Those of us who by the Grace of God have been raised with the dogmas of piety and who follow in everything the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, believe that:

The sole path to salvation of mankind1 is the faith in the Holy Trinity, the work and the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, and their continuance within His Body, the Holy Church. Christ is the only true Light;2 there are no other lights to illuminate us, nor any other names that can save us: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”3 All other beliefs, all religions that ignore and do not confess Christ “having come in the flesh,”4 are human creations and works of the evil one,5 which do not lead to the true knowledge of God and rebirth through divine Baptism, but instead, mislead men and lead them to perdition. As Christians who believe in the Holy Trinity, we do not have the same God as any of the religions, nor with the so-called monotheistic religions, Judaism and Mohammedanism, which do not believe in the Holy Trinity.

For two thousand years, the one Church which Christ founded and the Holy Spirit has guided has remained stable and unshakeable in the salvific Truth that was taught by Christ, delivered by the Holy Apostles and preserved by the Holy Fathers. She did not buckle under the cruel persecutions by the Judeans initially or by idolaters later, during the first three centuries. She has brought forth a host of martyrs and emerged victorious, thus proving Her divine origin. As Saint John the Chrysostom beautifully expressed it: “Nothing is stronger than the Church… if you fight against a man, you either conquer or are conquered; but if you fight against the Church, it is not possible for you to win, for God is the strongest of all.”6

Following the cessation of the persecutions and the triumph of the Church over Her external enemies - in other words, the Judeans and the idolaters - the internal enemies of the Church began to multiply and strengthen. A variety of heresies began to appear, which endeavored to overthrow and adulterate the faith once delivered, such that the faithful became confused, and their trust in the truth of the Gospel and traditions was debilitated. In outlining the ecclesiastical state of affairs that was created by the dominance for over 40 years - even administratively - of the heresy of Arius, Saint Basil the Great says: “The dogmas of the Fathers have been entirely disregarded, the apostolic traditions withered, the inventions of the youth are observed in the Churches; people are now “logic-chopping” not theologizing; precedence is given to the wisdom of the world, pushing aside the boasting in the Cross. Shepherds are driven out, and in their place cruel wolves are ushered in, dispersing Christ’s flock.”7

That which happened because of external enemies - religions - also happened because of internal ones - heresies. The Church, through Her great and enlightened Holy Fathers, demarcated and marked the boundaries [perixarakose] of the Orthodox faith with decisions by Local and Ecumenical Synods in the cases of specific, dubious teachings, but also with the agreement of all the Fathers (Consensus Patrum), on all the matters of the Faith. We stand on sure ground when we follow the Holy Fathers and do not move the boundaries that they have set. The expressions “Following after our Holy Fathers” and “Not withdrawing the boundaries that our Fathers have set” are signposts for a steady course of spiritual advance and a guardrail for [remaining within] the Orthodox faith and way of life.

Consequently, the basic positions of our Confession are the following:

Ecumenical News International Reports:

30 April 2007 | 07-0328

“German churches sign agreement to recognise baptisms

Magdeburg, Germany (ENI). Eleven German denominations - including Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Anglican churches - have formally recognised each other’s baptism, at an ecumenical ceremony in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.”

Metropolitan AugustinosOnce again we read news of certain Orthodox in Germany formally recognizing the baptism of the heterodox. If this new agreement follows the same logic as the previous agreement made by the Metropolitan Augustinos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the Lutherans of Germany at the Phanar in Constantinople in September of 2004 (or of a similiar agreement signed in Australia in Summer of 2004), then what we can expect is a declaration that “Christians who convert from one denomination to another will not be baptized again.” The 2004 agreement also stated that “although church fellowship does not yet exist between our churches, we each regard the other’s members as being baptized and in the case of a change of confession we reject undertaking a new baptism.”

This line of thinking, which is apparently quite en vogue among ecumenist enthusiasts, is truly the Trojan horse of ecumenism. It turns Orthodoxy from The Church into a confession and Holy Baptism, the Mystery of initiation into the life of the Church, into a ceremony of initiation into a variety of confessions, which collectively constitute the Church. It is, in other words, a new expression of the Branch Theory, which has been condemned as heretical by the Orthodox. As has been stated before, “this is a direct challenge to every Orthodox Christian’s faith in the “one baptism for the remission of sins” and the belief that the “one church” of the Nicene Creed is the Orthodox Church.”

This is an ecumenist agreement which can be characterized without hesitation as heretical. And, if there has ever been a moment in which the Orthodox should rise up in opposition to an ecumenical pact, it is now. For this is now the third such pact signed since 2004, but unlikely to be the last.

As the main idea behind the agreements is bound to be basically the same, in closing it would be helpful to recall what we wrote back in 2004 concerning the previous pact signed with the Lutherans:

An address prepared for the academic conference The Mission of the Orthodox Church and The World Council of Churches (Athens, May 15, 2005), organized by the Pan-Hellenic Union of Theologians

20 photographs and icons – 50 pages – $6.00

The impact of the contemporary ecumenical movement on the life of the Church in the 20th century has been immense. Orthodox involvement has steadily increased over the years and is now generally accepted as a given. Still, many questions remain unanswered and unasked. How did the modern ecumenical movement begin? What were the causes, motivations, and reasons for its development? Why and how did the Orthodox first become involved? Did the movement for Christian unity begin with the 1920 encyclical “To the Churches of Christ Everywhere” and arise out of a search for “unity in truth” and doctrinal agreement, as is often maintained?

In this lecture, Fr. Peter Alban Heers, doctoral candidate at the School of Theology of the University of Thessaloniki, answers these questions, extensively citing authoritative sources of ecumenical history to bring us face-to-face with the historical record. The missionary movement of the 19th century, the YMCA and student movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the first World Mission Conference in Edinburgh in 1910, and the 1920 encyclical of the Church of Constantinople are all examined in order to shed light on the origins of the contemporary ecumenical movement. This booklet is essential reading for all those interested in Orthodox involvement in the ecumenical movement.

On Sale: June 2007

These words of the Pope [see below] wonderfully express the great error of ecumenism and delusion of ecumenists. It is not anyone’s error or pride, nor dogmatic error, and certainly not heresy, that has created and maintained the division, nor will humility and repentance overcome it, but “inventiveness”, as if
Thomas Alva Edisonwe were called to imitate Thomas Edison in some laboratory. The Pope and those with him - including some Patriarchs and bishops - resemble technicians or mathematicians who are seeking after some formula for which to “discover” unity - a unity which essentially already exists, like some hidden power of nature, but which simply awaits the right “moment in history” to make its debut and revolutionize humanity, etc. No repentance is necessary. No repudiation of heresy or even admitting that heresy ever existed. Rather, we will “invent” a new path out of our great love for one another.

It is quite tragic that some Orthodox bishops and theologians go along with this worldly thinking or even, at times, believe in it. It is precisely inventiveness - i.e. innovations - that the whole of Orthodox tradition and patristic witness work against. We “follow the Holy Fathers” and preach and proclaim “as the Prophets fortold, as the Apostles proclaimed, as the Fathers declared” etc. The spirit underlying the Pope’s words and the whole mentality on display in the Ecumenical Movement is totally one with the age and is chiliastic, promising new and ever greater things and a kingdom of this world. In the end the only ones at fault here are “forces of evil”. (One is reminded of Eve in the garden who essentially said that “the devil made me do it”. The only problem is that man is free and responsible for his actions, and, what’s more, if he is truly spiritual and of Christ not under the control or sway of the evil one.)

All who would save their soul in this day and age must fight this spirit and delusion with all his might - first in himself and then for the sake and love of the brethren.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Pope: Catholics, Orthodox will find full unity
By Cindy Wooden
2/28/2006

Catholic News Service (http://www.catholicnews.com)
Pope Benedict XVI
VATICAN CITY – With deeper conversion and greater love, Catholics and Orthodox will find the path to full unity, Pope Benedict XVI told staff and students from a Greek Orthodox theological college.

Meeting the group from the Apostoliki Diakonia theological college of Athens, Greece, Feb. 27, the pope said that, despite “the forces of evil” that have kept Catholics and Orthodox from full unity, visits, cultural exchanges and joint projects have brought new hope to ecumenism.

Progress in dialogue, he said, brings hope for “a new dawn, that of the day on which we will understand fully that being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ means concretely finding a way to overcome our divisions through personal and communal conversion, the exercise of listening to the other and prayer in common for our unity.”

The pope said the exchange program with the Orthodox Church of Greece, which includes a scholarship program for Orthodox priests and seminarians to study in Rome and Catholic priests and seminarians to study in Athens, is especially important for preparing future church leaders for ecumenism.

“I am certain that mutual love will increase our inventiveness and will lead us to follow new paths,” the pope said.

In an interview with Interfax, the secretary of the ROCOR commission for negotiations with the Moscow Patriarchate Archpriest Alexander Lebedev made the following comments regarding the MP’s involvement in the World Council of Churches and ROCOR’s own stance:

Fr. Alexander Lebedev”We are satisfied with the Moscow Patriarchate signing a document in which it denounced all harmful sides of ecumenism, such as syncretism, common liturgical prayer with the non-Orthodox, and everything that may blur Orthodox ecclesiology. Of course most our fellow churchmen would welcome Moscow Patriarchate leaving the World Council of Churches because we regard its involvement with the WCC as confusing. Yet the reasons for this involvement have become much clearer to us. We realize that it is based not upon a desire to share in non-Orthodox prayers or a belief that there are other Churches besides the One Church. The Russian Orthodox Church as the world’s biggest Orthodox Church seeks leadership at international forums. If she leaves the WCC, the Orthodox representation will be assumed by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the voice of the Russian Orthodox Church will remain unheard. We believe this is a serious reason for the Moscow Patriarchate to remain involved with the WCC at least for some time.

I’d like to note that the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is never going to participate in the WCC even after it enters into canonical communion with the Church in Russia. We will stay aside of that and continue opposing ecumenism in the Orthodox world as we have always done. Our attitude to the ecumenical movement has remained generally unchanged.”

One has to welcome Fr. Alexander’s statement that ROCOR will continue to oppose Orthodox involvement in ecumenism. For, there are not a few who have left or are considering leaving ROCOR for fear of post-union compromise. There can be no doubt that the union of ROCOR and the MP would be quite tragic for the cause of Orthodoxy if ROCOR not only did not maintain its patristic stance but moreover missed the opportunity to work even harder from within the larger Russian church toward the exodus of the Orthodox from the WCC and similiar ecumenist ventures. ROCOR stands at a most crucial crossroads for itself and, indeed, for the Orthodox Church as a whole.

St. Basil the GreatThere are not a few clergy today, under the influence of the spirit of the world in the form of philetism or ecumenism, that neglect to come to the aid of Orthodox outside of their Local Church who are struggling against innovations and heresy. They suffer from indifference. In the first instance, out of a mistaken ecclesiology which claims that only the Ecumenical Patriarchate can speak to internal challenges of Faith in the Local Churches. This mistaken ecclesiology is itself born out of an experience of the Church heavily influenced by philetism, where the Church of Christ amounts to the Church existing in the boundaries of the Ethnos (i.e. Greek, Russian, Serbian Orthodoxy). In the second instance, they suffer from an indifference to Dogma and the Truth of the Faith since they are senseless to the direct connection of Faith and Life, of that which we confess and believe and that which we live and experience. This senselessness often times is a result of these clergymen’s association with the heterodox and with the religions of the world. They have, in turn, made the Church and Revelation into Religion, reverting to a pre-Incarnational state of mind, undoing the implications and continuation of the Incarnation in the life of the people.

The following words of Saint Basil the Great apply to all of us, but especially to the clergy in our midst who are indifferent to matters of Faith, to the struggle for the Faith “once delivered.” Saint Basil was writing to men who were far less deluded by the spirits of this world, but who nonetheless exhibited indifference to the fate of the churches abroad. May we all take the Saint’s words to heart and lend a helping hand to all of our brethren who are outside of our diocese or local church but in urgent need of our support and encouragement.

“We stand in the arena to fight for our common heritage, for the treasure of the sound faith, derived from our Fathers. Grieve with us, all you who love the brethren, at the shutting of the mouths of our men of true faith, and at the opening of the bold and blasphemous lips of all who utter unrighteousness against God. The pillars and foundation of the truth are scattered abroad. We, whose insignificance has allowed of our being overlooked, are deprived of our right and free speech. Enter into the struggle for the people’s sake. Do not think only of your being yourselves moored in a safe haven, where the grace of God gives you shelter from the tempest of the winds of wickedness. Reach out a helping hand to the churches that are being buffeted by the storm, lest if they are abandoned, they suffer complete shipwreck of the faith. Lament for us, in that the Only-Begotten is being blasphemed, and there is none to offer contradiction.” --- Letter CCXLIII to the Bishops of Italy and Gaul

Today, there is hardly a church which is not being buffeted by the spirit of secularization and ecumenism, that is to say, the spirit of antichrist. The Ecumenical Patriarch and his small band of deacon-bishops live in the mouth of this dragon, so given over to the methodology of this worldly spirit as to be one with it. The Moscow Patriarch and his circle of leaders, emerged in the working and ways of the Soviet dictatorship for their entire life, follow, together with the E.P., a more papist model of governance, ignoring for all practical purposes the conciliarity of the Church. The Church of Greece, especially since the ascent of the present Archbishop, suffers under the same papalization of the hierarchy, such that conciliarity has ceased to exist - especially on matters of Faith. The Church of Finland has become so emersed in the Western way of living and thinking that the Metropolitan of Helsinki and several of his clergy can speak openly in favor of homosexual marriage and the ordination of women to the priesthood for several years without fearing in the least ecclesiastical discipline. Indeed, those who speak out against these perversions are in fear and stand ready to seek refuge elsewhere. . . The faithful of the churches everywhere are being abandoned by thieves (John 10:1) to the wolves of this world and are in need of a helping hand, lest they suffer “complete shipwreck.” The Son of God and His Body are being blasphemed, so let us all “offer contradiction.” —Fr. PAH

George Weigel

Today I read your views on the stance taken by Mount Athos with regard to Pope Benedict’s visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch in November. You wrote in an edition of The Tidings (http://www.the-tidings.com/2007/041307/difference.htm):

“...this Athonite intransigence reflects a hard truth about Catholic-Orthodox relations after a millennium of division: namely, that, for many Orthodox Christians, the statement “I am not in communion with the Bishop of Rome” has become an integral part of the statement, ‘I am an Orthodox Christian.’”

Your reasoning reflects a mindset that is decidedly Rome-centered and reminds me of the knee-jerk reactions of devout Roman Catholic friends of mine to nearly every critique leveled against contemporary Roman Catholicism: “that is just anti-catholicism” or “they are anti-catholics” or “they are “Rome-bashing.” This response, like your own understanding of the Athonite stance, reveals an egotism and pride unfortunately quite characteristic of Roman Catholic apologists and zealots of the papacy.

Orthodox Christians do not define themselves against anyone; they do not see themselves as existing in opposition to anyone. They do not say I am ... not this or that. Like Christ and the Church, Orthodox Christians live in the enternal now and knowing their Redeemer they in turn know what it means to be alienated from Him.

Orthodox Christians, and especially those who live the Faith to fullest, such as the Fathers on Athos, believe and confess The “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.” This is “the Faith of the Fathers, the Faith of the Orthodox”, as the Synodicon of the 7th Oecumenical Council states. Consequently, it is quite obvious to them that the Pope of Rome, who has for hundreds and hundreds of years confessed another faith, who has confessed the Orthodox Church to be schismatic, heretical, etc., and who has confessed Saints like Gregory Palamas (who has now been “rehabilitated” by Roman Catholic scholars) to be heretics, has become alienated from the life and faith of the Orthodox and cannot be the canonical Bishop of Rome.

But here, in particular, is where you get it wrong: Stating, as the Fathers did, that the Patriarch wrongly accepted the Pope as the canonical Bishop Rome has less to do with the Pope than it does with the Patriarch, insomuch as the issue at hand is the Patriarch’s confession of faith in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for by accepting the Pope as a bishop he likewise accepts the Roman Catholic church as a church - as either a Local church of the Church of Christ, which would mean there is heresy within the Church, which is impossible, or as the Church of Christ, which would deny the Orthodox Church as the Una Sancta. Orthodoxy rejects both the branch theory of the Protestants and the “Theory of the Primordial Unity of a common baptism” of the Papacy.

All of this is to say that the Orthodox still believe and confess as of old, as once did Roman Catholics. The Orthodox have not “graduated” into the age of ecumenism or bought into the (mainly) Post-Vatican II nuances (for us they are yet more distortions) which divide jurisdictional (administrative) authority from the mysteries or accept baptism and other mysteries outside of the Church (the canonical, that is, right believing and living Church). As Bishop Kallistos Ware has said many times: the Orthodox again and again are saying to the West, and to Roman Catholics in particular, “we are your past”, that is, we hold the faith you once held, to which you must return.

Your comments once again point out the obsession of those who are adherents of the papacy: everything revolves around Rome. But your comments also point out not only the ignorance of Roman Catholics vis-a-vis the Orthodox Church or the Patriarchate of Constantinople (which, by the way, is decidedly not an eastern version of the papacy toned-down), but of your own ignorance, as well. You are far, far away from understanding the Orthodox, let alone the Garden of the All-Holy One, that is, the Holy Mountain of Athos.

Sincerely,

Fr. Peter Alban Heers
Thessaloniki, Greece

Available Winter 2007

For nearly 100 years the contemporary movement for the unification of Christianity has enjoyed the involvement of the Orthodox. Yet, despite the objections of many Orthodox Christians, the divisions among them which have developed on account of this participation, and the apparent lack of real progress toward the desired goal, there has never been a critical Pan-Orthodox examination of the phenomenon and Orthodox participation in it. This historic conference, sponsored by the School of Pastoral Theology of the University of Thessaloniki and the Society of Orthodox Studies, promises to fill this gap.

Speakers at the conference included: Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos (Greece), Metropolitan Nathaniel of Nevrokop (Bulgaria), Metropolitan John of Velesson (Patriarchate of Serbia), Bishop Artemy of Raska and Prizren (Kossovo, Serbia), Bishop Panteleimon of Ghana (Patriarchate of Alexandria), Archimandrite Joseph of Xeropotamou Monastery (Mount Athos), Archpriest George Metallinos (Athens), Archpriest Valentin Asmus (Moscow Theological School), Archpriest Zourab Antadze (Church of George), Archimandrite Christophoros Tsiakkas (Church of Cyprus), Archimandrite Demetrios Vasiliadis (Patriarchate of Jerusalem), Archpriest Theodore Zisis (Thessaloniki), Archpriest George Dragas (Boston), Geron Moses (Mount Athos), Professor Jean-Claude Larchet (France), Demetrios Tselengidis (Thessaloniki), among the nearly 60 speakers in all. 

128 pages; hard cover; full-color illustrations throughout - $19.00
ISBN 960-86778-6-6

From I-ville to You-ville, the well-known, best selling Orthodox Christian children’s book of Greece, presently in its seventh printing, is now available in English. The unique and wise counsels of Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain are presented in a way that is perfect for children and adults alike. In every turn and twist of this adventure the author masterfully weaves the wisdom of the elder into the fabric of the story, constructing a seamless garment of beauty, charm and enlightenment.

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I-ville - a Kingdom where pride and selfishness dwell, and where people live by the motto “Me first!” You-ville - a Kingdom where humility and kindness have their home, and where people put the good of others before their own.
This is the story of a young boy named Stubborn, as he strives to become the first person of I-ville to make the difficult journey to the beautiful, joy-filled Kingdom of You-ville, and to become a citizen there.
As we join Stubborn in his adventures, we learn, along with him, profound lessons in how to struggle against bad thoughts and feelings. The journey of young Stubborn is one that all of us - old and young - must take, and which all of us can accomplish - if only we shrink our “I” and put “You” first!
The author, Mersine Vigopoulou resides in Souroti (Thessaloniki, Greece). She is also the author of several of other acclaimed children’s books, including the forthcoming Lady Tradition and Orthodoxy.