Journey to the Great and Holy Synod by Father Jiri Jan
August 07,2015 (Source: http://www.hsir.org)
An Unceasing Estrangement from Genuine Patristic Orthodoxy I. Introduction From March 6-9, 2014 (New Style), a gathering of the Primates of the official local Churches was held in Constantinople. During this meeting, the assembled Prelates decided to convoke a “Holy and Great Synod” of innovationist Orthodox ecumenists on Pentecost of 2016.
In his homily on the Feast of the Holy Three New Hierarchs (Sunday, November 3, 2014 [Old Style]), His Eminence, Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Phyle stated that this Synod can already “be characterized in advance as a false synod,” which, if it does finally take place, “will render the chasm between the Genuine Orthodox and the ecumenists henceforth unbridgeable.”
Now, are there any objective grounds to support such an evaluation?
A careful study of the history of the “Holy and Great Synod” and of its convocation, as we shall discover in what follows, fully vindicates Metropolitan Cyprian’s position.
Since this is an issue of great importance in the current ecclesiastical climate, which demands from Genuine Orthodoxy a responsible, sober, and well-documented critique, we shall present, in the ensuing pages, an outline of the principal stages in the long-drawnout history of the “Holy and Great Synod” that is being planned by the ecumenists of the Phanar and those of like mind with them. Such an outline will provide us with basic data with which to approach this complex and many-sided issue from a pastoral and missionary perspective.
These guys consistently put out some outstanding stuff. The GOC has definitely been enriched.
Notice, how in the recent meeting with the Alexandrian and Jerusalem Patriarchates, they brought up Pat. Meletios Metaxakis like he was someone to be remembered. It’s like they get together, and literally, quite literally, they just talk about him as if he was some great patriarch in passing!
Fr. Jiri’s work, once again, brings out the case of Meletios Metaxakis, and how he did all this irreparable damage. He does mention Pat. Joachim III, but, he correctly notes that Pat. Joachim III had the sense to just back away and stop any program he may have thought about, because of the opposition. Or, it’s perhaps true that Pat. Joachim simply had a lot more sense that Meletios, who seems to have been a constant British puppet.
In the following excerpt from an article by the Blessed Elder Philotheos (Zervakos) of Paros we see an example of the Modernists’ disdain for Holy Tradition [Trans.]:
“Now I come to you, the Priests of Greece and especially of Athens, and I beg you to hear me attentively. When 50 years ago—I do not remember precisely—Meletios Metaxakis of Kition…ascended to the Archiepiscopal throne of Athens, he summoned a clergy congress in a hall in the offices of the Metropolis. Almost all the priests of Athens came enthusiastically to hear his paternal counsels. Instead of telling them, as Christ told His disciples, ‘Ye are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father Who is in heaven’ [St. Matthew 5:14,16]—to be ‘humble, merciful, meek, pure in heart, peacemakers, patient in afflictions, temptations, persecutions, accusations, and to rejoice when men persecute you, hate you and wrong you, to love God and every man, even your enemies, and to pray for them’ [St. Matthew, chapter 5]—he gave them the following advice. Listen, so that you may shudder and weep. ‘In Europe all the clergy shave, cut their hair, and go without rasa. We should imitate
them, in case we should seem out of date and uncivilized.’ Then almost all the priests, with one mouth, with boldness and confidence, said to him: ‘Your Beatitude, we are Greek Orthodox; we will never become heretics, Protestants or Papists.’ Then, as a politician, not as a pastor, he told them: ‘I did not tell you to become Protestants and Papists. I told you that, because I am concerned for your health, since beards, uncut hair and rasa cause illness.’ A fair number of priests replied to him: ‘We are healthier than those who are shaven and woman-faced.’ Having given up hope because his aim and his advice had proved vain and fruitless, he turned to a doctor, whom he had brought along to assist his purpose, and said to him, ‘Doctor, talk to them, advise them, because they will not listen to me.’ When he was called upon to speak, the doctor began to give them advice, but some of the priests did not allow him to, saying to the Metropolitan: ‘Let the physician heal himself.’ Others said to the doctor, ‘Go and cure the sick who summon you. We are neither sick nor have we summoned you,’ and in this way the clergy congress dissolved into a shaming of Meletios Metaxakis, the modernist, the innovator, the scorner of Patristic Traditions, and redounded to the glory of God, the boast of Orthodoxy, and the praise of the priests of Athens” (Fourth Clarion Call to Salvation [Thessaloniki: “Orthodoxos Kypseli” Editions, 1981], p. 36).