Antiochian Face-Off in the UK over Ecumenism

Fr Joseph Suaidan

(Liverpool/NFTU) The Antiochian Archdiocese of Great Britain deposed the priest, Fr. Matthew Vulcanescu, two weeks ago on December 23. The reason given for the deposition was that Fr. Matthew had, per Canon 15 of the First-Second Synod, ceased commemoration of the local Antiochian Metropolitan in Britain, as well as the Antiochian Patriarch, due to the communion agreement that the Antiochian Patriarchate, formally, since 1991, entered into with the Syro-Jacobite Monophysites. 

The Antiochian Archbishop for Great Britain argued in the deposition letter that “he is publicly declaring me to be a heretic and a pseudo-bishop. This is a grave and unjustified insult to me and to the other bishops of the Holy Synod of Antioch, which cannot be ignored. Apostolic Canon 55 states: “If any of the clergy insult the bishop, let him be deposed: for ‘you shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people.'”

Fr. Matthew has said he will not recognize any ecclesiastical penalties inflicted on him for reasons of faith, and therefore, does not recognize the deposition.  

The Antiochian response, has, in general, been supportive of the deposition, on the grounds that the Ecumenist heresy is considered to be, effectively, “Orthodox” doctrine, and any ceasing of commemoration to show resistance to the Ecumenist Heresy is, therefore, tantamount to heresy and schism.  Antiochian priest of St. Dunstan’s Church in Poole, UK, Fr. Chrysostom McDonnel, in a recently published newsletter, justified the deposition, as well as giving Communion to Syro-Jacobite and other Monophysite heretics on the principles of “economy”, citing long standing Antiochian practice of communing heretics.

NFTU NEEDS YOUR HELP. Find out more here.

Meanwhile, Fr Matthew has decided to follow through with his convictions: on his blog post detailing why he refused to recognize the deposition, he wrote, “Canon 3 of the Third Ecumenical Council [15] precisely decrees that any ecclesiastical punishment or any ecclesiastical action taken by heretics, who have already been condemned by the Holy Synods or yet to be synodally condemned, against those who remain Orthodox, is null and void. In other words, no Orthodox should accept any ecclesiastical punishment from a bishop who has evidently shown that he publicly preaches heresy.” Ultimately, Fr Matthew is betting on the Antiochian Synod to vindicate him, though, this seems unlikely, due to the Antiochian Synod endorsing the policy of giving communion to Monophysites.

“This is probably the first test case among the Antiochians,” said Bishop Enoch of Apshawa, a longtime outside observer of the “fighting from within” phenomenon and contributor to NFTU. “I think Fr. Matthew is the first one to ever challenge the Antiochian situation with Canon 15, under the ‘Heers principles’ with the Antiochians. Certainly Fr. Josiah (Trenham,) who collaborates with Fr. Peter Heers, and is an Antiochian, didn’t do this. So, what is happening is people are putting the ‘Heers principles’ into practice. They are now seeing the results. You can’t do anything for long, if you have no Episcopate, et cetera, especially if your own Episcopate is against Orthodoxy.”

There is currently no confirmation or rejection on the official website of the Antiochian Patriarchate in Damascus of Fr Matthew Vulcanescu’ deposition as of today.