Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece

The Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece is an Old Calendarists Church which severed communion with the Church of Greece in 1935 over the acceptance of the Revised Julian Calendar. The adoption of the new calendar was viewed as an abrogation of the Orthodox Church's historical festal unity and a contradiction of Orthodox self-understanding by establishing common worship with non-Orthodox and furthering the goals of Ecumenism, while sacrificing festal unity among the Orthodox Churches. It is not in communion with any of the mainstream Orthodox churches, though it has enjoyed occasional support from mainstream churches which have retained the Julian Calendar. It also has support from some of the monks of Mount Athos, including the historical brotherhood of the Monastery of Esphigmenou. Its current primate is Archbishop Kallinikos (Sarantopoulos) of Athens and All Greece. For that reason, they are often referred to at the GOC-K. The North American eparchy is known as the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of America.

Organization

The Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece is made up of the Archdiocese of Athens, twelve Metropoleis in Greece, and three overseas Eparchies: America, Australia, and Europe. The Eparchy of America was granted the status of semi-autonomy in 2002, which included the establishment of an Eparchial Synod along with a local Ecclesiastical Tribunal, and is comprised of two Metropoleis (America and Toronto) and two Dioceses (Boston, and Etna and Portland), whose ruling hierarchs are suffragans of the Metropolitan of America based in New York City.

Synod Statistics (2019) (Source: Orthodox Tradition, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2019, page 4)

Churches, Parishes, and Missions -

• Greece: 229
• United States and Canada: 50
• Colombia, Guatemala, and Haiti: 3
• Europe: 18
• South Ossetia and Georgia: 12
• Africa: 18
• Australia and New Zealand: 9
• Asia: 1
• Total: 340

Monastic Houses -

• Greece: 105
• United States and Canada: 12
• Europe: 5
• South Ossetia and Georgia: 2
• Africa: 3
• Total: 127

Clergy -

• Bishops (including inactive): 23
• Priests: 292
• Deacons: 54
• Total: 369

• Major Philanthropic Organizations: 8
• Schools, Theological Training Programs: 6
• Major Presses: 6

Unification with Synod in Resistance

On March 5/18, 2014 the Holy and Sacred Synod of the GOC-K met at the church of the All-Holy Theotokos “The Unfading Rose” together with the Synod in Resistance to unite the two bodies into the structure of the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece (GOC-K). At this time there was a confirmation of the ecclesiological agreement and a lifting of the canonical impediments. The GOC-K then recognized the Bishops of the Orthodox Community in Resistance as full and canonical members of the Holy Synod of the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece. The union was marked by a Hierarchical concelebration on March 10/23, 2014 in the Monastery of St. Nicholas in Paiania, presided over by His Beatitude Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens and all-Greece. Due to concerns over the Cyprianite ecclessiology of the Synod in Resistance the union was accompanied by the publication of a joint statement on The True Orthodox Church and the Heresy of Ecumenism.

Primates (1935-present)

• Metropolitan Germanos of Demetrias (1935-1943)
• Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Florina (1943-1955)
• Archbishop Akakios of Athens (1960-1963)
• Archbishop Auxentios of Athens (1963-1986)
• Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Athens (1986-2010)
• Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens (2010-present)

Current hierarchs

Metropolitans

• Akakios of Attica and Diavleia
• Maximos of Thessalonica and Demetrias
• Athanasios of Larisa and Platamon
• Justin of Euripos and Euboia
• Gerontios of Piræus and Salamis
• Chrysostomos of Attica and Boiotia
• Moses of Toronto
• Demetrios of America
• Cyprian of Oropos and Phyle

Bishops

• Bishop Auxentios of Etna and Portland
• Gregory of Christianoupolis
• Photios of Marathon
• Ambrose of Philippi
• Ambrose of Methone
• Michael of Nora
• Silvano of Luni
• Klemes (Clement) of Gardikion
• Theodosios of Bresthena (Vresthena)
• Christodoulos of Theoupolis (Assistant to the Metropolitan of America)
• Maximus of Pelagonia

Retired Hierarchs

• Metropolitan Paul (Pavlos) (formerly) of America
• Bishop Chrysostomos of Christianoupolis
• Bishop Johannes of Makarioupolis
• Bishop George (formerly) of Alania
• Bishop Sergius of Portland (formerly)

External link

• Official website
• Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of America
• Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Phyle. Official Notification: Thursday of the Third Week of the Great Fast, March 7/20, 2014 - The Ecclesiastical Union of the [Church of the True Orthodox Christians and the Orthodox Community in Resistance]. March 7/20, 2014. 6 pp.
• The True Orthodox Church and the Heresy of Ecumenism