Fr. Panagiotes Carras of the Toronto GOC (HOTCA) has sent this to his Orthodox yahoo group:
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
As you may already know the Boston-based Synod of HOCNA had entered into inter-communion with a schismatic Old-Calendar synod in Greece under Archbishop Makarios of Athens. Archbishop Makarios and Bishop Nektarios of this synod have openly proclaimed the heresy of Name-worshipping. When Archbishop Makarios came to Toronto and Boston to serve with HOCNA hierarchs he lied to members of his own synod and told them that he was coming to discuss union with HOCNA.
When the other hierarchs of the Makarian synod were informed of the events in Toronto and Boston, they demanded an explanation, but Archbishop Makarios refused to call a meeting of the synod. This brought disenchantment to the membership of the Synod with the result of a leading hierarch, Metropolitan Christophoros of Mesagaia and the Islands and many clergy separating from the synod. It appears that soon another hierarch and many other clergy will follow the example of Metropolitan Christophoros.
ENCYCLICAL OF METROPOLITAN CHRISTOPHOROS
Salamina, October 15/28, 2013
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 North 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,
With best wishes and blessings,
THE METROPOLITAN
- Christophoros of Mesogaias and the Islands
In Christ,
+Fr. Panagiotes