Hellenic Orthodox Metropolis of New York
Astoria, NY 11102-3723
United States of America
26-37 12th Street
13/26 December 2015
To the Presbytery of the United States,
Allow me first to greet you with love in Christ Jesus. I pray that the fast preceding the Nativity our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has been of great profit to your souls and those whom we serve.
On 16/29 November 2015, Bishop Epiphanios was consecrated to the Episcopacy for the see of Trymithous, the seat of St. Spyridon in Northern Cyprus for the Church of Cyprus. I was invited to attend and participate in this great sacrament of the church. It has come to my attention that there are certain matters being discussed among those who were not in attendance. Permit me to bear witness.
All those who attended were treated with respect and courtesy as befits the most ancient laws of hospitality and in accordance with the traditions set down by Metropolitan Epiphanios of blessed memory’ in the very cathedral that he himself founded. To my knowledge, the True Orthodox Church of Greece is not in discussions with any other church for unification.
The True Orthodox Church of Greece is diligently working to build the Faith of Christ and to serve the people of the Hellenic Republic, who are currently suffering under the most extreme conditions they have faced, arguably, since the time of the Second World War.
Regarding our labors here in the United States I may say that we are working to build the Faith of Christ Jesus our Lord in the Traditional customs of the Fathers throughout the nation. To that end I feel obliged to address a further matter.
The internet is one of the most significant forces we have yet encountered. While it can allow us to learn a great deal about global events in a short period of time, like all tools it can be grossly manipulated to serve irresponsible and dangerous ends. I am asking that you caution people to be careful of what they write and, more importantly, what they read. I was taught that if you don’t want to see what you have written posted on a fifty foot billboard for all the world to comment, it’s best not to write it. Furthermore, the dissemination of information that has been misinterpreted and maligned to fit a narrative was all too common before this so called digital age and, it seems to me, has become even more commonplace today. A number of sources that are considered newsworthy are no more than gossip-mongers, and we strongly advise all to confirm stories before they are spread as facts.
I beg of you to continue to pray for me, the servant of the servants of God,
+Anthony
Metropolitan of New York
Bishop of the United States