a.o. The construction of the Church as a union from the Kiousians puzzled a lot of clergymen and popular who had followed them.At 1997, the Holy Synod under the presidency of Metr Kallinikos of Fthiotidos, accepts applications of hundreds of members of the Church, for the review of trial of the memorable Archbishop Auxentios. At the 1st/14th of April with synodical decision is restored the memorable Archbishop Auxentios because of mistrial and manipulation of the Synod and with him all the condemned Bishops of year 1985. At 1998 the Kiousians advanced in the creation of a Constitutive Chart. This unorthodox action of them made also their supporters to disagree. Seeing the common outcry and the escapes where they had they were forced to postpone the application of Constitutive Chart. Because of this last aberration of the Kiousians Metr Kallinikos of Dodekanisou and Athanasios of Aharnon separated their place as well as a lot of clergymen. Naturally all protesting, were unfrocked on the constant tactic of Kiousians’s Synod. At 29th of January of 1999, Bishop Gardikiou Anthimos deposed in Lord. The Holy Synod of G.O.C. proceeds in ordinations of new Bishops, Archimandrites Nifon (Anastasopoulos) as Metr of Piraeus and Arethas (Antoniadis) as Metr of Crete. At 2000 after application to the Holy Synod of Romanian Bishop Kosmas (Lastoun) and his flock, he is accepted as unapprehensive (because of illness). In the dues of year, adheres in the Holy Synod the Metr Athanasios of Aharnon. At 2001, the discussions for union between the Bishops from Boston Efraim and Makarios, turn out barren. Bishop Philaretos of Paris who was with them, contacted with the Synod and adheres to it. At the 21st of June of 2001, Bishop Philaretos is promoted as Metropolitan of France and exarch of Western Europe. At the 17th of February of 2002, Bishop Kosmas (Lastoun) was deposed in Lord In May of the same year Archimandrite Vissarion Sotiropoulos was ordained as Bishop of Tarsou for the Australian needs. At December of the same year adheres in the Holy Synod Bishop Aggelos (Anastasiou) of Avlonos. At 25th January of 2004, after the resignation (because of health) of the chairman of Holy Session Metropolitan Kallinikos of Fthiotidos, Bishop Makarios of Petra is elected as Archbishop and Primate of the Holy Synod. The enthroning became in the Holy Temple of Saint Apostles Athens at 2nd February of 2004.
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* The sources for the reported facts were received from the following bibliography:
1. "Distress in the garden of Gesthimani" S. Karamitsos, Athens, 1999.
2. "Short Historical description of Church of Genuine Orthodoxe Christians Greece". By the zealots monks of Mount Athos” Mount Athos, 1973.
3. "The misery of the under Chrysostomos Kiousis Synod” Bishop of Petra Makarios, Thessalonica 1999
4. "30 years of Ecclesiastical course" Bishop of Petra Makarios, Thessalonica 2003
5. Magazine "Voice of Orthodoxy".
6. Magazine "Orthodox Patristic flourish»
