The Sacred Synod
Of the Church of the T.O.C. of Greece
In Athens, the 18th of June, 2005 (Church Cal.)
C O M M U N I Q U E
It is with great sadness that the Sacred Synod announces to the sacred clergy, the monastic orders and the pious laity of the True Orthodox Church of Greece that the Most Rev. Metropolitan of Mesogaia and Lavriotiki kyr Kirikos has decided and acted upon his breaking of spiritual and ecclesiastical communion with the Sacred Synod.
The Sacred Synod was informed of this during its Meeting on 17/30 July, 2005, having heard read the document (Prot. No. 390/16-6-2005, ch. cal.) sent to it by Metropolitan Kirikos which was given to the Hierarchs during the session of the work of the Sacred Synod.
The Sacred Synod of the Church of the True Orthodox Christians of Greece, during its aforementioned regular Meeting, having met after being called into session by its President, His Beatitude Archbishop Nicholas of Athens (Prot. No. 3216/3-6-2005, ch. cal.) in the usual meeting Chamber of the Sacred Synod in the Ecclesiastical Spiritual Center (8 M. Mpotsaris Street, Peristeri, Athens) with the following present: His Beatitude the former Archbishop of Athens and President of Patras kyr Andreas, their Eminences the Metropolitans Pachomios of Argolis, Galaction of Peristeri, Tarasios of Verroia and Naousa, Andreas of Theva and Levadeia, and Bishop Chrysostomos of Philippi represented by the Very Rev. Abbot Archim. Stephanos, and its Chief Secretary, the Very Rev. Protopresbyter Fr. Demetrios Tsarkotzoglou, immediately took up, by exeption, the matter of the breaking of spiritual-ecclesiastical communion with the Sacred Synod by H.E. Metropolitan Kirikos.
That is:
The Sacred Synod examined the cited document (Prot. No. 390/16-6-2005) from H.E. Met. Kirikos, which he directs to all the Hierarchs and which he has communicated to “all the Sacred Clergy, Sacred Monasteries and Parishes in Greece and abroad” is which he declares directly that “my humility, having no other Canonical and Orthodox choice, cuts off my spiritual – eccleciastical communion, and I erase your names from the Diptychs of the True Orthodox Church, because for a long time now you have denied Her and you fight Her, having aligned yourselves with the principles of Old-Calendarist Ecumenism, while you doubt and deny by certain actions and omissions Her Ecclesiology, as well as directly denying your unbroken Apostolic Succession.”
In justifying in the cited document his “decision,” H.E. Met. Kirikos cites only other letters and document of his, which is unacceptable as anticanonical and unprecedented for a document which declares and makes known such a serious matter as that of one bishop’s breaking of spiritual-ecclesiastical communion with the Sacred Synod. But to this unacceptable and anticanonical action of H.E. Met. Kirikos, and upon the underlying matter, the Sacred Synod remains steadfast by its canonical Decisions of the Sacred Synod of the Hierarchy of 1981 and 1983, as well as every testimony that it has been responsible and trustworthy according to the Sacred and Divine Canons and the ecclesiastical order in examining according to the defined canonical manner.
In addition, there is, beyond the inexcusable lack of clarity in the presentation and expression of the justification, and in addition to, and chiefly, the total lack of presentation of any cited Canons, to which there is not even a reference, in justifying his “decision,” which must be used to base such an action. But in this anticanonical case, moreover, the things which H.E. Met. Kirikos does cite, are not canonical reasons which justify the severing of ecclesiastical – spiritual communion, which, when not justified by the Sacred Canons, that is, not acting within the canonical boundaries and the terms and conditions and presuppositions which are contained clearly in the words of the Divine and Sacred Canons, then such an action is considered the action of SCHISM in the Body of the Church, and brings down the most severe ecclesiastical punishments upon all who dare to act in such a way.
It is characteristic that H.E. Met. Kirikos, while proclaiming himself and projecting himself as a “confessor” and imitator of the true Confessor and Pillar of Orthodoxy, the ever-memorable Archbishop of Athens Matthew, has not really imitated him in any way, forgetting that “it is not in letters (or in idle words) that our piety is shown, but in actions” according to the teachings and tradition of the Holy Fathers. Wherefore, H.E. Met. Kirikos has chosen to send together with his letter severing his ecclesiastical communion with the Sacred Synod, a photocopy of the Letter of 5/18 September, 1937 of the ever-memorable and Confessor Hierarch Matthew of Vresthena, apparently to impress his recipients and to create a “connection” by relating this document to his letter. A simple comparison, however, of the two documents shows the immense difference between them. And this because in his letter of 5/18 September, 1937, the ever-memorable Hierarch Matthew calls upon true matters of Faith, and basing himself upon Divine and Sacred Canons which he quotes verbatim, he severed every spiritual communion with the Bishops Chrysostom, formerly of Florina, and Germanos of Demetrias. In contrast, H.E. Metropolitan Kirikos of Mesogaia, without citing any true and proven accusation against those with whom he severs communion, cites no matter of Faith and bases himself on no Sacred Canon, cuts off spiritual–ecclesiastical communion with the Sacred Synod of the Church of the True Orthodox Christians of Greece. And this while he himself is accused before Her of his anticanonical actions, chiefly because of his support of a declared innovation in the Faith, because of which in the past, as a diversion, he participated in a protracted series of pretextual accusations against its Members.
In inacting his “decision” to sever spiritual-ecclesiastical communion with all the Hierarchs of the Church of the True Orthodox Christians of Greece without canonical reason and without canonical justification of his action, H.E. Met. Kirikos essentially severs and cuts himself off not only from the Body of the Hierarchy, but also from the broader Ecclesiastical Body, that is, the Church Herself, outside Which there is neither Apostolic Succession, nor Episcopate, nor Grace, nor Salvation according to the Holy Fathers of the Church.
For this reason, the Sacred Synod of the Hierarchy of the True Orthodox Church of Greece having ascertained these things, and having reasoned together in the Holy Spirit, has decided to declare this Hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Kirikos of Mesogaia and Lavriotiki, deposed from his episcopal throne, denying to him any governing or spiritual jurisdiction, and placing upon him the punishment of suspension from performing any sacred service, until his repentance and return has been ascertained by the Sacred Synod.
The Sacred Synod calls upon all the faithful and exhorts them according to the Holy Fathers “to be in blameless unity, that you might participate in God,” (St. Ignatius of Antioch’s Epist. to the Ephesians, 4) fighting the good fight of our Orthodox Faith and Confession as we received them from our Holy Fathers and from him who followed them, the ever-memorable Archbishop Matthew, in obedience to the Hierarchy of the Church according to the ecclesiastical order and tradition, avoiding as fire whatever contributes to division and separation, because “nothing so angers God as division of the Church,” and “tearing the Church is not less an evil than heresy.” (St. John Chrysostom, P.G. 62,85).
Let us stand aright: let us stand with fear!
From the Sacred Synod of the Hierarchy.