Beware: Elder Sophrony of Essex

[Maria]

Well, in all fairness, Sulpicius Severinus records St. Martin of Tours saying something similar to the Devil, and Selupicius was a personal friend and wrote the earliest life of St. Martin. I don't know why he would say that.

If there are those who know of True Orthodox who have defended Fr (St?) Silouan, I'd be happy to know them. Like many figures in the 20th century, without sufficient info it can become difficult to make a judgment, especially if they are from the 30s and 40s on Mt. Athos.

In Christ,

Fr. Enoch

Thank you, Father Enoch.

Yes, according to Wikipedia, Father Silouan reposed in 1938 and was canonized by the EP in 1987.

As the pupil and disciple of Staretz Silouan, Elder Sophrony also wrote that Fr. Silouan prayed for Judas Iscariot, that he would be saved. Is it an error to pray for the Devil and for Judas? Fr. Sophrony thought that it proved Fr. Silouan's great charity. However, it is my opinion that it probably would be far better to pray for our friends and relatives that they might be saved than to pray for the Devil. I certainly would not want to give the devil any undue attention lest he try to tempt me.

Lord have mercy.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silouan_the_Athonite

[Archimandrit Nilos]

I remain: Nikolaj Velimirovic who has had ordained Sophrony Sacharov 1930 to the diaconate, was a dazzlin person, in no case a True Orthodox Christian. His connections with the sect of the Old Catholics during his studies at the Old Catholic Theological Faculty at the Sate University of Berne/Switzerland and the acception of the "holy communion" with the permission of the Serbian Patriachate are giving the proofs. (in the year of 1904). I have never heard or read that he has repented his ecumenistic-modernistic mental attitude. During this whole life he is remaining the same in favor of all "christian religions". Also the Old Catholics to-day speak about him in the highest estimation and look on him as a Saint.

[Maria]

More particular points about the live of the Pseudo-Saint Sophrony Sacharaov. Interesting ist the fact: he was ordained to the diaconate by Nikolai Velimirovic 1930, this Pseudo Saint of the official Serbian Church, involved in Old Catholicism during his studies at the Old Catholic Theological Faculty at the University of Berne/Switzerland. Regularly Velimirovic has accepted "communion" at the Old Catholic Cathedral at Berne with the explicit permission of the Serbian Patriarchate. Full ecumenism already in the year 1904 !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophrony_( ... (Sakharov)

Fr Nilos I would be careful. As far as I know no True Orthodox church has glorifed Bp Nikolai, but there are accounts that claim he helped the GOC during the period when we had no bishops by providing antimensia for our priests to celebrate the Mysteries. It is also well-known that Bp Nikolai later repented of his modernism and became very traditional, which you can tell when you read the Prologue of Ohrid.

In any case, I know many True Orthodox actually honor his memory.

Some of the passages in the Prologue of Ohrid disturb me as they seem to embrace Ecumenism, but perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps I should not trust my gut intuition. However, we live in very confusing times, and it does not help that our words are often ambiguous. In addition, Bishop Nikolai is no longer with us on planet Earth, so we cannot ask him what he really meant.

Archimandrite Nilos, it might be helpful if you could share your thoughts on this matter.

[Jean-Serge]

I have never heard or read that he has repented his ecumenistic-modernistic mental attitude. During this whole life he is remaining the same in favor of all "christian religions". Also the Old Catholics to-day speak about him in the highest estimation and look on him as a Saint.

Could you hear his confessions to know if he repented or not? Ecumenism existed before the 1920s; there is for example the case of Anglicans given communion, or the future Saint Tikhon being very closed to Anglicans in the US.

[Maria]

I have never heard or read that he has repented his ecumenistic-modernistic mental attitude. During this whole life he is remaining the same in favor of all "christian religions". Also the Old Catholics to-day speak about him in the highest estimation and look on him as a Saint.

Could you hear his confessions to know if he repented or not? Ecumenism existed before the 1920s; ther is for example the case of Anglicans given communion, or the future Saint Tikhon being very closed to Anglicans in the US.

Indeed, wasn't there interaction between the Russians and the Catholics with Jesuits teaching in Russian Orthodox Seminaries in the 18th and 19th centuries? Could that interaction have led to the Name-Worshiping heresy which arose in Russian monasticism at the end of the 19th century?

And then there was the Oxford Movement in the UK.

[Barbara]

Maria, the Oxford Movement was about Anglicans realizing that they had made a mistake in jumping the ship
of Catholicism. Many important Englishmen were converting to Catholicism as a result of this
rethinking. My favorite was the outstanding writer on Russian Church history, William Palmer.
That is beside the point here, of course, but this was not a reaching out to Catholics to join hands. Only
a revised vision of the Catholic Church as having been right where the Anglicans were now seen as completely wrong theologically.
This was in the mid-19th century.

I wanted to ask anyone who has any ideas on this subject WHY Elder Sophrony never apparently considered the
Russian Church Abroad ? Not once, seemingly ! This seems really weird. Of course, if he had gravitated to
Anthony of Sourozh, his mind may have been poisoned against ROCOR.
But Sophrony was educated : why didn't he himself see the truth in Rocor and join one of the monasteries in Europe ?

I just don't understand his proscribed Church world view.

[Barbara]

Fr Augustine, I can correct YOU for once ! I noted right away that you meant
Sulpicius Severus, the famous biographer of St Martin.

If St Martin really did say that [could be just the biographer's notion that he did ] it sounds less frightening than
if Fr Silouan of Mt Athos did. That DID give me the creeps when Maria mentioned that the latter did. I quite agree that it's safe
to pray for souls of people rather than risk such a "prayer"/

Back to Fr Sophrony, I was looking up another book yesterday. A few Orthodox convert readers glowingly recommended instead a book about him.
This was written by a Kenneth Klaus but sounded highly unpleasant to me. It even had a weird title : "Born to Hate,
Reborn to Love." I don't know if it is at all fair to judge this Fr Sophrony by his disciples. But reading the
reviews of that book, I do not plan to read it under any circumstance.

I also came across the fact that the St Herman of Alaska Press published [one of] Fr Sophrony's own books :
"We Shall See Him as He Is". Is the Name-Worshipping heresy evident in it, does anyone have any idea?