With the proper grandeur, the 3 Saint Virgins Minodora, Mitrodora and Nymphodora, were celebrated at the homonymous Holy Temple of Votanikos, Athens.
The august prelate Metropolitan mr. Christophoros, assisted by the Protosyncellus Most Reverend Archim. Germanos, the vicar of the Temple, Most Reverend Archim. Paulos Apostolopoulos and other clergymen, presided at the festive events.
A small numbered chorus of chanters, under the direction of the chief cantor mr. Konstantinos Loukas, performed the festive hymns with Byzantine devoutness on the lectern.
During the litany, the musical Band, granted by the Municipality of Athens, was leading, emphasizing the festive ambience with their paeans.
May the three Saint Virgins Martyrs make us able to celebrate their august memory next year, too. Amen.
The team of Confessor.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
FEAST of the Holy Church of the the Three Virgins Saints-Athens.
With ecclesiastic resplendence but also with monastery devoutness was celebrated the Birth of Theotokos at the Monastery of Drenia, at Salamina.
In particular, this year, the scheduled Eucharistic Communion between our Metropolitan and Μr. Christophoros, the Metropolitan of Sardiki, has begun. The Metropolitan Christophoros of Bulgaria comes from the synodic schema of the Metropolitan Pimenos, and despite the fluctuations of that ecclesiastic jurisdiction, he remained steadfast in his original antiecumenical position and, finally, he distanced himself following the old calendar, developing a rich ecclesiastic and confessional activity.
The Very. Rev. Abbess Christonymphi of the Sacred Convent of St. Eirini Chrysovalantou, Sydney, Australia, sent us the official translation by the Greek Foreign Ministry of the publication “Awake Sleeper” by HOCNA Metropolitan Ephraim of Boston, with the request that we publish it for our Greek language readers. The English original is sold and defended by HOCNA and those in union with HOCNA, although the latter could not be aware of its actual contents until now. You may download the official scanned translation made by the Greek Foreign Ministry and read the attached commentary on this publication by the Very Rev. Abbess Christonymphi by clicking here.
After his disjointing from his ecclesiastical authority, Protopresbyter Fr. Leonidas Thomas after petitioning has joined under the Omophorion of His Emminence Metropolitan Mr. Christoforos. We wish to our respected Fr. Leonidas a fruitful diakonia.
After the ecclesiastical developments with the GOC during the last months, from which there have been created justified concerns for many clergy and laity concerning whether the Orthodox mind exists any more in the sacred camp of the GOC, the clergy attached to the Metropolitan of Mesogaias and Islands κ. Christophoros drafted and agreed on the following Confession of Faith so that everyone knows their ecclesiastical mind. You may download the pdf version of the text here.
Confession of Faith
In the name of the Tri-hypostatic and Undivided Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit of our One True God. Amen.
Following statutes and guidelines given down to us by the Fathers, during these last times, it does not seem unfitting to refer to the words of St. Basil the Great the Revealer of Heaven who, speaking about the then ecclesiastical misery writes, “The dogmas of the Fathers have been disregarded, apostolic traditions have been debilitated, inventions of modern men are being mixed into the Church,”[1] and the Saint adds, ”the dogmas of the pious have been turned upside down, statutes of the Church are being confused.”[2] Therefore, as a matter of duty we should make clear our own ecclesiological stand and position.
We believe, preach, and profess, all that the most sacred Holy Apostles and God-bearing Holy Fathers decreed, ordered, and established in the Church, neither adding nor removing anything.
We also accept all of the Canonical Synodal decisions of the local Orthodox Churches that were made before 1923 (the calendar innovation). Through these decisions every novelty and deflection from the Orthodox Faith and patristic tradition is condemned.
We also agree with and faithfully follow the declarations of our predecessors in the Sacred Struggle for the Faith which were declared in the encyclicals of the years 1935, 1950, 1973 and also in the year 1997.
We condemn and turn from the heresies and innovations both of old and of recent times that attack the Orthodox Church: and specifically the damned Ecumenism through which the total and revelational truth of the Orthodox Church is abrogated and Sergianism which reduced the authenticity of the Church into a subordinate of the godless political system in Russia.
We renounce likewise the calendar innovation in the Orthodox Church which has been rejected and anathematized by the Synods of the years 1583, 1593, 1848. Through this innovation of the calendar began the distortion of our Orthodox Faith and the introduction of papal treacheries into the Eastern Church of Christ.
We also reject the newly-appearing of delusional teachings and heresies in the sacred camp of the Orthodox, and mainly the so-called “Cyprianism” which seeks to make a deterioration in the pious confessions of faith and announces an “Orthodox” Ecumenism; the condemned by synodal decisions[3] cacodoxy of the “Jesusians” or “Name worshippers” the deifiers of the name “Jesus”; likewise, the ecumenistic theory of “repentance in Hades”[4] which says that those who died outside of the Church as heterodox and heathen can be saved!
Those who wish to enter our resolute Orthodox Church are accepted by Holy Baptism if they are coming to us from a known heresy. [5] If they are coming to us from one of the so-called “Orthodox” Churches that partake in ecumenism, then we receive them through a confession of Faith and through chrismation with Holy Chrism as long as their baptism had been done with the correct form of the Orthodox Church, in other words, by three immersions and emersions in water. If however the form was insufficient, then we baptize these ones also. [6] As far as schismatic clergy goes, we receive these ones after their written application which must contain a confession of Faith and by heirothesia.
Also we receive through a confession of Faith those who come to us from Orthodox jurisdictions which have altered the confession of Faith and have wavered from the standard line of our predecessors in the Faith.
Proclaiming all of this, we magnify and piously commemorate all those of our reposed Fathers and Confessors of the Faith who endured all calamities and needs and were persecuted for the Faith and we cry out: “May their memory be eternal!”
We anathematize and condemn as enemies of the Church of Christ all those who shook the Church through heretical beliefs, blasphemies, and innovations and deviations from the Orthodox Faith and Holy Tradition.
Also, we assure that with the help of God we shall remain custodians of the Orthodox Faith, preserving it undistorted and without innovations so as faithful and beneficial soldiers of Christ we may reach unto the day in which we may say to the rewarding Lord, ”I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness….”
We have created a separate section with everything we have found concerning “Name-Worship,” with the original Greek documents. This material is extremely important and parts of it have not been available to the general public for over one hundred years.You may find the documents here.
As you may already know the Sacred Synod of the Church of the GOC of Greece under Archbishop k. k. Makarios has joined with an ecclesiastical jurisdiction from the United States named HOCNA (the “Holy Orthodox Church in North America”).
This union brought an unpleasant predicament to the membership of the Sacred Synod with the result of a bishop separating, Metropolitan Christophoros of Mesagaias and the Islands, and some number of clergy and Temples in Greece and abroad.
As the administrators of Omologitis we have discerned the just and canonical severance of Metropolitan Christoforos because it is known even to those with little knowledge concerning ecclesiastical matters that for a union of two diverging jurisdictions a written common statement of Orthodox Faith is demanded and a renunciation of any “deviations”.
Because of the above we have taken the decision to join the position of His Eminence Metropolitan k. Christoforos and to continue the objective struggle we have embarked upon.
The Team of Omologitis
+
We have attached a photo copy of the Encyclical of Metropolitan Christophoros (also in pdf) and a translation of the encyclical below.
Fathers and Brothers in Christ, Beloved Children in the Lord,
I find myself in the unpleasant position of informing you that from October 11/24 of the current year I have taken myself outside the Synodal arrangement under Archbishop Makarios of the G.O.C. of Greece, for reasons of conscience.
The main reason is that I am unable to accept the union of the above-mentioned Synod with the “Holy Orthodox Church of America” (HOCNA) because of them not supplying a written renunciation against all those known ecclesiological deviations and fallacies. From the beginning I supported this union and I expected a canonical type of union, according to the Orthodox tradition, namely a written common Confession of Faith and a renunciation on the part of HOCNA of everything that it is attributed to them concerning deviations from the Orthodox Faith and Tradition. During my oral and written protests I always received the promise of the expected God-pleasing written testimony and proof, nevertheless in vain.
Consequently, on the one hand of not being capable to accepting the ridicule of months and, secondly in denying a hypocritical participation of myself in this ecclesiastical body, I decided to sever myself from it, remembering the Sacred Vryennius saying: “There is a bad concord and a good disagreement. It can be good to be torn and bad to be in agreement. Among whom friendship becomes the ambassador of loss, to those, hate becomes a case of virtue. And better of the hateful union is the apathetic space between them.”
Wishing to all, as the Lord God enlightens all of you, the illumination of His True Light, I remain,
Following a number of particularly garrulous comments concerning my position about an “ecclesiastical union” of our Sacred Synod with the Holy Orthodox Church in North America (HOCNA) I state the following:
1) I requested in written form from the members of HOCNA (by Protocol. # 126 of 14/27/6/2013) clarifications on various ecclesiological and ecclesiastical deviations which are alleged to them and of which there was no written renouncement received by our Sacred Synod. Of this brotherly epistle of mine I have never received any response. Therefore I remain in my prestated position of which I defer from the “union” and I will not willing participate in Eucharistic Communion with them until there will be a signed Orthodox Confession which precludes any deviations from the Holy Fathers and the Synodical decisions of our Predecessors in the Holy Orthodox Faith and of our Holy Struggle.
2) Because some – specialized in the art – have recently tried to write scenarios and conjectures, I hasten to mention that I remain in the hierarchy of the Church of the GOC of Greece under Archbishop Makarios, who himself has assured me that with his venerable intervention this case will be shortly resolved.
In Salamina, 11/24 – 9 – 2013
Your fervent intercessor before the Lord,
+ CHRISTOPHOROS Metropolitan of Mesogaia and the Islands
criticizing the contacts of our Sacred Synod with the Bostonites. We are familiar with past Matthewite tactics and behavior so when they say “He lies!” we return the compliment to them.
Regarding this matter, the “CONFESSOR,” as we have stated, is not the official web site of the Sacred Synod and therefore only publishes general information regarding Church events. Our position concerning the heresy of Onomatolatreia is clear from the title. Two Patriarchal Epistles [i.e., of Patriarch Germanos V] are published in English and one in Greek (the latter original epistle is admittedly somewhat illegible due to the difficulty of copying it) which plainly condemn Onomatolatreia.
So what else do you want Messrs. Matthewites?
We found this and published it.If you have other clear and convincing information to send us we will gladly post them and declare our thanks to you.
Now, regarding your thorn’s “on the icon of the Holy Trinity” answer: You once lit a big fire in the Orthodox world from which not only were you scorched but cremated, trying to kindle this same fire in others as well. Fortunately, because the origin of this controversy emanated from the Matthewites, everyone simply crossed themselves and ignored it.
Finally, kindly do not bother us. If you continue it will only force us to review our firm policy of avoiding any confrontation with the GOC.
We have to announce with sorrow the deposition from our Church of the Bishop of Gardikiou Mr. Athanasios. The ex-priest was self-deposed and now he is a lyaman. We wish that God enlighten and bless him.
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