Encyclical of Metropolitan NICHOLAS (Hadjinikolaou) of Mesogia: On the WCC Conference in Athens
The following encyclical was written by the new Metropolitan of Mesogia, NICHOLAS (Hadjinikolaou) and was issued on Thomas Sunday to be read in the churches of the Dioceses of Attica, in which the retreat center hosting the World Council of Churches conference is located.
Hellenic Republic
Holy Metropolis of Attica
Protocol no. 334
Thomas Sunday 2005
Encyclical No. 5
To the pious Christians of our Holy Metropolis
Beloved children in the Lord,
Christ is Risen!
As you most likely know, a conference of the World Council of Churches will take place, with the approval of the Holy Synod, in our province beginning tomorrow, the 9th of May 2005, and lasting until the 16th. This Council is mainly made up of the representatives of Protestant confessions, although representatives of many Orthodox Churches also participate. It is an accepted truth that its role is ambiguous and there are not a few who express their serious reservations about its methodology, function, and ultimate purpose in the contemporary world and its relation with the one truth. The Holy Synod has nevertheless decided on and proceeded with its decision. We respect its decisions, but are, at the same time, obliged to also take necessary measures in order to provide a witness in the best possible way, as well as to guard against influences which adulterate our ethos.
Having said this, I would like to also tell you the following:
If we receive the heterodox in order to impart to them the witness of our faith and tradition, this is holy. If we host them in order to express to them our respect and our freedom, this is noble. If, however, we extend an invitation to them in order to divvy up and pass around together with them the treasure of the true faith, this is impious. Unfortunately, the World Council of Churches is a syncretistic organization. It is a religious organization which struggles for the unity of Christians but with an earthly and worldly perception. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church does not “pray together” but does pray for the God-given and ordained union of all. It does not discuss and dialogue with the aim of reaching human agreement, but provides its obligatory witness in order to call all of us to conversion. Nor does the Church become passionately fanatical and intolerant, or, even more so, is it seized with panic because of heterodox practices and conceptions, but rather boldly and respectably offers its confession [of faith].
Next Sunday, the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers, in accordance with the program of the conference, quite a few of the attendees will visit parishes of our area in order to observe our Divine Worship. One can perceive that the possibility of our liturgical order being disrupted and of some of the aforementioned heterodox asking to receive Holy Communion or antidoron is not insignificant. I would ask, therefore, that our clergy be especially attentive on this day.
As you also know, the Anglicans have in the recent past proceeded with the ordination of women, while a variety of Protestant confessions have gone further and ordained homosexuals. Moves such as these are not of secondary importance, since they are quite an offense to the most holy mystery of the Priesthood.
We will not drive anyone away. Maybe we will run into a few women who believe that they have the gift of the priesthood. Maybe people of an uncertain character will approach us and present themselves to us as priests. Maybe, furthermore, conference attendees with a worldly way of thinking and image will approach us and will appear to us as angels of the kingdom of God. We clearly contest their so-called ecclesiastical gifts, however we will not insult or offend them. We confess the delusion which exists, however the persons who express it we respect and encounter in a dignified manner.
It is, however, absolutely essential that we be careful that the constancy and solemnity of our witness not be infected; that the peace of our mystical worship not be disturbed; that the avowed truth of our Orthodox faith not be falsified within us. Perhaps these people are better than us as it concerns their character. Their faith, however, is dangerously unsound and ailing. It is so ill that we could assert that they believe in a Christ who does not exist.
Christ awaits conversion from them as a correction of their dogmatic faith and path. From us, he awaits it as the humble confession of our holy Orthodox faith and as a consistent and holy life.
In the Protestant world ierapostoli (mission) is understood as proselytism, as an effort to persuade others to follow that which they preach as the truth. In the Orthodox tradition ierapostoli (mission) means witness and confession. It means to give the opportunity to our fellow human beings for God to speak within them, that they may go from becoming creations of God to His children and from our fellow human beings to our brothers in faith. Perhaps some of them will approach us in a spirit of proselytism [as understood above]. Let us respond by giving them a clear witness but in a phronema of love in Christ.
In such an age as that in which we live, the temptation to relativize everything, to sacrifice the clarity of our confession on the altar of a worldly-minded tolerance, to call into question the divine gift of our Orthodox faith on account of a wrongly-understood ecumenistic unity, to replace the ierapostoliki (missionary) witness of the conversion of all with the ecumenist vision of universal co-existence, is more than obvious.
However, within the many opportunities presented by contemporary ideological pluralism, the blessing to submit our witness – not as intolerant persistence in crude ideas, but as magnanimous confession of personally-experienced truths, which we don’t uphold as if they are in danger, but rather confess because without them we are in danger – is exceptionally great.
I pray that the Resurrected Lord will, on the one hand, help us to know the treasure of the one Church which we hold, and on the other hand help the conference attendees of the many “churches” to discover together with the saving faith that they ignore, the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church with which they converse.
With much love of the Resurrected Christ,
+ Nicholas
of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki
(locum tenens of the diocese of Attica)
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Conference: The Mission of the Orthodox Church and the World Council of Churches
Pan-Hellenic Union of Theologians - Press Release
CONTACT: FR. GEORGE METALLINOS: 210.671.8445
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 2, 2005
In Response to the Church of Greece’s Decision to Host the World Council of Churches’ Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (May, 9-15, Athens), the Pan-Hellenic Union of Theologians is sponsoring a one-day theological conference:
THE MISSION OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
AND THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Invitation-program
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Amphitheater of the War Museum
Vasilisis Sophias and Rizari 2, Athens
PROGRAM
Chairman: Archimandrite Sarantis Sarantos
17.30-17.50 Commencement of Conference – Greetings
17.50-18.10 Apostolos Katopodis, Th.D., Dean of the Pan-Hellenic Union of Theologians
Mission as an ecclesiastical event
18.10-18.30 Archpriest Constantine Stratigopoulos
Orthodox mission today: problems and prospects
18.30-18.50 Father Peter A. Heers
The missionary beginnings of contemporary ecumenism
18.50-19.10 Discussion
19.10-19:30 Break
Chairman: Archpriest Theodore Zisis
19.30-19.50 Archimandrite Avgoustinos Myrou, Th.D., Homilist, Diocese of Servia and Kozani
The “common mission” of the W.C.C.:
To which Church does it call people and which Christ does it preach?
19.50-20.10 Stavros Bozovitis, Theologian, Homilist
The success of the Apostles and the failure of the missionaries
20.10-20.30 John Kornarakis, Professor Emeritus, Theological School of Athens
The W.C.C.: a dangerous threat to Orthodox theology
20.30-20.50 Discussion
20.50-21.10 Conference Findings
Entrance is free of charge.
Organizing Committee
Mark Orphanos, Professor Emeritus, University of Athens – President, Pan-Hellenic Union of Theologians (P.H.U.T.)
Archpriest George Metallinos, Professor, University of Athens – Vice-President, P.H.U.T.
John Kornarakis, Professor Emeritus, University of Athens
Monk Arsenios Vliagkoftis, Th.D., B.A.
Apostolos Katopodis, Th.D., Dean, P.H.U.T.
Elias Frangopoulos, Private High School Principal, Secretary, P.H.U.T
George Vlachogiannis, Director, Office of Secondary Education and Treasurer, P.H.U.T.
General Information: Pan-Hellenic Union of Theologians
Chalkokondili 37 – 104 32 Athens
210.522.4180 – Fax: 210.522.4420
Cell: 6978.181821 & 6979.469080
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Memorandum on the WCC Conference in Athens
MEMORANDUM
On the World Council of Churches’
Conference on World Mission and Evangelism
to be held in Athens, Greece, May 9-16, 2005
To His Beatitude, the Archbishop
and the Most Reverend Metropolitans
of the Church of Greece
Your Beatitude,
Most Reverend holy Hierarchs,
The Church of Greece’s impending organization and hosting of the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches (W.C.C.) brings sorrow, bewilderment and indignation to our souls. For this reason, permit us to communicate with you by means of the present memorandum, humbly setting forth the following thoughts, both from awareness of our responsibility towards the souls that we shepherd and instruct spiritually as well as from pain for the Orthodox Church, which, as a unique possessor of the revealed truth about God, cannot participate in inter-Christian activities of such a sort without altering her ecclesiological self-awareness, betraying her faith and scandalizing the multitude of her faithful.
Unfortunately, our nation is the first Orthodox country to dare to host such a conference, and we believe that this fact constitutes, not an excuse for boasting, as its organizers proclaim, but one more black page in the recent ecclesiastical history of Greece.
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