Greece
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.