Timeline of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Russia and Greece and the Great Apostasy of Orthodoxy in the 20th Century

Published by Dormition Skete, Buena Vista, Colorado, U.S.A.

• 1902-1904 - The Patriarchates of Constantinople, under Joachim III, and Jerusalem, under Damianos, along with the holy Synods of the Churches of Russia, Greece, and Romania officially condemn the 1582 new calendar of Pope Gregory XIII (which is called the Gregorian Calendar). They solemnly promise to remain in the Julian Calendar, named after Julius Caesar, which the Church has adopted since the time of Christ. They had to make these pronouncements because of the pressures to modernize the Church in 20th century.

• 1903 - Saint Seraphim of Sarov is glorified by the Russian Church and Tsar Nicholas II.

• 1904-05 - Russian war with Japan, and the 1905 socialist revolution, forced Tsar Nicholas II to grant a constitution and establish a parliament, or Duma.

• Dec 20, 1908 - Saint John of Kronstadt reposes, foreseeing the future tribulation of the Russian Orthodox Church and its people.

• 1909 - Meletios IV (Metaxakis), the future Patriarch of Constantinople, becomes a Freemason in the Grand Orient Lodge of Greece; in 1910, he makes 33rd degree. Freemasons are pagans and ecumenists who believe that religious dogmas and practices are not hindrances to the union of all religions, therefore, no single church can claim to be “the pillar and ground of truth”, as the Orthodox Church is.

• 1910 - At the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Ecumenical Movement among the heterodox is born.

• 1914-1918 - World War I, Bolsheviks stir rebellion in Orthodox Russia.

• 1917 - Russian Tsar Nicholas II is betrayed, and abdicates his throne; he is martyred with his family. Thus was accomplished the prophecy of the holy Apostle Paul in reference to the antichrist when he wrote: “For the mystery of lawlessness already is operating, only there is the one who restraineth now, until he should be taken out of the midst. And then the lawless one shall be revealed...” that is, the antichrist.

• Aug 1917 - All Russian Church Council meets and reestablishes the Patriarchate. Metropolitan Tikhon is elected by lot as Patriarch.

• October 1917 - Bolsheviks overthrow provisional government.

• 1918 - Treaty of Brest-Litovsk brings war with Germany to an end, but at the cost of Russia ceding large tracts of territory; Tsar Nicholas II and his family are martyred; Baltic states, Finland and Poland ceded as the Russian Empire collapses.

• Jan 25, 1918 - Metr. Vladimir of Kiev and Galich becomes the first martyred bishop of the communist era in Russia.

• February 1, 1918 - In a Pastoral Letter, Patriarch Tikhon, future new-martyr of Russia, anathematizes the Bolsheviks and prohibits anyone to collaborate with them: “...Think what you are doing, you madmen!... You will burn in hellfire in the life hereafter and be cursed by future generations in this life. By the authority given me by God I forbid you to partake of the Christian Mysteries. I anathematize you, if you still bear a Christian name and belong by birth to the Orthodox Church. And you, faithful children of the Orthodox Christian Church, I beseech you to have nothing to do with this scourge of the human race: ‘Remove the evil man from among yourselves’ [1 Cor. 5:13].” This anathema was confirmed by the All-Russian Council of 1918.

• Nov 1918 - Meletios IV (Metaxakis) enthroned as Archbishop of Athens.

• 1918-22 - Civil war erupts between the Red Army and White Russians, or anti-communists, who were aided by Britain, France and the US. This enables bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church to escape to Europe with the White Russians.

• January 1920 - The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issues the disastrous Encyclical entitled, “To the Churches of Christ, Wheresoever They may Be”. In this encyclical, they incite the Orthodox Churches to forget their theological differences with the heterodox and enter into dialogue with the heretics, having as their ultimate end the unification of all Christendom as one Church. The encyclical called for the formation of a league of Churches. This ultimately led to the world-wide ecumenical movement.

• April 23, 1920 - Moustafa Kemal Ataturk becomes dictator of the “liberated” country of Turkey. He liberated it through much bloodshed, mainly from Ottoman rule. He was a high level member of the Italian Masonic lodge in Macedonia, named “Resorta e Veritus”. He will be sure that his fellow masonic members will be placed in the highest offices of the State, including the Patriarchate of Constantinople, while he is head of State until his death in 1938, as can be seen by the future installations of the future Patriarchs Meletios IV, Basil III and Photios II.

• Nov 9, 1920 - Saint Nectarios of Aegina reposes in the Lord, foreknowing his departure and foretelling that wolves shall gain control of the Church.

• Nov 20, 1920 - The future martyr, Patriarch Tikhon, and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church issue the famous Ukase #362, canonically establishing the free part of the Russian Church outside of Russia. The Russian Church Abroad is headed by Met. Anthony (Khrapovitsky).

• Dec 29, 1921 - Meletios IV deposed for uncanonical behavior and mixing with heretics (at their churches).

• Jan 24, 1922 - Meletios IV is uncanonically enthroned as Patriarch of Constantinople. His deposition as Archbishop of Athens is “lifted” on September 24, due to pressure from the Greek government.

• Sept 9, 1922 - Moustafa Kemal Ataturk, the victorious revolutionary ruler of Turkey, led his troops into Smyrna, as a flotilla of 27 Allied warships-including three American destroyers-looked on. The Turks soon proceeded to indulge in an orgy of pillage, rape, and slaughter. The Western powers, anxious to protect their oil and trade interests in Turkey, condoned the holocaust, remaining silent and refusing to intervene. Included in the list of Allied Powers is: France and Britain, were both well invested in Smyrna, owing to railways, trams, and the electric utility; American interests were in oil and tobacco; France was concerned about collecting on several pre-war loans made to Turkey; and, Italy was determined that the Greeks should not gain dominion in Turkey. Turkish forces then set fire to the city and destroyed her. Of the three million displaced and slaughtered Greeks and Armenians of Asia Minor, 1.5 million were Orthodox Christians.

• 1922 - Meletios IV, as Ecumenical Patriarch, recognizes the validity of Anglican Orders! Introduces for the first time kneeling for all those present at Divine Liturgy during the consecration!

• Feb 1923 - The Revolutionary Greek government in Athens removes Archbp. Theokletos of Athens and replaces him with Chrysostomos (Papadopoulos)!

• June 1923 - Meletios IV convenes “Pan-Orthodox Congress” to switch Orthodoxy to the new calendar! All reject it. Meletios IV however switches Constantinople to new calendar, with prior notification by Chrysostomos (Papadopoulos) Archbp. of Athens that the State Church of Greece would agree with the change.

• Sept 20, 1923 - Meletios IV resigns as Ecumenical Patriarch after being ousted by dissatisfied Orthodox people of Constantinople for his false confession of Orthodoxy. He was subjected to assault and battery.

• 1924 - Greece votes for abolition of the monarchy. The country becomes republic.

• Mar 1924 - Archbp. Chrysostomos (Papadopoulos) institutes new (papal) calendar for use in Church of Greece. The pious Orthodox Christians of Greece, choosing to use the traditional calendar sanctioned by the holy Fathers, refuse to accept the change, and are persecuted.

• Mar 10, 1924 - Met. Miron Christea (Freemason, former Uniate hierarch), leader of Roumanian Church, accepts the Mar. 1924 change to new calendar by Papadopoulos. In 1936 he also accepts validity of Anglican orders.

• Apr 1924 - Meletios IV receives written reproofs for calendar change from: Patriarch Damianos of Jerusalem, Patriarch Gregory of Antioch, Patriarch Demetrios of Serbia, and Patriarch Photios of Alexandria. Patriarch Tikhon of Russia does not write a reproof, because his activities are restricted by the G.P.U. (later to be renamed the K.G.B.), the Communist Jewish atheists.

• 1925 - The bishop and fellow masonic lodge member of Ataturk, Basil III, is installed as Patriarch of Constantinople.

• Mar 25, 1925 - Holy New-Martyr Patriarch Tikhon poisoned by the Bolsheviks, because he would not subject the Russian Orthodox Church to the Soviet authorities.

• Sept 14, 1925 - (O.S.) The miraculous sign of the Holy Cross appears in the sky outside of Athens, over the Church of St. John the Theologian on Mount Hymettos for one hour, where the Old Calendar Orthodox Christians, having secretly assembled, are celebrating the vigil of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, according to the Church Calendar. Thousands of faithful were not disturbed by the police that were sent to disperse them. This miracle strengthens the old calendarists all over Greece, as a true sign from God supporting their holy struggle.

• Great Thurs 1926 - 450 Athonite monks led by Fr. Arsenios Kotteas sign “The Sacred League of the Zealot Monks” for defense of Orthodoxy against the new calendar innovation. The “Greek Religious Community of the Genuine Orthodox Christians” (G.O.C.) of Greece works with the Athonite Zealot monks against the new calendar innovation.

• May 1926 - Meletios IV becomes Patriarch of Alexandria and introduces new calendar.

• 1926-1929 - Greek new calendarists persecute and even kill some old calendarists in Greece.

• 1927 - The Protestant Conference on Faith and Order convenes in Lausanne, Switzerland. Among the participants are representatives from the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.

• July 16/29, 1927 - Declaration of Met. Sergius, head of the Moscow Patriarchate, officially subjected the Russian Orthodox Church to the Soviet authorities. This marks the beginning of the present-day Moscow (Soviet) Patriarchate. Those who remain faithful Orthodox are either martyred or go into the catacombs. The 70-year persecution of the Church, which was started by the communists, and aided by the conspiracy of Met. Sergius and his successors, succeeded in destroying 76,000 churches, 1,400 monasteries and convents, and 60,000,000 Orthodox faithful, among whom were 70,000 clergy and 30,000 monastics. In addition to this, 150 diocesan schools, 54 seminaries, and 4 ecclesiastical academies were destroyed. This is the worst persecution in the history of Orthodoxy. The Soviet Moscow Patriarchate, after destroying the Church in Russia, will seek to destroy Orthodoxy everywhere else, by being a leader in the ecumenical heresy.

• July 28, 1928 - (O.S.) Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky issues an “Open Epistle” (No. 892), signed by all the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, concerning the Sergian and Evlogian schisms. In this epistle there is enunciated a judgment on “Metropolitans Sergius and Evologius, who have now fallen away from the saving unity of the Church and have bound themselves to the enemies of Christ and of the holy Church...the Bolsheviks and the Jews who stand at the head of the Bolsheviks’ kingdom!...that illegally formed organization which has entered into union with God’s enemies, which Metropolitan Sergius calls an Orthodox Synod - but which the best Russian hierarchs, clergy, and laymen have refused to recognize - this organization must not be recognized by our Orthodox Churches, nor by our Synod of Bishops with its flock here abroad. Furthermore, the organizers of the Moscow Synod must be recognized to be exactly the same sort of apostates from the Faith as the ancient libellatici,...real apostates from the Faith of Christ! Let us hold fast to our holy Orthodox Church and not entere into communion in prayer with those who are so poorly grounded in Her, that they express sentiments of loyal submission to Her enemies.” [Zhiznopisaniye Blazhenneishago Mitropolita Antonyia, Vol. 7, pp.218-223]

• August 22, 1928, - ROCOR’s first-hierarch, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev issued “the completely definitive declaration of our Synod of Bishops that the Moscow Synod has deprived itself of all authority, since it has entered into agreement with the atheists, and without offering any resistance it has tolerated the closing and destruction of the holy churches, and the other innumerable crimes of the Soviet government...”

• 1929 - The bishop and fellow masonic lodge member of Ataturk, Photios II, is installed as Patriarch of Constantinople.

• July 1929 - Council of Greek State Church: Archbp. Chrysostomos (Papadopoulos) insists that hierarchs present sign a report approving calendar change and condemning all who remain old calendar: 44 Metropolitans present at commencement; 13 left, 27 refused, 4 signed.

• Late 1920s - The Catacomb Church in Russia issues an anathema against the Sergianists (who yielded to the communists and agreed to submit the Russian Church to the God-fighting authorities): “To those holding fast to the most-insane renovationist heresy of the Sergianists: to those who teach that the earthly establishment of the Church of God is maintained by rejecting the truths of Christ; and to those who declare that the Church of Christ is saved by serving the theomachic authorities and carrying out their godless commands, even unto the trampling down of the sacred canons, the traditions of the holy fathers and the divine dogmas, and to the destruction of all Christianity; and to those who revere the Antichrist and his servants, and his forerunners, and all his minions as a legitimate authority and one established by God; and to all the leaders of that anti-Christian heresy, those who revile the confessors and new martyrs (to Sergei of Nizhegorod, to Nikolai of Kiev, and to Aleksy of Khutyn), and to those who would propagate their doctrines, and to the renovationists, and to other heretics,---anathema.”

• Aug 15, 1932 - Met. Anthony (Khrapovitsky) (ROCA) announces excommunication of Freemasons in a pastoral letter.

• 1933 - State Church of Greece condemns Freemasons and Freemasonry as paganism.

• 1934 - Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky in his Paschal encyclical (1934) again refers to the gracelessness of the Sergianist Moscow Synod and Evlogian Parisian Exarchate and other schisms: “The present age is rich not in ascetical feats of piety and confession of faith, but in cheating, lies, and deceits. It is noteworthy that several hierarchs and their flocks, for the most part Russians, have already fallen away... self-proclaimed heads of all sorts of schisms in Moscow, America, and Western Europe. It is clear that they have ceased to believe in the unity of the Church throughout the whole world and do not wish to admit it, attempting to bear calmly the refusal of the true Church to have relations with them, and imagining that one can supposedly save ones soul even without communion with Her...”

  “Unfortunately, some Orthodox laymen, even, alas, many priests (and hierarchs) have subjected themselves to this state of gracelessness, although still retaining the out ward appearance of the church services and the apparent performance of the Mysteries.” [quoted in a letter of Metropolitan Philaret (Vozhnesensky) of ROCOR to Abbess Magdalena (Grabbe) of Lesna Covent, France Nov. 26/Dec. 9, 1979]

• October 1934 - George Paraschos and Basil Stamatoulis, the President and Secretary General respectively of the Community of Genuine Orthodox Christians (the Greek Old Calendarists), appealed to the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), to consecrate bishops for the Old Calendarists and take them under his omophorion. [Stavros Karamitsos, The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane {in Greek}, pp. 111-112]. Metropolitan Anthony and the ROCOR had taken the public stance that the innovation of the new menaion was a serious error and a violation of the holy canons, but not of such magnitude as to cause an actual schism yet, and the ROCOR still recognized and had communion with the New-Calendarists as being part of the same Orthodox Church as the ROCOR. Consequently, the appeal of the leaders of the Greek Old Calendarists to Metropolitan Anthony shows that the mindset of the Greek Old Calendarists in 1934 was not Matthewite but similar to that of Metropolitan Anthony, that is, they did not say, like Bishop Matthew of Bresthena later claimed, that since 1924 the adopters of the new-menaion and everyone who had communion with them or even prayed with them had been graceless schismatics. Rather they recognized that, although a serious canonical violation had occurred which they ought not participate in, the New-Calendarists had not yet transgressed so grieviously as to have fallen away from the Church and were as yet still valid hierarchs. The then-archimandrite Matthew had written this same year (1934) in a preface to a book of his that the New Calendarists were “antichrists “ and “ seven times anathema”. Furthermore: “Those who govern the Church of Greece today have, together with the clergy who follow them, persisted in error, cacodoxy, schism, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the heresy of the Papist Calendar! And they have led the people into error and become ‘heresiarch’ hierarchs according to the divine Fathers.” This shows that Vicar-Bishop Matthew’s mindset was always contrary to the mind of the rest of the Greek Old-Calendarists.

• May 13/26 1935 - Seeing that Archbp. Chrysostom (Papadopoulos) will not reject the new calendar innovation, three Metropolitans leave the State Church. The Synod of “Genuine Orthodox Christians” (G.O.C.) is formed by the following three Greek bishops in the presence of 25,000 faithful who leave the State Church: (President) Met. Germanos of Demetrias, Met. Chrysostomos of Florina, and Met. Chrysostomos of Zakynthos. They also make an official pronouncement that the new calendarists are schismatics. Over 800 parishes are established all over Greece.

• May 13+, 1935 - Fearing imminent arrest, the 3 G.O.C. Metropolitans hastily consecrate 4 new Bishops: Germanos (Varykopoulos) of the Cyclades, Christophoros (Hatzis) of Megara, Polykarpos (Liosis) of Diavlia, and Matthew (Karpathakes) auxiliary bishop of Bresthena. G.O.C. has seven bishops now and makes the notable pronouncement that the new calendarist churches are schismatics.

• June 21, 1935 - State Church response to the May 1935 consecrations: condemned the 3 metropolitans and exiled them to 3 different monasteries; at a later trial the 4 new bishops were “also condemned and deposed”; Polykarpos of Diavlia and Christophoros of Megara ask the State Church for clemency, and go back; Germanos of the Cyclades was exiled; Matthew of Bresthena refused to recognize the State Church authority in their synod, and was confined to his monastery. G.O.C. has 5 bishops now. Before their exile, three bishops issued “A Pastoral Encyclical to the Greek Orthodox People” and state that the New Calendar Church is schismatic, and without grace.

• July 1935 - Meletios Metaxakis goes out of his mind, and after six days of grinding his teeth and wringing his hands, dies, groaning plaintively his last words: “Alas, I have divided the Church, I have destroyed Orthodoxy.” He dies in Zurich, Switzerland and is buried in Cairo, Egypt. At his hierarchal funeral, his Masonic apron is placed over his episcopal vestments by his brother Masons. His Masonic gloves and evergreen twig are placed in his coffin.

• 1936-1944 - At least 800,000 Orthodox Serbs killed by Latin Franciscan monks, and the “Croatian Ustashi” thugs (a modern Inquisition).

• July 28/August 10, 1936 - The great Metro. Anthony (Khrapovitsky), “the second Solomon,” reposes in the Lord in Belgrade, Serbia. He is succeeded by Metro. Anastassy (Gribanovsky).

• June 1937 - Letter from Met. Germanos of Demetrias and Met. Chrysostomos (Florina) to the monk Markos (Khaniotes) stated that the falling into a curable error does not allow them to declare a Church graceless, but they should wall themselves off from it. Also stated that a Pan-Orthodox Council is required to condemn the new calendarists and to declare that the mysteries of the new calendarists do not have grace.

• Sept 1937 - Bishop Matthew of Bresthena demands and doesn’t receive a written reply from Met. Germanos of Demetrias clearly stating that the mysteries of the new calendarists are without grace; he breaks communion with him, calling him the former Bishop of Demetrias, as if he had already been accused, tried, convicted and deposed. Bishop Matthew, at this point, causes a schism, and among the priests who follow him is Auxentios (Pastras). He will stay with Matthew and will return to the G.O.C. in 1950. Thus started the beginning of what is known as the Florinite Synod: Met. Germanos (Demetrias), Met. Chrysostomos (Florina) and Met. Chrysostomos (Zakynthos); and the Matthewite Synod: Bishop Germanos (Cyclades), Bishop Matthew (Bresthena). G.O.C. (Florinite) has three bishops now.

• Sept 1937 - “Florinites” issue a statement, reaffirming May 1935 pronouncement.

• Nov 1937-1945 - Met. Chrysostomos (Florina) makes statements supporting June 1937 view, and states he would never consecrate any more bishops, because the old calendar was a “guard” against the heterodoxies of the State Church, not a Church of its own.

• 1938 - 1945 World War II

• 1941 - Greece falls to Germany. More than 100,000 die in famine.

• 1943 Met. Germanos of Demetrias requests to return to the new calendarists. He is denied and later dies and is buried by the new calendarists.

• 1943 - Germanos (Cyclades) breaks from Matthew (Bresthena). He does this believing that Matthew’s positions are errant. The Matthewites are left with ONE bishop.

• September 8, 1943 - By order of Stalin, without discussion or dissent, Met. Sergius Stragorodsky is declared “Patriarch” by a newly-created puppet synod of his two fellow sergianist bishops and a handful of renovationist protopriests ordained by them just recently for this purpose. In years to come many people at home and abroad will be deceived and brought to perish by this absolute creature, mouthpiece, and organ of the KGB, the false-Patriarchate of Moscow, founded not by the Church nor within the Church but by Stalin and within a directorate of the KGB.

• May 15, 1944 - February 2, 1945 - The Stalin-created false-Moscow Patriarchate’s “Patriarch” Sergius Stragorodsky dies. On the orders of Stalin, his fellow-Stalinist crony Alexis Simansky is “elected”.

• 1948 - The modern State of Israel is established. The first country to recognize it is the Soviet Union.

• 1948 - Athenagoras, former Archbp. of North & South America, current 33rd degree Mason, becomes Patriarch of Constantinople, after Patriarch Maximos is declared “mentally unfit” and forcibly retired! Athenagoras said, “We are in error and sin if we think that the Orthodox Faith came down from heaven and that the other dogmas [i.e. religions] are unworthy. Three hundred million men have chosen Mohammedanism as the way to God, and further hundreds of millions are Protestants, Catholics and Buddhists. The aim of every religion is to make man better”!

• Aug 26, 1948 - Bp. Matthew (Karpathakes) of Bresthena is “authorized” by his Church assembly, led by the Abbess Mariam and Protosyngellos (Protopriest) Eugenios Tombros, to elect and consecrate bishops by himself, an uncanonical act, prohibited by the Apostolic Canons and the whole sacred canonical law of the Church, declaring “that our most Reverend Bishop Matthew of Bresthena should proceed to the consecration of new bishops, insofar as the other pseudo-bishops of the True Orthodox Christians neither understand nor confess Orthodoxy, nor unite with us, nor even agree to make consecrations. We grant him the authority to proceed both to the election of people and to their immediate consecration, in accordance with the divine and sacred canons and the opinions of our canon law experts, and in accordance with the practice of the whole Church of Christ, which has accepted, in case of necessity (as is the case today) such a dispensation [oikonomia], as we have just heard from our Protosynkellos, Protopriest Eugene Tombros, who explained the validity of the consecration of one Bishop by one Bishop in accordance with the law of our Orthodox Church!”

  They had deceived themselves to believe that Matthew was the only Orthodox bishop left in the world. Furthermore, the idea that the laity and lower clergy can give a bishop (vicar-bishop) authority denied to him by the Holy Apostles and Holy Councils is Protestantism.

• Sept 1948 - Bp. Matthew (Karpathakes) of Bresthena consecrates Bishop Spyridon of Trimython (Cyprus). Abbess Mariam holds his paralyzed hand on the head of Spyridon. With him Matthew ordains Demetrios of Thessalonika, Kallistos of Corinth, and Andreas of Patras. This action scandalizes many of Matthew’s followers, who return to Met. Chrysostomos of Florina who has the vast majority of the faithful. They also become known as the “Florinites”.

• Oct 29, 1948 - In a pastoral letter, the three Florinite bishops Metropolitan Chrysostom of Florina and Bishops Christopher of Megara and Polycarp of Diavala denounce Matthew’s ‘consecrations’ as an “indescribable impiety which makes Bishop Matthew guilty before God”. Matthew is labelled a “false teacher” who consecrated new bishops as “only in order to fulfil his own personal interests”. However, they also declare that the New-Calendarists have “separated themselves from the Unique Body of Orthodoxy. We consider and believe that the official Church of Greece is schismatic and that the services celebrated by its clergy are deprived of Divine grace.”

• 1949 - Archbp. Chrysostomos (Papadopoulos) of the State Church dies a sorrowful death in a Greek hospital. In the posture of an animal, on his hands and knees, he constantly tries to flee visions of demons, until his death. Nurses who attend him convert to the old calendar.

• 1950 - The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee at Toronto states that member churches believe that the Church of Christ consists of all its members together, and one member cannot believe that it is the only true Church of Christ.

• May 1950 - Bp. Matthew of Bresthena dies, leaving a synod of uncanonically ordained bishops.

• May/June 1950 - Archbp. Chrysostomos (Florina) issues statement pronouncing new calendarists as schismatic, and must be chrismated upon their return. He rescinds and apologizes for any statement or remarks made otherwise between 1935 and 1950.

• December 4, 1950 - 85 government officials and police officers at 6 o’clock in the morning invade the Matthewite convent in Keratea. They find 36 children, boys and girls, stunted in growth, pale, and frightened. They are all transported to the children’s hospital in Lavrion. Accusations abounded by neighbors of screaming sounds within the convent, of the torturing of children and their disappearance only to know later that they died of tuberculosis and were buried on the convent property. For many years the Abbess Mariam had forbidden any doctors from entering the convent.

• Jan 1951 - State Church of Greece now headed by Archbp. Spyridon issues persecution decree: 1) old calendar clergy to be hunted down, captured and stripped of clerical garb; 2) old calendar monks & nuns to be incarcerated in monasteries and stripped of monastic garb & prosecuted; 3) old calendar churches & monasteries should be “taken back”; 4) and the foregoing is to be carried out by the Ministries of Public Order, Justice, Religion, and Education. An Inquisition atmosphere prevails.

• 1951 - Archbp. Chrysostomos (Florina) exiled by State Church to Monastery of Ypsilon, at Mytilene.

• Mar 1951 - Met. Germanos (Cyclades) dies while under house arrest.

• 1952 - Archbp. Chrysostomos (Florina) makes a statement against the new calendarists and explains that the True Orthodox had condemned the State Church as schismatic “to defend ourselves against [the State Church] which first declared us to be schismatic.”

• 1952 - Abbess Mariam of the Matthewite Keratea convent along with other nuns and monks are arrested. It was learned that Mariam had amassed a fortune of some $150,000 by embezzling the dowries of Greek women who joined the convent.

• January 1953 - After one year of investigation, the trial of Mariam Soulakiotou, abbess of the Keratea convent, along with other nuns and monks, begins. The first trial lasts for 12 days. 41 witnesses denounce the gruesome details of life in the Keratea monastery. At one point the prosecutor interrupts a witness and says, “Keratea is a disgrace for all of Greece. The hairs of my head are standing up. Just think: 150 girls with tuberculosis died there.” Indeed the revelations that proceeded from the trial shock the nation of Greece. Abbess Mariam and another nun were sentenced to 10 years in prison and another nun was given a three-year sentence and a Matthewite bishop received one year prison sentence for extortion, embezzlement, fraud, and other offenses.

• 1953 - The trial of Abbess Mariam is reopened. It will take three trials to cover all the charges. She is arrested now on 23 charges, including murder, fraud, embezzlement, abduction, and assault. She is sentenced to 16 years in prison. According to sworn medical testimony at the trial, it was shown that as a result of the severe beatings abbess Mariam imposed, at least 177 known inmates died at the “convent of horrors” in the town of Keratea.

• 1954 - Abbess Mariam Soulakiotou dies in the Averov Prison at the age of 71. She has become known as the worst mass murderess in modern Greek history. She and her elder Bishop Matthew (the prince and princess of prelest) had brought shame upon the old calendar movement in Greece. All the gruesome details of the merciless Mariam, the murders, the torture of innocent young boys and girls hung upside down naked and beaten to unconsciousness, inflicting tuberculosis on innocent young people, caging some like animals, resorting to starvation, homicide, fraud, forgery of wills, extortion, financial scandals, brainwashing, all in order to be sent “to paradise without sin”, to purge the new recruits of their “demons”, because she taught and practiced religious beatings on her followers as the only means of obtaining salvation.

• 1954 - The 2nd World Council of Churches Assembly occurs in Evanston, Indiana, where it is stated concerning “the separation of the Churches”: “From the Church’s beginning there has been an indissociated unity with Christ, because He did not separate Himself from His believers. But the Church has never realized the fullness of this unity. From the start, divisions disrupted the unity, revealed in Christ, of the people, so that we can think of the Church as we think of an individual believer, of whom it is possible to say that he is at the same time righteous and a sinner.”

• 1955 - Soviet Patriarch Alexis I (Simansky) declares: “The Russian Orthodox Church supports the totally peaceful foreign policy of our [soviet] government, not because the Church allegedly lacks freedom, but because Soviet policy is righteous and corresponds to the Christian ideals which the Church preaches.”

• 1955 - Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko) of Eastern America (ROCA) publishes his work “The Motives [Motifs?] of the My Life”, wherein he writes: ‘They say: ‘the [Moscow] patriarchate has changed nothing, neither dogmas, nor services, nor rites’. ‘No’, we reply, ‘the patriarchate has violated the vital dogma of the Church of Christ, has destroyed its vital purpose - serving the regeneration of people, and has substituted for it the godless aims of communism, which are unnatural for the Church....It is not the personal sin of this or that hierarch, but the root sin of the Moscow Patriarchate, confirmed, preached, sealed by an oath before the whole world. It is, so to speak, dogmatized apostasy’”

• Sept 8, 1955 - Archbp. Chrysostomos of Florina, foreknowing his departure, receives the holy Mysteries and reposes in the Lord on the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin; and his funeral is attended by tens of thousands. His relics, six years later, are found to be incorrupt and fragrant. The G.O.C. establishes a twelve-member commission to administer the Church and search for a way of restoring their hierarchy. The G.O.C. will be left without bishops for five years.

• Apr 1957 - Florinite clergy-laity congress with 100 priests elects three archimandrites as suitable candidates for bishops: the candidates elected were Archimandrites Chrysostomos (Naslimes), the aged Akakios [Pappas, the older] and Chrysostomos (Kiousis).

• 1959 - In an unpublicized visit to the Monophysite Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras declares: “In truth we are all one, we are all Orthodox Christians...We have the same sacraments, the same history, the same traditions. The divergence is on the level of phraseology”! This visit will only be revealed by the New-Calendarists in the 1980’s.

• 1959 - Archbp. Iakovos of New York (a 33 degree Mason) is elected and enthroned as Primate of the Greek Archdiocese of North and South America.

• Oct 5, 1959 - Metropolitan Anastassy addresses the ROCA Sobor convened in New York City, stating: “...And so in these frightful days,...we must...turn(ing) aside completely from the falseness of those who have now occupied [the throne of Moscow]...Let us in every way turn away from them, but at the same time let us arm ourselves with apostolic zeal. We must avoid as a pestilence every kind of contact with them. You know that these people with completely-burned consciences will never cease from waging war on us, although they constantly change their methods of warfare. At times they openly attack and at times they utilize a circumventing maneuver in order to conceal their true purpose. Often they appear as angels of light, in order to delude even the chosen ones if possible...let us gird ourselves in the armour of truth, and then the grace of God will not be taken away from us.”

• 1960 - Akakios [Pappas, the older] leaves Greece with a medical pass for health reasons; the other two are denied permission by the authorities, who suspect their departure is for ordination to the episcopacy.

• 1960 - The KGB General Kuroyedov orders the Moscow Patriarchate Alexis I to bring the Moscow Patriarchate into union with the WCC for the sake of Soviet foreign policy goals, especially propaganda. His report to the Communist Central Committee states: ‘The Patriarch accepted the recommendation of the Council [For Religious Affairs] concerning the entry of the Russian Orthodox Church into the membership of the World Council of Churches...’

• 1960 - Bishop Anthony of Geneva and Metropolitan Aimilianos of Sylibria/Kalabria/Miletos concelebrate in Bishop Anthony’s church in Geneva. This is the last time, according to Bishop Anthony of Geneva’s 1974 report, that, by mutual decision, any concelebration occurs between any bishop of ROCA and official representative of the Autocephalous Churches. Soviet ‘Patriarch’ Alexis I (Simansky) issues a “thunderous” epistle to Patriarch Athenagoras demanding the cessation of communion with ROCA as ’schismatic’. Patriarch Athenagoras issues an encyclical absolutely forbidding all concelebrations between clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and clergy of the ROCA.

• Dec 1960 - Archbp. Seraphim of Chicago (Russian Church Abroad) with Bishop Theophilus of Detroit (hierarch to the new calendarist Roumanian parishes in the Russian Church Abroad) consecrate as a bishop, without prior synodal permission, Akakios [Pappas, the older] of Talantion, in Detroit, Michigan (note: this service was witnessed by Archimandrites Petros & Akakios (Pappas, the younger). G.O.C. (Florinites) has 1 bishop now.

• 1961 - The Moscow Patriarchate joins the World Council of Churches, followed by the Polish Orthodox Church, the Roumanian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

• Apr 1961 - Archbp. Iakovos of New York makes statement calling the sacred canons “pseudo-documents” and “religious prejudices” that prevent unity with non-Orthodox Christians of the West. “We have tried to rend the seamless robe of the Lord - and then we cast ‘arguments’ and ‘pseudo-documents’ to prove that ours is the Christ, and ours is the Church.Living together and praying together without any walls of partition raised, either by racial or religious prejudices, is the only way that can lead surely to unity.”

• May 1961 - Archbishop Averky (ROCA) publishes “I Will Build My Church and the Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against It”, wherein he writes: “But is it possible for the True Church of Christ to reconcile Herself somehow with evil, which comes from the enemy of mankind’s salvation - the devil? Is it possible for Her to co-exist with it, without carrying on a most decisive struggle against it? Of course not, for, according to the words of Christ the Savior, no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). And it is namely for this reason that they who broke away from the true Church, the so-called movement of “The Living Church”, the movement for reform which wanted to compromise Christianity with this world that lies in sin, and “Sergianism” which preaches “co-existence” with the godless power of Communism, and communion in the so-called “ecumenical movement” that recognizes the equality in rights and dignity of all groups and “denominations,” all this is in reality already a departure from the true Church. Can that organization be called a Church which calls for “loyalty” to the servants of Satan? This, of course, already is not the Church, but a false church, or according to the word of God “the congregation of evil-doers,” and to remain in such a church is not only not helpful toward salvation, but, on the contrary - it is ruinous. It...is our sacred pastoral duty to warn our believers about those countless numbers of subtle temptations which now have been abundantly sown about everywhere; we are obligated to teach them to discern the true Church, to be able to distinguish it from the false church and “the congregation of evil-doers.” Christ our Saviour gave us the great promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail over His Church, that is to say all the forces of hell in all their maximum endeavour. But believers separately, and pastors individually, and even separate hierarchs and whole local churches headed by them, can fall away from the One True Church, preparing for themselves and their followers eternal perdition in the depths of hell...But the True Church of Christ, which did not involve itself in “co-existence” with the evil one and did not bow before the Antichrist, will not end its own existence, in spite of all the difficult hardships, shocks and persecution to which it will be subjected up to the very end of the world. It will exist to the very Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, even if only one bishop exists who has retained and kept loyalty to Christ the Saviour with a most insignificant group of clergy and laymen.”

• Oct 1961 - Letter sent from the Russian Church Abroad to the Greek old calendarists (sent to Greek Archdiocese of America & the Ecumenical Patriarch): the new calendar adoption is a mistake; nevertheless, we have not broken communion with canonical churches that have adopted it. The change of the calendar was not an error serious enough to warrant the breaking of communion.

• Nov 20, 1961 - Metropolitan Anastassy and the ROCA issue “An Appeal to All the Christian World regarding the Assembly of the WCC in New Delhi”, warning the world about the danger of accepting the communist agents in cassocks (MP hierarchs), and further writes: “Since that time [Sergius’ 1927 Declaration], the Secret Church, the “Catacomb” Church, was organized in our Fatherland, and it exists even now...called [by the Soviet Press] the ‘Sect of the genuinely Orthodox Christians’...Living abroad with our autonomous administration, on the basis of ukaz of 7/20 Nov 1920, #362,... we regard ourselves in spiritual unity with the secret Church, but not with the “authorized or official” administration of the Moscow Patriarchate with ‘Patriarch’ Alexis at its head...We do not recognize Patriarch Alexis as having jurisdiction over us...”.

• 1962 - The Soviet Union passes a law in 1962 forbidding minors to enter an Orthodox Church, while christening and receiving the Eucharist was only allowed in the case of children under 18 months, and then only if the names of parents and godparents were registered with the authorities.

• Jan 21, 1962 - Patriarch Athenagoras and his entourage pray and liturgize together with the Armenian Monophyiste Patriarch, Sinork Kaloustian, and his clergy in the latter’s cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Peran, Armenia.

• Dec 1, 1962 - Metropolitan Anastassy and the ROCA Synod issue another statement against the rising ecumenical movement: “We cannot accept their (the ecumenists’) point of view, that the Church has become divided. We believe in One, Exclusive Church, the Head of Which is Christ. As there is one Head, so also is there one Body - the Church. If a house is divided within itself, then it cannot stand. Thus, also, the Church, having become divided, would cease to be the Church. There can only be a falling-away from the Church - a departure from Her of individuals - or of entire groups who are not of like mind with Her.”

• 1963 - Archbp. Leonty of Chile (Russian Church Abroad), without the blessing of his synod, travels to Greece, passing through customs as a simple monk. He intends to ordain the candidates for the G.O.C. with Bishop Akakios (Pappas the elder). The candidates of Akakios (Pappas the elder) were Auxentios (Pastras), Gerontios (of Salamis), Akakios (Pappas the younger, who was nephew to Bishop Akakios the elder), Chrysostom (Naslimes), and Chrysostom (Kiousis). When the candidates were presented to Archb. Leonty, he consented to the ordination of all except Chrysostom (Kiousis). He is reported as saying, “Not this person, for he is proud and will hurt the Church.”

• 1963 - In a letter on the subject of the “Soviet Church”, Archbishop John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco writes: “The expression ‘Soviet Church’, however, is not suitable for serious theological discussions. When the entire hierarchy of South-Western Russia went over to the Unia, the Church continued to exist in the person of the faithful Orthodox people [who separated from the apostate hierarchs], who after long sufferings restored their hierarchy. For this reason it is not correct to speak of the ‘Soviet Church’--which is something the ‘Church’ cannot be in the true sense of the word ‘Church’--but about the hierarchy that acts as the agent of the Soviet regime. One’s attitude toward this hierarchy may be the same as toward the other representatives of this [i.e., the Soviet] regime.”

• Apr 1963 - Archbp. Iakovos of North and South America states: “The Church cannot be the sole and full possessor of the truth,” a statement which Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras calls “Orthodox.” Henceforth the two Masons make even more flagrant anti-Orthodox statements. This statement causes an uproar in Greece and on Mt. Athos.

• Jan 6, 1964 - Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras & Pope Paul VI meet in Jerusalem and pray together in the Holy Sepulchre. Athenagoras remarks: “This is a great and historic event. My conscience is at peace before God. Orthodoxy means freedom, and it is the free who make progress.... Dogmas are the power of the Church, her wealth, and for this reason we keep our wealth in a vault. But this in no way impedes us from minting a new coinage [i.e., new dogmas] with the other Churches: ‘the coinage of love’.... “ Fire breaks out while they are in the Sepulchre and causes an electrical blackout throughout the church.

• 1964 - Bishop Auxentios (Pastras) is elected Archbishop, since he was the first consecrated and the senior bishop in rank. Bishop Chrysostomos (Naslimes), along with many of the Florinites, fear the fitness of Auxentios, who had gone into schism from the G.O.C. in 1937 with Bishop Matthew (Bresthena) and returned in 1950. Auxentios’ future actions will prove to be a scandal in Greece, to the detriment of the old calendar struggle.

• 1965 - Serbian Church enters World Council of Churches (WCC).

• Apr 1965 - Last testament of Met. Anastassy (Russian Church Abroad) states, “As regards the Moscow Patriarchate and its hierarchs...the Russian Church Abroad must not have any canonical, prayerful, or even ordinary communion with them whatsoever.” Met. Anastassy, “the all-wise” reposes in the Lord and is succeeded by Metro. Philaret (Voznesensky)

• Summer 1965 - Metropolitan Meliton of Chalcedon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate gives an ecumenical speech at the Protaton on Mt. Athos in which he declares: “It is the spirit of Lucifer that drives us [the Orthodox] to believe that only we possess the right way!”

• Nov 2, 1965 - Patriarch Athenagoras, visiting Roman Catholics in Milan, asserts: “We have been seperated for 911 years and now the time has come for us to be found together again. The Catholics and the Orthodox do not belong to two different Churches, but to two branches of the same Church.”

• Dec 7, 1965 - The Apostasy of World Orthodoxy Completed. Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras & Pope Paul VI simultaneously “lift the Anathema of 1054.” The Anathema was placed on the papal heresy to protect the Orthodox from blasphemous doctrines which lead to perdition. By “lifting” the Anathema, Athenagoras officially proclaimed that the Pope and his followers were unjustly excommunicated, that the Church wrongly held the doctrines of papism to be false, and that in truth the Latin Papacy is part of Orthodoxy! An official statement from the clergy of the Patriarchate said the following, “The removal of the mutual excommunications between the two Churches restores canonical relations between Rome and New Rome. This restoration is a canonical necessity...” From this time several monasteries and sketes on Mt. Athos cease to commemorate the Patriarch. The Florinites use the action to again reaffirm their confession of true Orthodoxy, and to condemn the ecumenism of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. They again affirm the graceless state of those in the ecumenical heresy, which now is undeniably true.

• Dec 15, 1965 - Met. Philaret (Russian Church Abroad) writes a letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch protesting his Dec. 7th action. The Russian Church Abroad breaks communion and stops concelebrating with those confessing ecumenism, in practice treating them as heretics. The Russian Church Abroad sees “lifting of the Anathema” as the official turning point and statement of heretical belief in ecumenism, a denial of the Creed in the belief of the “one, holy catholic and apostolic Church”. From this time until his death, Met. Philaret will seek to direct his Church in the strictest opposition to this heresy. His private opinion was that the ecumenists were without grace, yet he could not make this an official statement due to the opposition of Archbp. Anthony of Geneva. He will, however, as we shall see, succeed in proclaiming their graceless state by: 1) Breaking communion and stopping all concelebrations; 2) going into full communion with the Florinites; and, 3) issuing the Anathema against the ecumenists. Now the Russian Church Abroad and G.O.C. have the same official practice regarding new calendarists and ecumenists.

• June 19, 1966 - Saint John Maximovitch II, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, of the Russian Church Abroad, reposes in the Lord in Seattle, WA. He was one of the greatest wonder-workers of our century.

• Oct. 16, 1966 - The miracle-working clairvoyant of the G.O.C., Elder Ieronymos of Aegina, reposes in the Lord.

• July 25, 1967 - Pope Paul VI goes to Constantinople and has joint prayer service with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras.

• Oct-Nov 1967 - Seeking support for the ecumenical movement, Patriarch Athenagoras visits the hierarchy of Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. He also goes to the WCC in Geneva, and visits Anglican Archbp. Michael of Canterbury, in London, and they hold joint prayer service together.

• Oct 26, 1967 - Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras goes to Rome and sits on a throne, equal in stature with the Pope, and they pray together.

• Nov 1967 - Majority of monks on Mt. Athos still fiercely oppose the “lifting of the Anathema of 1054.”

• 1968 - The WCC meets in Uppsala, Sweden and for the first time, the “Orthodox” become organic members of this ecumenical organization.

• 1968 - Archbp. Vitaly of Canada (Russian Church Abroad) makes a statement regarding the WCC meeting in Uppsala, Sweden, that mocks the Orthodox who attended it and prayed “to search for the Truth, which we have not known.” He also calls ecumenism the “heresy of heresies”, in agreement with the 1965 reaction of the Russian Church Abroad to the “lifting of the Anathema”.

• Christmas Epis. 1968 - Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras states that the “Peoples of Christ”-Roman Catholics and Orthodox are due to reach unity without the hierarchs and theologians. He also states that he has inserted the name of Pope Paul VI in the diptychs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. (The diptychs is the list of Orthodox Bishops who are commemorated during the holy Liturgy.)

• Jan 1969 - Archimandrite Cyprian leaves the New Calendar Greek State Church and joins the GOC for “reasons purely of faith”, citing the 15th Canon of the First & Second Council which permits priests to secede and break communion with their bishops for the “bareheaded”, “preaching of heresy” “condemned by the holy Councils or Fathers”. The canon calls these bishops “false bishops and false teachers”. Cyprian accepts the ecclesiology of the GOC. Fifteen years later Cyprian will cause a schism in the Church, citing the same canon to prove his new opinions that heretics have grace!

• July 1969 - First Sorrowful Epistle. Met. Philaret (Russian Church Abroad) states that a union of Orthodox with modern ecumenical heretics alienates those Orthodox from the universal Orthodox unity. Earlier this year he upbraided Archbp. Iakovos for “...your pernicious ecumenical ventures...of concelebration with the heterodox...which are clearly unorthodox and in violation of the holy Canons.” These statements are in agreement with the position of the Russian Church Abroad to the 1965 “lifting of the Anathema”.

• Oct and Dec 1969 - Met. Nikodim of Leningrad (Moscow Patriarchate, reportedly a Major-General in the K.G.B) gives communion to Roman Catholic students at the Russicum in Rome. The Soviet Moscow Patriarchate gives clergy permission to administer mysteries to Old Believers and Roman Catholics.

• 1969 - The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad rules that the Moscow Patriarchate, by sharing its mysteries with the Latins, has made itself a part of their heresy.

• Dec 18/31, 1969 - Met. Philaret, together with his Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad, issues a letter to Archbp. Auxentios, (G.O.C.) stating the validity of the Florinites and confirming that the Russian Church Abroad is in full communion with them. “...We wish to inform you that the synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad recognizes the validity of the episcopal ordinations of your predecessor of blessed memory, the reposed Archbishop Akakios [Pappas, the older], and the consequent ordinations of your holy Church. Hence, taking into account also various other circumstances, our hierarchical synod esteems your hierarchy as brothers in Christ in full communion with us. May the blessing of God rest upon all the clergy and faithful of your Church...” This document was signed by Metropolitan Philaret, with the hierarchs Seraphim, Vitaly, Anthony, Averky, Antony, Sabbas, Nectary, Andrew, and Laurus.

• Feb 1971 - The Pope and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras exchange letters of mutual recognition of each one’s Church. Patr. Athenagoras also announces publicly that he gives “holy” Communion to Roman Catholics and Protestants.

• July 1971 - Archbp. Auxentios & Met. Gerontios (Florinites) consecrate four new bishops. The first was Chrysostom (Kiousis) of Thessalonika. He, it is said, ever since his rejection by Archb. Leonty in 1963, would call Archb. Auxentios every month and ask for his elevation! Finally, Archb. Auxentios gave in after 8 years. The others were Kallinikos (Khaniotes) of Lamia, Paisios (Efthymiades) of Evripos & Evia, and Akakios (Douskos) of Canada.

• September 1/14, 1971 - Firmly denying the Sergianist Synod or falsely-called Moscow Patriarchate any claim to church power or canonical legitimacy, the Council of Bishops of the ROCOR passes the following “Resolution Concerning the Election of Pimen Izvekov as Patriarch of Moscow” concerning “the gathering which, calling itself an All-Russian Church Council, met in Moscow from May 30 to June 2 of this year for the purpose of electing a Patriarch of Moscow and all Russias”:

  “All of the elections of Patriarchs in Moscow, beginning in 1943, are without effect on the basis of the 30th Canon of the Holy Apostles and the 3rd Canon of the 7th Ecumenical Council, [which declare ‘null and void” any appointment to episcopal control over the church by secular authorities, rather than by free election by church authorities - i.e., the full synod of bishops of the local church -, deposing the appointee from any prior clerical office and excommunicating all who commune with any such secular appointee]”

• Sept 17, 18, 1971 - The Matthewite schismatics seek correction of their uncanonical status. They enter into communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. In Boston the Russian Church Abroad hierarchs, Archbp. Philotheos of Germany and Constantinos of Australia, performed the “cheirothesia” (laying on of hands with prayers of correction) upon Matthewite hierarchs Met. Kallistos of Corinth & Met. Epiphanios of Kition. On returning to Greece, these two bishops were to perform the same prayer to their brother hierarchs, as was part of the conditions set forth by the Russian Church Abroad for the corrections of the Matthewite bishops who were ordained by one bishop. The Matthewite bishops in Greece, however, changed their minds and refused to have these prayers read over them.

• 1971 - Second Sorrowful Epistle. Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad warns all Orthodox bishops on earth that ecumenism is a “dangerous heresy.” This is in agreement with the 1965 reaction to “lifting of the Anathema.”

• July 1972 - Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras dies and is buried; a closed-coffin funeral. He will be remembered for illegally lifting the Anathema of 1054 against the heresy of the Papacy, as being a moving force of the heresy of Ecumenism and for admitting to giving communion to Roman Catholics, Protestants, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Demetrios (33rd degree mason, mother lodge of Turkey, member of Greekophone lodges “Houlous” & “Hakikat”). His enthronement speech is purely ecumenical, addressing the Pope of Rome as the leader of Christendom. He promises to continue the ecumenical policies of Athenagoras.

• July 1972 - Sacred Community (non-Zealot monks) of the Holy Mountain issues encyclical to resume commemorating the Ecumenical Patriarch because a “new climate has been established”! Zealot monks of Mt. Athos still do not commemorate Ecumenical Patriarch and follow the Florinites. By September seven sacred monasteries on Mt. Athos, composed of Zealot monks, still do not commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch: Esphigmenon, Karakallou, Simonopetra, St. Paul’s, Xenophontos, Grigoriou, Kostamonitou.

• Mar 1974 - Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios imposes penalties on 13 monks for being in non-commemorating monasteries, among whom are: Archimandrite Athanasios (Abbot of Esphigmenou), Archimandrite Evdokimos (Abbot of Xenophontos), Archimandrite Dionysios of Grigoriou & Archimandrite Andreas of St. Paul’s.

• June 1974 - The Florinites issue an encyclical to all their clergy reaffirming their position on communion and chrismation with regard to the new calendar State Church, declaring, “The ministration of the Holy Gifts to the new calendarists has been forbidden since the beginning of the schism of the official Church; and you must observe this line of conduct unswervingly...” and that those joining the G.O.C. from the new calendarists “must be chrismated with Holy Chrism of canonical origin, in accordance with the first Canon of St. Basil the Great.” All the Florinite clergy accepted this confession of the Faith and reaffirmation of their practice, including Abbot Cyprian of the monastery in Fili.

• Sept 1974 - The sacred monastery of Esphigmenou remains the only non-commemorating monastery on Mt. Athos. They are threatened by special forces sent by the Ecumenists. All 60 monks resist, and drape a black flag over the wall of the monastery which read, “Orthodoxy or Death”. They receive ordinations from and follow the Florinite bishops.

• 1974 - Citing Archbp. Auxentios’ (Florinite) continual consecrations without his synod’s approval, three Bishops separate from that synod: Chrysostomos (Kiousis) of Thessalonika, Akakios (Pappas, the younger) of Diavlia, and Gabriel of Cyclades. The 3 bishops do NOT cause a schism by forming a new synod, but separate from Auxentios, so as not to partake with him in the sins of ordaining men (as priests and bishops) whose worthiness is not confirmed. Auxentios will continue to cause havoc in the ranks of the Florinites by consecrating unworthy men.

• Chrysostom (Kiousis) will continue to denounce Archbp. Auxentios and his Synod until 1985. All requests by Auxentios to Chrysostom to appear before the Holy Synod to express his criticism and try to solve any problems, prove fruitless. Chrysostom will only remain aloof and criticize.

• 1975 - The Thyateira Confession, by Greek new calendarist Met. Athenagoras (Kokkinakis) of Thyateira and Great Britain, proclaims that the episcopacy and priesthood of the Anglicans,

  Copto-Armenians, Roman Catholics and Orthodox are all true; and, therefore, the sacraments of the Anglicans & Roman Catholics are those of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church!

  This confession is officially endorsed by Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios; this confession also states, “The idea that Masonry is a religion is mistaken”!

• Feb 1976 - Matthewites break communion with the Russian Church Abroad, because they cannot obtain a letter of condemnation from them (saying that the new calendarists are schismatics and without grace in their mysteries), and because Archbishop Anthony of Genevea continued to concelebrate with new calendarists, in disobedience to the ROCA Synod. Therefore, the Matthewites assume that the Russian Church Abroad accepts the unorthodox idea that heretical ecumenical “Orthodox” Churches have grace. They also reinterpret the 1971 “laying on of hands” by the Russian Church Abroad upon the Matthewites, as the Matthewites bringing the Russian Church Abroad out of schism, for they say that from 1924 to 1971, the Russian Church Abroad was schismatic. Later, they blaspheme by officially repudiating and renouncing their 1971 hierothesia from the Russian Church Abroad.

• July 1977 - Met. Kallistos leaves Matthewites and joins the Florinites, out of frustration with the Matthewites for their radical positions and for not complying with the Russian Church Abroad conditions of Sept. 1971.

• June 30, 1978 - Archb. Andrew Rymarenko of Novo-Diveyevo reposes in the Lord on his name day. He was the last of the Optina clairvoyant elders, being a disciple of the New Martyr, Saint Nectarios of Optina. Before he died he blessed Schemamonk Father Gregory to start Dormition Skete in Colorado.

• 1978 - Archbp. Auxentios (Florinite) ordains with Synodal approval Archm. Evthymios as bishop in Thessalonika to minister to the faithful of the G.O.C. in that, the second largest city of Greece. The faithful now have representation in the Synod in Athens. All the G.O.C. churches in Thessalonika receive him as their bishop, except the church of Metropolitan Chrysostom (Kiousis), who separated himself from the Synod in 1974. Thessalonika has two bishops, one legitimate, Metr. Evthymios, and one a renegade, Metr. Chrysostom (Kiousis).

• 1978 - Archbp. Auxentios (Florinite), without his synod’s approval, consecrates as a bishop the Russian priest Gabriel of the Russian Church Abroad, under Archbp. Anthony of Geneva, as Bishop of Lisbon, Portugal. Relations cool between Archbp. Auxentios and Russian Church Abroad over this consecration.

• 1978 - During an official audience with the newly elected Pope John Paul I, the arch-ecumenist Met. Nikodim of Leningrad (Moscow Patriarchate) collapses and dies at the feet of the Pope, from whom he received his “last rites”! It is later learned that Nikodim had espoused Roman Catholicism secretly.

• Feb 1979 - Archbp. Auxentios considers more candidates to the bishopric, and rejects those put forth by Met. Gerontios of Salamis. When Archm. Cyprian learns that he is not considered by either Auxentios or Gerontios, he incites Met. Kallistos of Corinth and Met. Anthony of Megara to ordain bishops on their own authority and start a separate Synod.

• Feb 1979 - Kallistos of Corinth and Anthony of Megara, without prior knowledge of their Archbp. Auxentios, consecrate the following eight archimandrites: Cyprian of Fili, Maximos, Kallinikos of Achaia, Matthew, Germanos, Kalliopios, Mercurios, and another Kallinikos of the Twelve Islands. These ordinations were performed without announcement. At least two of the archimandrites Maximos and Kallinikos of the Twelve Islands were told that the consecrations were duly approved by Archbp. Auxentios. After the ordinations were completed, Bp. Cyprian of Fili announced the supposed reason for starting the new synod. It was for the cleansing of the Church from the influence of Archbp. Auxentios. Now with the emergence of the uncanonical Kallistite Synod, there are two synods in Greece having the same ecclesiology. Later in 1983, Kallistos will feel betrayed when Cyprian preaches his new teaching of grace with the new calendarists and ecumenists, and because of his policy of giving them holy Communion at his monastery. The Kallistite Synod will eventually collapse.

• March 9, 1979 - Orthodox Typos, the Greek ecclesiastical newspaper, announces the deposition of the ten Kallistite bishops by Archbp. Auxentios for factionalism and uncanonical ordinations. Most of the bishops will eventually return to Archbp. Auxentios, be accepted back into their orders, and be numbered among the Auxentios synod of the G.O.C. Met. Kallistos will retire in repentance in his monastery in Corinth until his last day. Met. Cyprian will be the only bishop who will not return.

• October 1/14 1979 - The feast of the Holy Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos - The holy monastery of Dormition Skete is officially established with the blessing of Archbishop Saraphim of Chicago and Midwestern America, of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia. The Archbishop agrees to ordain Schemamonk Father Gregory a deacon on December 23 the Feast of St. Naum the Enlightener of Bulgaria, and priest on the Sunday of All Saints of Russia, the following year.

• 1980 - Archimandrite Mark (Arndt) is consecrated bishop in Germany (Russian Church Abroad). A German convert who was tonsured a monk only five years earlier was received into the Russian Church Abroad, without baptism, from Protestantism. Archbishop Mark becomes the highest-ranking unbaptized clergyman in the Russian Church Abroad!

• June 1980 - Atlanta, Georgia: Archbp. Iakovos (Greek Archdiocese of No. & So. America) serves an “unprecedented” ecumenical service with Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, United Methodists, and even representatives of the Jewish religion.

• 1981 - Greece joins European Union.

• 1982 - The Matthewite Synod again renounces the 1971 prayers of correction (cheirothesia), performed over two of their bishops in Boston.

• May 1982 - Patriarch Parthenios of Alexandria (the Mason) openly stated that Islam is a great religion of the great God and His apostle [is] Mohammed!

• 1983-1985 - “Kallistite Synod” reunifications: gradually Antonios of Megara, Maximos, Germanos, Kallinikos, Matthew, Kalliopios, and another Kallinikos return and are accepted back into the synod of Archbp. Auxentios (Florinite). Kallistos retires to his brother’s monastery and reposes there in the Lord. Thus, as we shall see, the synod that started in 1979 is now reunited with the synod of Archbp. Auxentios, with one exception, Cyprian, whose ambition will cause yet more harm to the Church.

• Summer 1983 - World Council of Churches has service at an Assembly in Vancouver, Canada, attended by the following representatives: Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants of every sect, Jews, Mohammedans, Buddhists, Hindus, shamans, medicine men, and warlocks. At the previous conference in Lima, Peru, the WCC states that the baptism, eucharist, and ordinations of all denominations are valid and acceptable.

• July/Aug 1983 - Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad, at a meeting in Canada, declares: TO THOSE who attack the Church of Christ by teaching that Christ’s Church is divided into so-called “branches” which differ in doctrine and way of life, or that the Church does not exist visibly, but will be formed in the future when all “branches” or sects or denominations, and even religions will be united into one body; and who do not distinguish the priesthood and mysteries of the Church from those of the heretics, but say that the baptism and eucharist of heretics is effectual for salvation; therefore, to those who knowingly have communion with these aforementioned heretics or who advocate, disseminate, or defend their new heresy of ecumenism under the pretext of brotherly love or the supposed unification of separated Christians, ANATHEMA. (Anathema means a complete cutting off from God and separation from the Church and consignment to the devil.) This is consistent with the 1965 reaction of Russian Church Abroad to the “lifting of Anathema of 1054” by Athenagoras.

• 1984 - Bp. Kallistos Ware of England, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, confirms in writing that he gives communion to Monophysite heretics.

• Jan 20, 1984 - Met. Cyprian of Fili is publicly accused by Orthodox Typos (the major religious newspaper of Greece) of accepting hundreds of new calendarists at his monastery, and of praying with them & giving them communion, a practice which Old Calendarists were forbidden to do.

• 1984 - Met. Cyprian of Fili causes confusion among the remaining Old Calendar bishops of his synod, because he now believes the new calendarists have grace (several years before, he confessed the opposite). Thus, after the Kallistite synod reunifications were complete, there remained only two: Giovanni, who felt no affinity with the Florinites, and Cyprian of Fili, who alienates himself from his synod and all other Old Calendar bishops in Greece because of his novel teaching of “Holy Heretics”-heretical ecumenists, who can call down the grace of the Holy Spirit upon their altars to sanctify their mysteries.

• June 1984 - The Florinite Archbp. Auxentios (Pastras) & Bishop Gabriel (Lisbon), against the objections of 2 clerics present, consecrate Iakovos of Portugal to be Assistant Bishop to Gabriel.

• Oct 1984 - With the blessings of Archbp. Auxentios, the Portuguese Bishops Gabriel & Iakovos consecrate as bishops one Portuguese and two Italians. One of the Italians, Grigorios of Aquileia, was a papist, then a Methodist, then a Benedictine monk and papist priest, then in 1944 a Mussolini-worshipping fascist, and after the death of Mussolini, a member of the Moscow Patriarchate. Also in agreement with these consecrations were Bishops: Gerasimos of Thebes, Maximos of Kephallonia, Germanos of Aiolia, Athanasios of Larissa.

• 1985-1990 - Mikhail Gorbachev introduces the reforms of Glasnost and Perestroika and begins the USSR’s devolution, which culminates in December of 1991.

• 1985 - The Florinite bishops now number 17 with the return of the Kallistite synod. Cyprian and Giovanni remain separate from the bishops of their synod, and hastily ordain Niphon of Kenya, and Chrysostomos of Etna (USA), both believed to be of questionable character. Later, Niphon is deposed for reportedly having 10 wives! Cyprian is then elected president of their synod, calling his church the “Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece” (same title as the Florinites), and then the True Orthodox Church (T.O.C.), a synod of “Resisters” with a “new” theology on grace. He regards himself as being the only hierarch in Greece who has a correct confession of faith! He demands all his followers to call him and refer to him as “THE FATHER”!

• 1985 - Archbp. Mark (Russian Church Abroad) of Germany visits Mt. Athos and commemorates Patriarch Demetrios in the Liturgy at the Serbian Monastery of Hilandar. When he returns to the Skete of Prophet Elias that day, the monks refuse to kiss his hand. Archbishop Mark was not reprimanded nor corrected by the Russian Church Abroad.

• July 1985 - “The Tsakos Affair.” Former new calendarist priest Dorotheos (Tsakos) (deposed by new calendarists for homosexuality) was consecrated as “Met. of Sparta and all the Peloponnese” after Pascha 1985 by Met. Maximos of Kephallonia & Met. Gerasimos of Thebes, on the orders of Archbp. Auxentios (Pastras). When this was denied by the ordaining bishops, an investigating committee was formed to find the truth.

• Oct. 22, 1985 - The Florinite Holy Synod DEPOSED the offending bishops of the “Tsakos Affair”: Archbishop Auxentios, Metropolitans Gerasimos of Thebes and Maximos of Kephallonia, and two others for consecrating Tsakos, lying to the Synod, and creating a schism. This was the result of the hearings in the investigation which started July 6/19, 1985. The Florinite synod finally takes action against its president and removes Auxentios, who becomes a scandal and a reproach to the G.O.C. His legacy of unworthy consecrations will continue to harm the Church for years to come.

• Nov 8/21, 1985 - The Righteous Confessor, Saint Metropolitan Philaret, of New York, head of the Russian Church Abroad, foreknowing his departure, reposes in the Lord on the feast of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Hosts. He is given the traditional open-coffin funeral for a hierarch.

• Nov 1985 - Archbp. Vitaly of Canada is chosen as new Metropolitan of the Russian Church Abroad.

• Jan 1986 - The G.O.C. Synod asks Chrysostomos (Kiousis) to be enthroned as Archbp. of Athens, and head of the holy synod. Met. Petros (Astoria) joins the synod. This was done, not because the bishops saw in Chrysostom (Kiousis) any ability which surpassed the others, or that they saw any outstanding virtue. It was done to solve Thessalonika’s dilemma of having two bishops in one see. Metropolitans Akakios (Diavlia) & Gabriel (Cyclades) remain aloof.

• Nov 1986 - Archbp. Chrysostomos (Kiousis) and the Florinite synod depose Met. Cyprian of Oropos and Fili, together with the bishops consecrated by him for: 1) teaching that the new calendarist ecumenists have the grace of the Holy Spirit in their mysteries; 2) giving communion to new calendarists & ecumenists; and 3) going into schism and creating their own synod in Greece (taking the same name as the G.O.C. and thereby causing confusion among the people.) Before his deposition Cyprian was summoned three times to answer for his actions. He refused to appear, stating that the Florinites, the bishops who had ordained him, had no authority over him! He now begins a campaign to vilify the true Holy Synod of bishops by calling them extremists (for their true confession of the Faith).

• Nov 1986 - Archbp. Mark attacks in writing the book The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church, printed by Dormition Skete with the blessing of Met. Vitaly. It was reviewed and accepted by both Met. Vitaly and Bp. Gregory (Grabbe) of New York. Archbp. Mark does not accept the Orthodox rejection of Augustine and his heresies.

• Dec 1986 - Due to the accusations made by six monks of homosexual conduct against Abbot Panteleimon (Metropoulos) and the clergy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Boston), the Russian Church Abroad suspends the abbot and three other clergymen. In December, while the investigations were still in progress, and suspensions still in force, the monastery flees the Russian Church Abroad. It joins the independent Metropolitans Akakios (Diavlia) & Gabriel (Cyclades) and unites them to form another synod in Greece. The monastery persuades many parishes of the Russian Church Abroad to join them in their departure, accusing the Russian Church of ecumenism! The Russian Church Abroad deposes Archimandrite Panteleimon (Metropoulos) and all the clergymen who follow him. The monastery does not seek to join the Florinites because the G.O.C. is in communion with the Russian Church Abroad, and their rejection would be certain.

• 1987 - Archbp. Mark, without permission of Met Vitaly, starts visiting Greece yearly to concelebrate with the deposed Met. Cyprian of Fili. He is not reproved.

• 1987 - A “binding directive” of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad to all its clergy and members, reaffirming its policy that their Church does NOT concelebrate with new calendarists or ecumenists. Signed by Archbp. Laurus, Secretary.

• 1987 - Due to the overwhelming amount of disturbing evidence of moral misconduct at Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Boston), Met. Akakios (Diavlia) & Met. Gabriel (Cyclades) abandon it. The monastery petitions the deposed “Archbp.” Auxentios (Pastras), and he receives those who were deposed by the very people who ordained him! Auxentios (Pastras), who received the homosexual Dorotheos (Tsakos), now receives the homosexual Abbot Panteleimon (Metropoulos).

• Nov 1987 - Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios and his clergy concelebrate a papal mass with Pope John Paul II in Rome.

• Nov 1, 1988 - Glorification by the Russian Church Abroad of the New-Martyrs of Russia who suffered under the communist yoke. An estimated 15,000,000 new martyrs for Christ and His Church.

• 1988 - Archbp. Mark (Russian Church Abroad) gives permission to his Hieromonk Theodore to live on the Holy Mountain Athos and to commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios during his Liturgies. He also sends his Deacon Agapit to Athos for an extended visit to the Monastery of Xeropotamou, where he concelebrates and commemorates the Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios. This action is not reprimanded or corrected by Metropolitan Vitaly or the Russian Church Abroad.

• Sept 1989 - Met. Pitirim of Volokalamsk (Moscow Patriarchate) declares that he will publish the Koran for the followers of Islam in Russia.

• Oct 1989 - Pat. Parthenios of Alexandria again declares that “Mohammed is an Apostle of God...a man of God, who worked for the Kingdom of God”...that “when I speak against Islam or Buddhism, then I am not found in agreement with God.”

• December 1989 - Communism ends in the Soviet Union. The official end of the Cold War. The Soviet Union becomes Russia.

• Early 1990 - The Russian Church Abroad reveals that it has already established a hierarchy in Russia in order to receive churches from the Moscow Patriarchate. The ROCA publicly states that, unbeknownst to the authorities, one of her bishops, authorized by the Synod, managed to enter the USSR and consecrated catacomb priest Fr. Lazarus (Zhurbenko) to the episcopate secretly in Moscow in 1982.

• March 25, 1990 - The parish of St. Constantine the Great in Suzdal, Vladimir Province, under Archimandrite Valentine (Rusantsov), becomes the first parish to leave the Moscow Patriarchate and join the ROCA.

• June 8/21, 1990 - Feast of St. Theodore, enlightener of Suzdal. ROCA hierarchs Hilarion of Manhattan, Mark of Berlin, and Lazarus of Tambov with Archimandrite Valentine and his clergy concelebrate the first hierarchal liturgy under the ROCA at St. Constantine parish.

• July 1990 - Bishop Lazarus of Tambov complains about the interference of Mark of Berlin in the Russian Territory. Mark pays no heed, and ordains priests for Russia as if Russia belongs to the German Diocese. His uncanonical actions are not reproved by Met. Vitaly.

• Sept 1990 - THE CHAMBESY AGREEMENT: Ecumenical “World” Orthodoxy and Monophysites sign the “Chambesy Agreement” in which both sides essentially agree to IGNORE THE LAST FOUR ECUMENICAL SYNODS and unite. The “Orthodox” agreed to “lift the Anathemas” against the Monophysite heretics and heresy!

• 1991 - Russia becomes “independent” as the communist Soviet State collapses and, together with Ukraine and Belarus, forms the Commonwealth of Independent States.

• 1991 - Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios dies and is buried in a closed-coffin ceremony. He is succeeded by Bartholomeos of Chalcedon.

• Feb. 1991 - ROCA consecrates Archimandrite Valentine of Suzdal to the episcopacy in Brussels, Belgium. His consecrators are Archbishop Anthony of Geneva, Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Bishop Gregory (Grabbe) of Manhattan, and Bishop Lazarus of Tambov. Numerous parishes in Russia begin to join Bishop Valentine.

• July 1991 - Synod of the Antiochian Patriarchate implements a series of measures aimed at achieving full union with the Monophysite Syriac Churches. In their “Agreed Statement”, they allow joint prayer and intercommunion with the Jacobites. The Monophysites are heretical Christian bodies who separated from Orthodoxy in the 5th century, not accepting the 4th and all subsequent Ecumenical Synods of the Orthodox Church. They believe only in the divine nature of Christ.

• July 1991 - The Florinite synod, (G.O.C.) makes a statement against the Chambesy Agreement, that those shepherds who signed it and their flocks are Monophysites, not Orthodox. They have on their heads the Anathemas of the ecumenical synods, and they are outside the Church, outside of salvation, and their portion is with that of all the heretics. Russian Church Abroad and Zealot monks of Mount Athos voice similar disapproval of Chambesy Agreement.

• 1992 - Russian Church Abroad, (Met. Vitaly) goes into communion with the Romanian Old Style Orthodox Church of Resistors who are in communion with Metr. Cyprian. (What the outcome of this union would accomplish was uncertain at the time. Would it lead to the breaking of communion of the Romanians with Cyprian, or would it lead to the ROCOR’s union with Cyprian? As time showed, this was the first step towards union with Cyprian, although there was never an official statement on the part of ROCOR that the Romanian ecclesiology was identical to ROCOR’s.

• 1992-1994 - With almost 80 years of existence (1955-2022) and being the largest Old-Calendarist community, could the Romanian Old-Calendarist synod truly and legitimately claim apostolic succession? Unfortunately, the hierarchs of the synod followed Cyprian and those ROCOR bishops who accepted union with him, delving deeper into the Cyprianite heresy, culminating in 2010, when they officially declared it in writing - to be perfectly canonical and dogmatically sound - in the pages of their own magazine, Orthodox Tradition.

• March 1992 - A “World Orthodox” Conference meets in Constantinople and reaffirms its commitment to ecumenism and makes threats against “schismatics”- the Russian Church Abroad and the G.O.C. of Greece.

• May 1992 - A delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarch, with the help of state police, expels from Mt. Athos the Russian-American monks of the Russian Church Abroad from the Skete of Prophet Elias, who do not commemorate Patriarch Bartholomeos.

• Oct 1992 - Pat. Paul of Serbia is received by Archbp. Anthony of San Francisco (Russian Church Abroad) in the Russian Cathedral with full patriarchal honors. Met. Vitaly does not reprove Archbp. Anthony.

• Jan 9, 1993 - Pat. Bartholomew sends greetings to the Pope of Rome on the occasion of a special prayer meeting in honor of Francis of Assisi, stating, “...it is most needful for us to participate in this prayer, the more so since it was announced that it is to take place under the spiritual patronage of St. Francis, the great saint of this land...” Pat. Pavel of Serbia also added, “You have informed us that participating in this gathering for prayer will be bishops and other prominent representatives of the Roman Catholic Church throughout all Europe, representatives of other Christian Churches and confessions in Europe, as well as representatives of Islam and other great religions. We sincerely rejoice that this joint prayer will take place in Assisi, the homeland of that righteous one and true servant of God [Francis], whose spiritual legacy and teachings have made him an apostle of humility, repentance, peace and love. He has built a genuine bridge between the Christians of the West and East”!!!

• April 14/27, 1993 - Archbishop Lazarus wrote to the Synod that on the basis of ukaz no. 362 of his Holiness Patriarch Tikhon he considered the decisions of the Synod to be not obligatory for execution for the True Orthodox Catacomb Church’. But, he insisted, he was not breaking communion with the ROCA. As a result of this, without consulting either him or his diocese, the ROCA retired him, and the administration of his parishes was transferred to Metropolitan Vitaly.

• May 1993 - Bishop Gregory (Grabbe) reports to the ROCA Synod on the continuing uncanonical actions of Archb. Mark of Berlin and Bishop Barnabas of Cannes outside of their diocesan boundaries, namely in Russia. The report states that despite the chaos created by these bishops, Bishop Valentine has added 63 parishes to his diocese, and estimates that he now has 20,000 faithful. Ignoring the canonical rights, and even the existence, of the Russian bishops, Bishop Barnabas of Cannes, France, demands and is refused the right to administer all parishes of the Free Church in Russia. Furthermore, he is censured for his scandalous incompetence evidenced in his fraternal letter to the Locum Tenens of the totally uncanonical and self-ordained Kievan Patriarchate in the name of the ROCA. In view of the ROCA’s legal battle with the MP, Barnabas writes that “we beseech you, Your Eminence, through the Kievan Patriarchate headed by you, to give our ecclesiastical activity a juridical base and receive us into brotherly communion.” Although Bishop Gregory Grabbe appealed for Barnabas’ deposition, the Synod ultimately only suspended him and removed him for a time to Jerusalem.

• June 1993 - Due to the continual incompetence of Met. Vitaly in administrating the churches in Russia from New York City, the Suzdal diocese decides to emulate Bishop Lazarus’ actions earlier that year by establishing a temporary administration separate from the ROCA, yet still in communion with her.

• June 17-24, 1993 - The Balamand Union is drawn up wherein the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Moscow, with several other “local Orthodox Churches” agree with the Roman Catholics that they share, “...one faith, one priesthood, one baptism” and that “they are sister Churches, (two lungs of the same body) and should search for perfect and total communion”!!!

• March 1994 - At the Suzdal diocesan congress, it is resolved to establish a “Temporary Higher Church Administration” (THCA). During the THCA congress, Archbishop Lazar (Zhurbenko) and newly elevated Archbishop Valentine consecrated three new bishops: Bishop Theodore of Borisovskoye and Sanino, Bishop Seraphim of Sukhumi, and Bishop Agathangel of Simferopol. The congresses expresses its desire for the ROCA Synod to recognize THCA and the consecrations it performs. In other resolutions, the congress decides to continue commemorating in Divine services Metropolitan Vitaly, with whom they wish to maintain communion of prayer.

• March 1994 - Archbp. Mark of Germany (Russian Church Abroad) travels to Serbia and concelebrates on the Feast of the Annunciation with Serbian hierarchs, among whom was the notorious ecumenist, Bishop Lavrenty. This act was not reprimanded or corrected by the Russian Church Abroad.

• June 19, 1994 - Metropolitan Vlasie participates in the canonization of St. John Maximovich by ROCOR. Metropolitan Cyprian (Koutsoumbas), who came with the Romanian Old Calendarist delegation, was not allowed to participate in the canonization service.

• July 1994 - Russian Church Abroad unites with the deposed Ecumenist Met. Cyprian of Fili and his “Synod of Resisters,” against the stated wishes of Metropolitan Vitaly, who accepts the consensus of his bishops. He promises, however, not to concelebrate with Cyprian. In justifying this union, the Russian Church Abroad now affirms that Cyprian’s theology is identical to its own, thereby affirming that the Ecumenists are part of the Church and have true Mysteries! Metropolitan Vitaly promises Archimandrite Gregory of Dormition Skete that he (Metropolitan Vitaly) will never concelebrate and consummate the union with Cyprian, and urges him not to leave the ROCA. Archimandrite Gregory believes Met. Vitaly and remains.

• Nov. 1994 - Bishop Valentine prepares a protest against the union with Cyprian of Fili for the Lesna Sobor. However, the ROCA Synod, through the person of Archbishop Mark of Berlin, insults Bishop Valentine and orders him to be silent. The Sobor then proceeds to divide the dioceses in Russia into six new boundaries. The implementation of such a decision, which requires reregistering with the government, would guarantee the loss of all Church property to the Moscow Patriarchate. The Russian clergy refuse.

• Nov. 1994 - The G.O.C. breaks communion with the Russian Church Abroad because of the union with the deposed Ecumenist Cyprian, but only after the G.O.C. sent the Cyprian deposition papers to the Russian Synod meeting in Lesna, France, and received no reply.

• 1995 - Abp. Lazarus, with Bishops Benjamin and Agafangel (Agathangel), came back to ROCOR, and communion with the heretic Cyprian, while three bishops, with Abp. Valentine at the head did not. In May 1995 the long-term secretary of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, the famous church historian and canonist, Bishop Gregory (Grabbe), visited Suzdal. He approved the decisions of the Russian bishops to withdraw from administrative subordination to the ROCOR synod just before he passed away. This was due to his belief that they were following the “true” historical course of ROCOR.

  Abp. Lazarus remained part of the Russian Church Abroad under the leadership of Metr. Vitaly and in communion with the heretical Cyprianite Synod until 2003, when he broke communion with the ROCOR, now headed by Metr. Laurus, and united himself to Metr. Vitaly’s new Synod, styled the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile, or ROCOR (V).

• 1995 - Archbp. Mark (ROCA) meets Pat. Alexei II of the Moscow Patriarchate in Munich, Germany. This is done without the knowledge of Met. Vitaly and violates the testament of Met. Anastassy of 1965. Met. Vitaly does not reprove or correct Archb. Mark.

• March 12, 1995 - Archbishops Lazarus and Valentine meet in Suzdal with Bishops Agathangel, Seraphim and Theodore to re-establish the THCA, first formed on March 5/18, 1994. They also agree that the ROCA Synod’s action constitutes a “transgression” of the Holy Canons, and the ROCA Statute: specifically, a violation of the Eighth Canon of the Third Ecumenical Council.

• June 1995 - The re-established THCA resolves to form a permanent independent synod. By 1996, the ROAC will be officially established.

• June 29, 1995 - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos visits the Pope in Rome, and “concelebrates an historic liturgy in Saint Peter’s Basilica.” Lighting strikes the dome during the service.

• July 1995 - This year the G.O.C. experiences a schism. Archb. Chrysostom (Kiousis) abandons the Synod offices which are based at 32 Kaniggos Street, and establishes his own place of operation. The following six bishops: Kallinikos (Khaniotes) of Lamia, Evthymios of Thessalonika, Paisios of New York, Vikentios of New York, Stephanos of Chios, and Ioustinos of Evia, remain together, and give the presidency to Kallinikos of Lamia. The Archbishop left with his followers, so he could maintain total control over the Church funds (Philoptocos). The only way to accomplish this, was to separate from the above six bishops who would object. It is then learned that he had established another GOC shadow corporation without the knowledge of the other bishops.

• Aug 1995 - Mets. Paisios and Vikentios express ecumenical ideas in an interview in the National Herald Greek newspaper.

• 1995 - Archbp. Anthony of San Francisco (Russian Church Abroad) with his clergy concelebrate at the Serbian Cathedral in San Francisco. He is not reprimanded or corrected by Metropolitan Vitaly or the Russian Church Abroad.

• 1965-1995 - Archbps. Mark of Germany, Anthony of Geneva, Anthony of San Francisco, and Laurus of Holy Trinity Monastery (Russian Church Abroad) maintain the policy of communing members of the ecumenical jurisdictions in their dioceses. This unauthorized policy is not corrected by Metropolitan Vitaly according to the rules of Russian Church Abroad.

• Dec 1995 - Met. Vitaly of the Russian Church Abroad concelebrates at the Divine Liturgy with the deposed Ecumenist Met. Cyprian of Fili in New York City. Thus, he consummates the union with Cyprian and his synod of “Resisters.” This causes the Archimandrite Gregory, the monastery of Dormition Skete, and Holy Apostles Convent to break communion with the ROCA. ROCA is now considered fallen from Orthodoxy.

• Dec 1995 - Met. Paisios and Vikentios were expelled from the G.O.C. of the Synod of Met. Kallinikos of Lamia and excommunicated, because they would not repent of their interview in the National Herald.

• Feb 1996 - The Monasteries of Dormition Skete and Holy Apostles Convent in Colorado who left the Russian Church Abroad because of the union with Cyprian of Fili, join the G.O.C. under Chrysostom (Kiousis), not knowing all the necessary information, yet believing that Chrysostom (Kiousis) and Kallinikos of Lamia would reunite.

• Jan 1997 - Archbp. Mark, for the second time, without the knowledge, blessing or permission of Met. Vitaly, meets Pat. Alexei II of Moscow in Moscow. They greet each other as hierarchs. They discuss their Church relations!

• July 5, 1997 - Archbp. Anthony (ROCA) of San Francisco concelebrates liturgy with Serbian Bishop Ioann and his clergy at Russian Cathedral in San Francisco. This action is not corrected by Metropolitan Vitaly.

• July 1997 - The Moscow Patriarchate seizes the ROCA monastery of the Holy Trinity in Hebron, Israel. The ROCA is shocked!

• July 31, 1997 - Synod of Bishops of ROCA makes an official statement saying that they are in eucharistic communion with the Jerusalem Patriarchate, and that the Moscow Patriarchate and ROCA constitute “two parts of the one Church of Russia.”

• July 14, 1997 - Met. Kallinikos of the Twelve islands, of the Synod of Archbishop Chrysostom (Kiousis) publishes in Apostolic and Patristic Voice a letter from Archimandrite Gregory of Dormition Skete in which caution was advised in considering Archimandrite Paul (Stratigeas) for ordination to the episcopacy. The letter cited Fr. Paul’s many betrayals of Orthodoxy and his policy of giving holy Communion to ecumenists for the sake of monetary donations.

• Oct 1997 - Brother Jose Muñoz is murdered and his myrhh-streaming icon of the Virgin Mary completely disappears. The ROCA is shocked!

• Dec 1997 - The zealot monks of Esphigmenou Monastery on Mt. Athos issue a warning to Archbp. Chrysostom that if Archm. Paul, the ecumenist, is ordained, they will break communion with him.

• Jan 24, 1998 - The ROCA Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Montreal, the episcopal seat of the First Hierarch, Metropolitan Vitaly, burns to the ground, destroying irreplaceable relics, icons and vestments from the by-gone centuries of Holy Russia. The ROCA is shocked!

• Feb 26, 1998 - The Synod of Archbishop Chrysostom (Kiousis) semi-clandestinely at night, by not informing the priests and laity, ordains the notorious Archm. Paul (Stratigeas) of Astoria to the episcopacy. The ordination takes place within one week of his “election”. He was under accusation for distributing the holy Mysteries to new calendarists and therefore having the same ecclesiology as Cyprian of Fili.

• March 1998 - The Synod of Kallinikos of Lamia breaks all relations with ‘Archbishop’ Chrysostom (Kiousis) and his Synod, because of the consecration of the Ecumenist Paul of Astoria. The new abbot of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenon remains with Chrysostom (Kiousis).

• May 1998 - Mets. Paisios and Vikentios of New York join the Greek Ecumenical Patriarchate, and are received by Pat. Bartholomeos of Constantinople by chrismation and then ordained deacons, priests, and bishops! They are placed under Archbp. Spyridon of North and South America, with permission to follow the Old Calendar. Their reason for joining the ecumenical new calendar Church was that, according to Vikentios, “There was no future for us here in Astoria, remaining with the Old Calendar Church of Greece”!

• November 3/16, 1998 - The incorrupt relics of the holy hierarch St. Met. Philaret of New York (Russian Church Abroad) were revealed.

• Sunday of Orthodoxy 1999 - The ROAC Synod declared: “A resolution was passed concerning the hierarchs and representatives of the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate who received their rank through the mediation of the authorities and organs of State Security. In relation to such it was decided that every year on the Sunday of Orthodoxy ANATHEMA should be proclaimed, using the following text: ‘If any bishops, making use of secular bosses [“nachalnikov”], have seized power in the Church of God and enslaved Her, let those and those who aid them and those who communicate with them without paying heed to the reproaches of the Law of God, be ANATHEMA.” This effectively anathematizes the whole Sergianist Church and those in communion with her since all its hierarchs had to hand-picked and approved by the Fifth directorate of the KGB (Russian Orthodox Church Affairs) and agree to be security and espionage agents for that agency.

• Feb 1999 - Archm. Gregory and those with him join the Synod of Met. Kallinikos of Lamia. An exhausting length of time contending for the truth proves fruitless, for Chrysostom (Kiousis) and his synod would not be corrected but even sanction Bp. Paul’s giving of communion to new calendarists.

• Apr 15/29 1999 - ROCA Synod of Bishops: “We greet the bishops and clergy of the much-suffering Church of Serbia with a fraternal kiss, and ask their holy prayers for us, who share their great grief and sorrow.” This is an official statement by the Council of Bishops of the ROCA, stating their prayerful unity with the Serbian Patriarchate. Concelebrations which have been going on between ROCA clergy and Serbian Patriarchate are officially sanctioned.

• Aug 1999 - Archb. Chrysostom (Kiousis) ordains 5 young priestmonks bishops, most below the canonical age - one who is 29 years old is even below the canonical age to be a priest. The consecrations scandalize more of the faithful and priests who leave Chrysostom (Kiousis) for the Synod of Met. Kallinikos of Lamia.

• Mar 26, 2000 - Pope John Paul II visits the Wailing Wall, and posts a prayer: “God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the nations. We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.”

• September 7, 1999 - An earthquake occurred near Athens, Greece. The magnitude was 6.0 on the Richter scale. There were many casualties, 143 dead and 1600 injured. 50,000 were made homeless and 53,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Fili, exactly under the monastery of Metropolitan Cyprian. After the earthquake occurred, a fissure opened in the earth, beginning from the local town of Parthnia, which ran directly through the monastery, in fact, right through the church and underneath the altar table. Unfortunately, this did not cause Metropolitan Cyprian to think about repentance. On the contrary, he said that this was a sign from God that they should build a bigger church.

• Oct 13/26, 2000 - At the October 2000 Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA), a committee was formed to investigate the possibility of union with the Moscow Patriarchate, and an encyclical was issued to His Holiness Patriarch Pavel, Archbishop of Pec and Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovtsy, Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in which the bishops besought the assistance of the Patriarch to unite the two separate parts of the Russian Church! The epistle ended with the following quote: “We are brothers by blood and by Faith...We beseech your Holiness not to turn us away from liturgical communion with you, for we desire, together with you, with one mouth and heart, eternally to glorify our Saviour, Christ God.”

• November 2000 - By this time, the ROAC has eight bishops (six in Russia, one in the Ukraine, and one in Latvia) and about 450 parishes (150 above-ground and 300 catacomb parishes).

• March 2/15, 2001 - The ROAC Synod of Bishops elevates Archbishop Valentine to the rank of Metropolitan, considering this proper to the head of the Synod of the true Orthodox Church of Russia.

• April 24, 2001 - Met. Vitaly and the ROCA Synod issue an ukaze suspending and indicting Bishop Barnabas of Cannes for numerous canonical violations, principally the leading of a mutiny against his ruling bishop, Ambrose, and establishing himself at the head of the European Diocese. The Ukaze states that Bishop Barnabas and his followers “are suspended by the Synod of Bishops until their repentance” “for distortion of ecclesiastical discipline and disobedience to the Supreme Administration and for refusal to commemorate during the services the diocesan ruling bishop, His Grace Bishop Ambrose” “If they will repent and agree not only to commemorate, but also to obey Bishop Ambrose, in this way they will discontinue their rebellion against the church authorities and then may have their right to serve restored.” The ukaze further states that all must obey the Synod’s summons to Munich on May 2nd for a spiritual court hearing.

• May 2, 2001 - Prior to the hearing date, Bishop Barnabas and his followers gather for a congress and issue a response to the ROCA’s ukaze and summons. They defy the authority of the ROCA synod and refuse to attend the spiritual court hearing. On May 2nd, the ROCA bishops present at the court hearing (Laurus, Mark, Hilarion, Ambrose, Evtikhy, and Agapit) issue an ukaze in which they declare: “Such disobedient behavior and unauthorized acts are a violation of canonical rules and ecclesiastical discipline. As Metropolitan Vitaly did previously warn, as well as the Synod of Bishops, conducting the services under similar violations is a terrible crime and deprives their sacred acts of legality and grace.” The Ukaze notes that, continuing in rebellion, neither Barnabas nor his followers attended the hearing as ordered by the Metropolitan and Synod. “We consider it our archpastoral duty to inform the flock of the necessity to abstain from the incorrect and unlawful ‘sacramental acts’ of the above-mentioned clergy. Any sort of sacred acts performed by those persons in violation of the suspension are void of grace and serve as condemnation to those who participate in it.” It ends with a call to repentance for the Barnabites.

• July 2001 - A ukaze is circulated with Met. Vitaly’s signature and the Canadian diocesan seal (backdated to June 20th), which unilaterally revokes the Synodal suspension and indictment of Bishop Barnabas which Vitaly had signed earlier.

• July 10, 2001 - During a full Sobor, the 91-year old Metropolitan Vitaly, due to health reasons, is officially retired from being Metropolitan and First Hierarch of the ROCA.

• July 13, 2001 - Met. Vitaly signs a Synodal “Act” in which he retires himself, delivers his diocese to the authority of Bishops Michael and Gabriel, and designates Archbishop Laurus of Jordanville as “Deputy of the First Hierarch” with the responsibility to convoke a Sobor for the election of the future First Hierarch. Additionally, the “Act” states that, without the signature of the “Deputy”, all future documents are invalid.

• Summer 2001 - The ecumenist Serbian Patr. Pavel donates 1000 German Marks to the Muslim mufti of Belgrade, Hamid Yousufspahic, to build a Moslem school in Belgrade.

• Oct. 23, 2001 - The retired Met. Vitaly attends the opening of the Council of Bishops and voluntarily hands it his re-affirmation of his resignation and a sealed envelope with his vote for the new First Hierarch.

• Oct. 24, 2001 - The ROCA Synod elects the pro-MP Archbishop Laurus of Jordanville as the new First Hierarch of the ROCA. The retired Met. Vitaly congratulates Met. Laurus on his election. During the Synod’s lunch-break, Met. Vitaly learns that his secretary and care-taker Ludmilla Rosniansky has been fired and evicted from Synod building. This provokes a negative reaction on the part of Met. Vitaly, who leaves the Synod building to eventually return to Mansonville, Canada.

• Oct. 27, 2001 - Under the influence of his secretary and some clergymen, the retired Met. Vitaly issues an ‘extraordinary declaration’ in which he renounces his “signature to my voluntary retirement and the consent to transfer my authority to Archbishop Laurus”, claiming to be the lawful head of the ROCA. In so doing, he creates a schism between himself and the hierarchs of ROCA.

• Nov. 3, 2001 - In violation of the decree set forth in the Canonical Epistle of the 3rd Ecumenical Council (To the Synod of Pamphylia), which states that a retired bishop can no longer govern the Church or ordain bishops, the retired Met. Vitaly, together with Bp. Barnabas, consecrate Archimandrite Sergius (Kindiakov) as Bishop of Mansonville.

• Nov. 4, 2001 - After being seized for a psychiatric evaluation by Bishop Michael and several police officers, Met. Vitaly issues a declaration that he has “restored to [myself] all rights as...First Hierarch...and...I have once more taken up the reins of power and authority” and “I hereby confirm, in writing, the imposition of a triple anathema upon You [Bishop Michael], through the power given Me from God”.

• Nov. 5, 2001 - Met. Vitaly and Bishop Barnabas issue a ‘special declaration’ announcing the elevation of Barnabas to ruling hierarch and ‘Archbishop of Cannes and all Europe’, the creation of their own Synod, and the adoption of the name “Russian Orthodox Church in Exile (ROCE)”. The ‘special declaration’ also proclaims that “all so-called “depositions,” “bans,” “declarations,” “resolutions,” etc., on the part of the apostates who have seized power in the Synod (ROCA), are considered to be invalid and void”.

• Nov. 6, 2001 - Bishops Barnabas and Sergius (ROCE) ordain hieromonk Vladimir (Tselischev) “Bishop of Sacramento”.

• Nov. 8, 2001 - The ROCE synod renounces its former seven years of official inter-communion with the Ecumenist Cyprian of Fili (’the Synod of Resisters of Greece’) and Serbian Patriarchate. It does not, however, renounce communion with the Ecumenist Romanian and Bulgarian ‘Resister’ churches, which are in communion with Cyprian of Fili and hold his Ecumenist ecclesiology. The ROCE does not renounce communion with the Jerusalem Patriarchate which is in communion with all of ‘World Orthodoxy’, and shares in its Ecumenist heresy. Hence, the ROCE is still in communion with heretics.

• Nov. 20, 2001 - The ROCE synod suspends the implementation of severing communion with the deposed Ecumenist Cyprian of Fili. More study is needed, they say.

• Nov. 24, 2001 - Metr. Vitaly issues an encyclical stating: “I have restored to myself the rights of Head of the Church...Exclusively for the sake of cleansing the Church from such apostates, with my blessing and participation there were performed consecrations of new bishops: Sergius of Mansonville, Vladimir of Sacramento, and Bartholomew of Grenada...Apostates, headed by Archbishop Laurus are considered to be outside the Church.” Metr. Laurus and his synod, according to Met. Vitaly, have only now become apostates, although they have not swerved from the course set by Metr. Vitaly for the past seven years!

• December 2/19, 2001 - Archimandrite Gregory of Dormition Skete, having been elected unanimously by the ROAC Synod of Bishops, is ordained Bishop of Denver and Vicar of the ROAC in America by Met. Valentine, Archbishop Theodore, and Catacomb Bishop Anthony of Yaransk in the St. Constantine Cathedral, Suzdal, Russia. The ROAC now has 10 bishops.

• December 29, 2001 - ROCE again breaks communion with the deposed Ecumenist Cyprian of Fili; however, it does not renounce communion with the ‘Resister’ Synods of Bulgaria and Romania, who are in communion with Cyprian. Nor do they renounce Met. Vitaly’s statement that he is in communion with the Ecumenist Jerusalem Patriarchate. In their statement against Cyprian of Fili, they acknowledge that his theology is heretical, and falls under the ROCA Anathema of 1983. In stating this, they admit that they have themselves been outside the Church not only by being in communion with heretics since 1994, but also by synodally espousing Cyprian’s ecclesiology.

• 2002 - Metropolitan Vitaly accepts into his schismatic church Bishops Lazarus and Benjamin with their dioceses in Russia. Without Synodal approval, Metr. Vitaly grants autonomy to the aforementioned bishops, with permission to ordain their own Synod in Russia. The two bishops promptly execute this plan by consecrating four new bishops, among whom was one Bishop Tikhon. When news of the consecrations reaches Vitaly, under pressure from disgruntled Synod members, he revokes the status of autonomy and deposes the new synod in Russia.

• January 2002 - The Pope calls all religions to Assisi to pray for world peace and unity. All ecumenist Orthodox jurisdictions attend, including the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Moscow, along with protestants, jews, hindus, buddhists, muslims, taoists, shintoists, and African shamanists. During the gathering, two ecumenical liturgies take place: one for all religions and one for all ‘Christians’. The former includes common prayer, invocations of all ‘gods’ and ‘forces’, and various rituals designed to show unity, while the latter displays Christian unity through the sharing of the common cup!

• 2003 - Upon the death of Lazarus in 2003, Archbishop Tikhon is elected to head this new schismatic synod, thus the appelation “Tikhonites”. Thus the foundation of the Tikhonites is built upon a history of years of their hierarchy being in communion with the heretical Cyprianite Ecumenists and being underneath the 1983 Anathema of the Russian Church Abroad.

• July 12, 2003 - Archm. Peter Lukianov was “ordained” a bishop by Metro. Laurus, Archb. Alypy and Bishop Kyrill in Chicago, (ROCA). In lieu of the fact that Archm. Peter is a liberal ecumenist and that many homosexual accusations and scandals have centered around him (accusations mostly by clergymen) during his “consecration”, one of their own clergymen, sixty-three year old, Valentin Scheglowski, cried out “Anaxios” (Unworthy). Instead of stopping the service, as the rubrics demand, the clergyman was forcibly removed from the church and beaten by the thugs who removed him. He had to be taken to the Hospital Emergency room and spent two days in the Hospital, treated for damage to two cervical vertebrae and a dislocated shoulder.

• August 24, 2003 - ROCA concelebrates with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In Dublin the Liturgy was concelebrated by clergy of the Russian Church Abroad and by clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, in the presence of the sacred icon of the Kursk Mother of God. This is probably the first time since 1965. It took place with the blessing of Archbishop Mark (ROCA, Great Britain) and Archbishop Gregorios (Constantinople, London). Thus, the new course of apostasy in ROCA which started in 1994 exhibits a more blatant proof ROCA’s desire to unite with World Orthodoxy.

• Nov. 21, 2003 - The news is officially published that Metro. Laurus has sent three ROCA bishops, -- Archb. Mark of Berlin, Archb. Hilarion of Australia, and Bp. Kyrill of San Francisco -- to Moscow to discuss union with ‘Patriarch’ Alexei II and his synod. The three bishops pray with and participate in services with the ‘Patriarch’ and his clergy and offer repentance for all past anti-sergianism and anti-Moscow Patriarchate statements they have made. A commission is established to facilitate the union.

• Jan. 25/Feb. 7, 2004 - Following the decision of Metro. Kallinikos of Lamia (GOC) to retire from being president of the Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, the Synod elects Bp. Makarios of Petra as Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, and the new president of the Synod.

• May 1, 2004 - In his welcoming address to the new head of the WCC, Patriarch Bartholomew states as one of the founding members of the WCC in 1948, the Ecumenical Patriarchate “has always collaborated fully”and “will continue to work within the WCC towards the unity of the Church”.

• May 17/30, 2004 - On Pentecost, in accordance with the Ukaz #47 of the Synod of Bishops dated March 7/20, 2004, Bishop Gregory was elevated to the rank of Archbishop with the added dignity of wearing a diamond cross on his klobuk. This was given to him, because of his missionary activity in building up the Church.

• June 24/July 7, 2004 - Metropolitan Vitaly announces to the rest of his synod that two years before, unbeknownst to them, Fr. Nikita Orlov, (now named Anthony) a married priest, was secretly elevated to the episcopacy by Met. Vitaly in the Metropolitan’s cell. He then bids them greet and accept their ‘fellow-hierarch.’ Thus Metropolitan Vitaly manages to accomplish ten uncanonical acts at the same time.

• June 25/July 8, 2004 - Metropolitan Vitaly and his North American ROCIE Synod members place ROCIE Archbishop Barnabas of Cannes and Western Europe (co-founder with Met. Vitaly of ROCIE) under suspension for having relations with the ROCIE bishops in Russia, whom after they had received an ukase from Vitaly making them an autonomous synod and ordaining bishops, later received another declaring their ordinations and autonomy unlawful, and cut them off from ROCIE; for refusing to recognize that the Metropolitan Vitaly validly forcibly retired him at the last sobor in his controversy with his protopriest Benjamin Joukoff; for alleging that many ROCIE sobor decisions were forgies put out by others controlling Met. Vitaly; and for sundry other rejections of other decisions of the ROCIE sobor, to which body he gave the title ‘a council of protopriests’ and other denigrating epiphets. In other words, Barnabas was being insubordinate to ROCIE just as he had been toward ROCOR, and now, just as with ROCOR, ROCIE was forced to suspend him: “In view of the above-indicated violations, which clearly bear witness to Archbishop Varnava’s refusal to submit to the Supreme Ecclesiastical Authority, regarding an entire array of vital issues dealing with the ecclesiastical well-being and moral arrangement of church life, and taking into account the written responses of all the Hierarchs: To prohibit Archbishop Varnava from conducting any further sacred services until such time as he repents. To remind Archbishop Varnava that one who dares to conduct Divine Services while under ban is deprived of his priestly rank. +Metropolitan Vitaly, First-Hierarch of ROCA, +Bishop Sergii, +Bishop Vladimir, +Bishop Varfolomey, Mitred Proto-priest Veniamin Joukoff, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops”. Understandably, Barnabas ignored this suspension just as he had been taught by Met. Vitaly to ignore the previous ROCOR one.

• Summer 2004 - Metro. Valentine of Suzdal and Vladimir, under the influence of the Grabbe family (his major financial supporters), falls into serious error and initiates a schism in ROAC (America). Contrary to the Holy Canons, he receives 188 Haitian people from the Ecumenical Patriarchate without any rite of union with the Church and who have never even received the form of Holy Baptism, simply concelebrating with a priest of the Patriarchate. He also declares that Priest Vladimir Shiskoff (Grabbe family) is to be promoted to the rank of “protopresbyter” and uncanonically confirmed as “administrator of North America”, despite having received written testimony from several witnesses that Priest Vladimir Shiskoff has communion with clergy and laity of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and that he has blessed his spiritual children to have communion with ROCOR (Laurus) and ROCIE. The Metropolitan, also swayed by their financial assistance, receives several rebel priests, although the Holy Canons absolutely forbid them to be in the clerical list. In addition, contrary to the Canons, the Metropolitan suborns Hierom. Andrew of Dormition Skete with promises of episcopal consecration and unlawfully takes him from Archb. Gregory’s diocese, along with Priest Dionysi of Colorado Springs. The Metropolitan also ordains laymen to clerical positions in Archb. Gregory’s diocese without Archb. Gregory’s consent. When Archb. Gregory protests against this flurry of canonical violations, the Metropolitan declares that, as a Metropolitan in the Russian Church, he has jurisdiction in all dioceses, including the Colorado Diocese, thus likening himself to a new Pope with universal jurisdiction! Archb. Gregory sends an appeal to the Synod for an ecclesiastical court to judge between himself and the Metropolitan, but they do not respond. When the Metropolitan attempts to leave for Russia, he is apprehended by U.S. Customs officers for currency smuggling, the authorities finding on his person $100, 000 of undeclared currency and he is remanded to Russian custody until the U.S. court hearing set for Dec. 8th, 2004. Returning to Russia, the Metropolitan issues via e-mail Protocols #48 and #49, declaring that an uncanonical court of himself and 5 other bishops has broken communion with Archb. Gregory because of “his canonical violations.” The majority of ROAC clergy and faithful in America and in Bulgaria side with Archb. Gregory, but the “new” clergy and the Grabbe family side with Metro. Valentine, thus inaugurating a schism.

• September 11, 2004 - The Patriarch of Alexandria, Peter VII, along with three of his bishops, a number of his clergy and others, 17 persons total, are killed in a helicopter crash four miles from the Holy Mountain. He, a new-calendarist ecumenist, was traveling to the Monastery of Vatopedi to celebrate that Monday the Feast of the Deposition of the Precious Sash of the Mother of God according to the Old Calendar, for the second time.

• October/November 2004 - The family of Fr. Michael Graves of ROAC-Haiti releases news of his sudden and unexpected death, his body having been found the previous week in his bathroom after parishioners’ noticed his several days’ absence from the mission-school. The parish and the family are justifiably upset because all ROAC-Valentine bishops and clergy refuse to travel to Haiti to bury their priest as required by Church tradition and ritual, but instead demand the immediate sale of the departed clergyman’s vestments and ecclesiastical goods, with the proceeds to go to themselves. The parish being left penniless, despite Metropolitan Valentine’s guarantees of generous financial support, and with only the leadership of Fr. Michael’s 188 recently converted, unbaptized Haitians, they decide to leave ROAC and return to the wealthy but heretical Greek Archdiocese of Central America and its S.C.O.B.A. funds. This marks the beginning of a series of events leading to the dissolution of ROAC-Valentine or AROC in this hemisphere.

• Nov. 8, 2004 - ROCOR (Laurus) Chancery (internet site) publicizes with photographs and articles the visit of Patriarch Pavle of Serbia to Australia and ROCOR concelebrations with the Patriarch: “...while visiting the Serbian parishes of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Melbourne, Canberra and Syndey, His Holiness Patriarch has daily served liturgies during which clergymen of the Serbian Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad concelebrated with his Holiness.”“During the first days of his visit, the Patriarch presided over services in Melbourne churches in which at the special invitation of the local Serbian diocese some clergymen of the Church Abroad participated. During the Liturgy in Canberra with His Holiness were concelebrating Priest-monk Joachim (Ross) and Protodeacon Vassily Yakimov, and on November 8th, on the day of commemoration of the Great Martyr Dmitri of Thessalonika, the Archbishop of Sydney and Australia-New Zealand Hilarion, Archpriests Michael Protopopov and Michael Le, Priest-monk Joachim (Ross) and Deacon Vadim Gan concelebrated witht His Holiness, Bishop of Shumadia John and Serbian clergy at the festive Liturgy conducted with the patriarchal rite in St. George Church in Canberra.”[Church New, Oct. 2004]

• Nov. 6/19, 2004 - Metropolitan Vitaly and his North American hierarchs declare Archbishop Barnabas (co-founder of ROCIE together with Met. Vitaly) deposed for ignoring his suspension and continuing to serve and revile the ROCIE sobor’s decisions, alleging them to be forgeries by others in control of the Metropolitan. This is yet another example of schismatics bickering among themselves and causing more schisms.

• June 21, 2005 - ROCOR(Laurus) Chancellery releases information concerning the recent talks and decisions of the ROCOR(Laurus) and Moscow Patriarchate. Among the Joint-Resolutions of the Unification Committees we find the scandalous recognition and applause of the apostate Metropolitan Sergius Stragorodsky: On the one hand, “the ‘Declaration’ [of Metropolitan Sergius that the Church’s goals are Communism’s goals, that the Church must be a conscientious servant of the Soviet Union in fulfilling these goals, etc.] was a coerced document that did not reflect the free will of the Church.” However, this assessment “does not equate to a condemnation of His Holiness Patriarch Sergius,.besmirch his person, and mitigate His First-Hierarchical podvig [spiritual feat] of service in the difficult years of the Church’s life in the Soviet Union”. In essence, they are saying that although the Declaration was not quite what it should have been, Metropolitan Sergius accomplished a great spiritual act of service to the Church in taking the position that he did [i.e., in making the Church the Bolshevik’s agent and betraying to death as ‘political revolutionaries’ all the New-Martyrs who did not unite with antichrist Communism as he did!] and he remained the canonical head of the Russian Church. Of course, this absolutely contradicts all the previous decisions and declarations of the holy Metropolitans Anthony, Anastasy, and Philaret as well as the official decisions of the ROCOR in 1928 and thereafter that Sergius was a traitor to Christ’s Church, an uncanonical usurper, a schismatic, and an apostate and that his pseudo-synod was graceless. The joint resolution of the ROCOR-MP committee also stated that all the previous decisions and teachings of the ROCOR synod under Blessed Metropolitans Anthony, Anastassy, and St. Philaret are declared “invalid” and ignored!

• July 26, 2005 - ROAC-Valentine releases amazing news of a conspiracy and an attempted succession on the part of the “AROC” or followers of Met. Valentine in the U.S.A. According to Ukase #63 of Metropolitan Valentine of this date, AROC/ROAC-Valentine (U.S.A.) clergy and chief administrators Fathers Victor Melehov, Spyridon Schneider, and Christopher Johnson had traveled to Russia and enticed Archbishop Anthony of Yaransk, the Suzdal convent of the Deposition of the Mantle of the Virgin Mary, and also possibly Archbishop Seraphim of Abkhazia and Sukhimi into succeeding from Met. Valentine’s Synod on the pretext of the continuing heretical preaching of the newly-promoted Archimandrite Gregory Lourie on the worship of the name of God and other issues, with the intention of having them ordain Fr. Christopher a bishop and forming their own synod. However, as soon as Met. Valentine got wind of the plot, apparently being informed of it by Archbishop Seraphim, he immediately conferred with the alienated bishops, promoted Bishop Anthony of Yaransk to Archbishop with a place on the governing synod of ROAC and announced the planned formation of a committee to be headed by Archbishop Anthony of Yaransk to investigate the teachings of Hieromonk Gregory Lourie (again). Then, having thus bought off and pacified Archbishop Anthony, the Metropolitan announced the immediate suspension (effective June 26th) of all the clergy involved in the plot, in anticipation of their trial and deposition. It was later discovered that AROC Archpriest Dionysi McGowan had also been involved in the plot and therefore suffered suspension as well. The immediate result of these events is that now AROC only has one functioning parish in the Western Hemisphere, that of Fr. Vladimir Shishkoff in New Jersey. ROAC-Russia media spokespersons repeatedly speak of the consistently schismatic and unorthodox history and past behavior of the suspended “unworthy”clergy, which is most ironic given the fact that it was for such schismatical and unorthodox characteristics among other things that Archbishop Gregory opposed their entry into ROAC and that in defense of these very clergy Met. Valentine chose to cause a schism to secure their entry. Finally Met. Valentine deposed all of these priests.

• September 5, 2005 - ROAC-Valentine releases news that because of “obstinancy” toward the Metropolitan and disobedience to the Synodal instruction not to preach concerning the heresy of Name-Worshipping and other similar admonitions, the newly-elevated Archimandrite Gregory Lourie has been deposed. Lourie and his supporters do not accept the validity of this decision, promptly suggest the retirement of the incompetant Met. Valentine, and begin sending out feelers for a possible transfer to HOCNA and Lourie’s ordination to the HOCNA episcopate if ROAC-Valentine does not correct itself. Yet again, it is ironic that Met. Valentine has finally deposed Fr. Gregory Lourie, for whose sake he has not shirked from creating or suffering schisms in Russia, England, America, and almost a fourth in Russia and America, and now it looks like a 4th schism will be caused by Fr. Gregory’s St. Petersburg parish leaving. At last, after nearly 6 years of Fr. Gregory’s heretical preaching, having lost so many parishes and a bishop and threatened with the loss of his catacomb parishes and bishops, it seems that the Metropolitan was forced to remove him, since it was proving far too costly to keep him.

• November 1, 2005 - Matushka Anastasia Schatiloff, nee Grabbe, (the daughter of Bishop Gregory Grabbe), who encouraged Met. Valentine to break the canons and was an instigator of the ROAC schism in America against Archbishop Gregory, was seriously injured in an accident in Suzdal. She fell down some stairs and broke her neck, lower back, and two ribs. She was flown back to New York and died on Tuesday evening, November 1. She was a member of ROAC, yet she was buried by ROCOR clergy and she had her funeral service chanted at the ROCOR Cathedral in New York.

• November 14, 2005 - On the Feast of the Protection of the Virgin Mary, Metropolitan Valentine was attacked in his home. Three intruders knocked him down, gave him a hard blow to the head and he lost consciousness. Then he was repeatedly beaten about the stomach and liver. They tore the bandages from his ulcerated foot, dragged him to a large room where they bound his hands and feet with a lamp cord and a towel, taped over his mouth, and rolled him up inside a carpet. He was latter found and sent to the hospital and went to Switzerland to recuperate.

• June 23, 2006 - Archbishop Anthony (Orloff), against any canonical order, and against his “Metropolitan” Vitaly, starts a new church by issuing an Ukaz where he says that “he counts this his duty to take temporary rule of the ROCOR(V)” This marks the beginning of a schism of a schism new church “ROCOR(A)” With bishop Victor (Pivovarov) of Kuban they ordain two more bishops, Bishop Damascene of Central Russia and Bishop Stephan of Ust-Sysol and Northern Russia. Metropolitan Vitaly suspends both Anthony and Victor.

• November 2-4, 2006 - Archbishop Anthony (Orlov) was elected a First-Hierarch of the ROCOR(A) a “Sobor” of a church in the village of Scherbinka (Moscow region, Russia). The new “First-Hierarch” of this church Metropolitan Anthony will have the title of “Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia”!, and the church will have the name of a Russian (Rossijskaya) Orthodox Church. They “ordain” Bishop Athanasy of Nizhni Novgorod and Ural. ROCOR(A) has five bishops and about ten priests now. The new “Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia”, Anthony, promised, “I will not rule the Church from abroad, I will come often”!.

• 2007 - The heretic Metropolitan Cyprian Koutsoumbas falls into a coma. It lasts until May 2013.

• May 17, 2007 - The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, (The Russian Church Abroad, ROCOR) officially signs the “Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate”. The act was signed by Metropolitan Laurus who would not live to see another victory of Orthodoxy celebration on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, having died on March 16, 2008, the eve of Orthodoxy Sunday, after having forbade the reading of the ROCOR’s 1983 “Anathema Against Ecumenism.”

• Dec. 2007 - Bishop Agathangel, who was ordained by the ROCOR bishops in Russia, yet remained with the ROCOR even after their union with the heretic Cyprian, but abandoned them after the union with the heretical Moscow Patriarchate, ordains two bishops to form a new synod for himself! To help him accomplish this lawless act, he chooses and invites two bishops from the heretical Cyprianite Synod, George of Alania and the impious Ambrose of Methoni.

• Jan. 2008 - Bishop John of Colorado Springs is ordained to the episcopacy by Archb. Gregory and Archb. Ambrose, who had been received into the Genuine Orthodox Church earlier in 2007.

• March 16, 2008 - Sunday of Orthodoxy - At the first celebration of Orthodoxy Sunday of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia after it joined the Moscow Patriarchate, it’s apostate leader Metropolitan Laurus was found dead in his bed. The night before, he forbade his clergy, for the first time, to proclaim in church the Russian Church Abroad’s 1983 Anathema against Ecumenism. He was found dead before the “celebration” of the liturgy at Holy Trinity Monastery in, Jordanville, New York.

• 2009 - Patriarch Bartholomew gave an interview with PBS on the Charlie Rose Show in the United States. Question by Charlie Rose: “Do all religions have the same heavenly father?” Answer by Patriarch Bartholomew: “Of course, we are all created by the same God and as such we are all brothers and sisters and we have the same heavenly father whatever we call him. God is but one independent of the name we give him, Allah or Yahweh.”

• Orthodoxy Sunday 2009 - The Synod of Bishops of the Genuine Orthodox Church of America (GOCA) under the leadership of Archbishop Gregory of Denver issued the following: TO THE deposed Metropolitan Cyprian Koutsoumbas, “the Exorcist,” and propagator of demonic teaching, and to all those who follow him, who teach that those who fall into heresy are still part of the Church of Christ, and that their mysteries are grace-filled, and who teach that the Church of Christ is divided into two parts—one ailing with heresy and one healthy without heresy—and thus maintain that the holy body of Christ not only can be divided and but also be infected with the disease of falsehood, who oppose the holy Apostle Paul who says that the holy Church is a “glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such things [Eph. 5:27],” and who commune heretics and have therefore succumbed to the heresy of Ecumenism, ANATHEMA (Anathema means a complete cutting off from God and separation from the Church and consignment to the devil.)

• September 2010 - Archbishop Chrysostom Kiousis of the G.O.C. of Greece (the schismatic group) dies and his synod elects Metropolitan Kallinikos of Achaia to be Archbishop.

• January 2012 - Metr. Valentine, head of ROAC, dies and is replaced by Archb. Theodore, who is elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. Since Metr. Valentine’s 2004 schism, the Russian Federation has seized all the churches of ROAC in Suzdal and the surrounding area. The faithful now have to resort to prayer in their homes as in the times of the Communist era.

• Nov. 2012 - Mass exodus from HOCNA (Holy Orthodox Church of North America). One bishop, 31 parishes and 15 monks leave HOCNA and Holy Transfiguration Monastery as its abbot openly confesses that he lied to the ROCA bishops in hiding the homosexual lifestyle/sins of Archimandrite Panteleimon in 1985. HOCNA’s adoption of the name-worshipping heresy and the belief of “repentance after death” also played a factor in the exodus. In order to keep their rank and positions this group joined the G.O.C.of Greece-Kallinikos, another schismatic group that falls under the 1983 Anathema against Ecumenism.

• April 2013 - Archbishop Makarios of the G.O.C. of Greece and his synod, formerly the Lamian Synod, enters into union with the loathsome parasynagogue synod of HOCNA (Holy Orthodox Church of North America), led by the deposed Archimandrite Panteleimon and his uncanonical bishops! HOCNA and Holy Transfiguration Monastery have become known as a sanctuary for homosexual clergy. Metropolitan Christopher of Mesogaia and Metropolitan Ambrose of Drama of the Makarios Synod break communion and leave because of this union. This action now makes the synod of the G.O.C. under Makarios a schismatic group!

• May 17/30, 2013 - The heretic Metropolitan Cyprian Koutsoumbas dies after being in a coma for six years. His body immediately turns rock hard with his mouth wide open, to the shock of his devoted followers. A fan is put in the church during his funeral to drive the smell of his body away from the faithful. This shocking death would spur his “bishops” to seek a futile union with the GOC of Greece (Kallinikos) one year later.

• March 2014 - The schismatic synod of the G.O.C. of Greece under Archbishop Kallinikos and the heretical synod of the Cyprianites, the Synod of Resistors, enter into union with each other. This is accomplished with no repentance from either side. Two illegitimate and schismatic groups unite to form one Synod led by Kallinikos, composed of twenty-two bishops.

• May 2014 - Pope Francis makes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During his three-day visit he entered the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Not many hours after he left, fire broke out in the Grotto of the Nativity.

• Dec. 14/27 2016 - Archimandrite Panteleimon dies in the Boston Transfiguration monastery due to kidney failure, not having publicly repented for his past immorality which gave birth to the “Holy Orthodox Church of North America” (HOCNA) the schismatic synod.

• July 1/14, 2017 - His Eminence, Gregory, Archbishop of Denver and Northern America, Primate of the Synod of the True Orthodox Church in America, the true remnant of the Russian Church Abroad, in a letter to the Primate of the Synod of the Old Calendarist Church in Romania (BOSVR), Metropolitan Vlasie and the entire Synod, encourages them to correct all past mistakes, so that "when we stand before Christ, we will not be judged for having been in communion with schismatic and heretical hierarchs." To date, this letter has remained unanswered.

• Nov. 2018 - The Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Saint Claire Shores, Michigan, opened its doors to approximately 110 dogs to attend a memorial service for a police dog that was killed! The priest, Father Michael Varlamos prayed that God would grant eternal life to this dog! This is considered a graphic image of the effects of Ecumenism wherein all holiness has departed from those who espouse and will not condemn this heresy.

• April 2019 - The schismatic synod of Archbishop Makarios breaks communion with the heretical synod of HOCNA. Unfortunately, as is typical in our days of ecumenism, Makarios saw no need to repent of being in communion for six years with name-worshipping heretics, those who believe in repentance after death, and deposed clergy. Repenting to true hierarchs who have not fallen, is too humiliating for many hierarchs or synods in our days. They remain, therefore, a synod under the guilt of violating the canons. Although they escaped the judgement of man, they are liable to the judgement of God according canon eleven of the Apostles: “A clergyman who prays in company with a deposed clergyman shall also be deposed.”

• May 13/26, 2022 - Metropolitan Vlasie Mogârzan is deposed by the Old Calendarist Romanian Synod specifically for "for violating Canon 3 of the First Ecumenical Council which completely prohibits the monastic clergy from living with a woman." At the same time he was accused and found guilty of violating other moral canons: Canon 5 Synod VI, Canons 22 Synod VII, 19 Ancira, 45 Carthage, 88 St. Basil.

TWENTY-FOURTH EDITION. JUNE 30, 2024.

References:

The Sacred Struggle of the True Orthodox Christians of Greece (1919-1992).
Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras’ 1967 Christmas Epistle.
The First Sorrowful Epistle: Met. Philaret, Russian Church Abroad, 14/27 July 1969.
The Second Sorrowful Epistle: Met. Philaret, Russian Church Abroad, 1972.
“The Balamand Statement”, In Eastern Churches Journal Vol. 1, No. 1. 12.

© Dormition Skete, August 29, 2003.

 

---

Archbishop Gregory Dormition Skete P.O. Box 3177 Buena Vista, CO 81211-3177 USA	Contact: Archbishop Gregory In a New Window.
		Copyright 2005 All rights reserved.