Holy Synod In Resistance

The Orthodox Church of Greece - Holy Synod in Resistance, also called the Cyprianites, and often referred to as HSiR, were a resisting, Old Calendar synod which were separate from the New Calendar Church of Greece, regarding the latter as being in error.

History

In 1979, a Achism occurred in the Synod of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece (GOC), or the "Florinites." Metropolitan Kallistos of Corinth and Metropolitan Anthony of Megara had become dissatisfied with the Administration of GOC Primate Archbishop Auxentius Pastras of Athens, who had irregularly received Priests from New Calendar Jurisdictions with questionable reputations. Kallistos and Anthony ordained eight other Bishops, declared Auxentius to be deposed, and registered their Synod as the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece (GOC, so-called "Kallistiakoi", or Kallistites).

In 1980, the Synod entered into Communion with the Synod of the Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Romania. However, in 1983 the Synod disintegrated. Metropolitan Kallistos quit the Synod because of a disagreement on the question of Grace in New Calendarist Sacraments (As he held to a Graceless Position due to prior Matthewite tendencies), Bishop Maximos of Magnesia and two others returned to the Synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece under Archbishop Auxentios. The rest, Matthew of Oinois, Kalliopios of Pentapolis, and Kallinikos of Achaia, returned to the Synod in 1985 under the presidency of Metropolitan Gerontios of Peiraeus, after the first removal of Archbishop Auxentios.

Two members of the disintegrated Synod, Bishops Cyprian of Fili and Giovanni of Sicily, organized the Holy Synod in Resistance.

Ecclesiology

Like some other Old Calendarist Greek Jurisdictions, the Holy Synod in Resistance held to an Official Agnostic Position towards the Global Orthodox Jurisdictions and held to a True Orthodox Confession of Faith publicly. However it's Primate and Leader, Metropolitan Cyprian Koutsoumpas of Oropos and Fyli, had had some controversial writings in his early days, which were not widely known, where he wrote a Thesis on Ecclesiology where he argued that the Global Orthodox Jurisdictions had Grace but not the fullness of Faith and their Grace was sullied therefore saying that True Orthodox Synods had full Grace and People should go their until Global Orthodox and True Orthodox get together in a Pan Orthodox Synod to determine and figure out the Issues between the two sides. To support this view, Metropolitan Cyprian points to the views expressed by the father of Greek Old-Calendarism, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Florina, whom held to an Agnostic View for most of his tenure as the first Primate and Metropolitan of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece. While interestingly enough, Metropolitan Cyprian, unlike the other Greek Old Calendar Jurisdictions, had questioned and said the Sigillion of 1583 was a Forgery, the Holy Synod in Resistance publicly opposed Ecumenism and the New Calendar and publicly held to an Agnosticism towards the Global Orthodox Jurisdictions.

Status

From 1994 to early 2006, the synod was in full communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), though relations cooled as negotiations took place between ROCOR and the Church of Russia. In February 2006, the synod severed communion with the ROCOR due to their rapprochement with the Moscow Patriarchate. The synod continued to maintain communion with the Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Romania (Synod of Metropolitan Vlasie). In 1993, the Synod ordained, and entered communion with, Bishop Photii of the Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria.

On 17 November 2007 the Synod published the "Memorandum Regarding Principles of Coöperation Between the Greek and Russian Anti-Ecumenists", which defined its relationship with the self-proclaimed "Provisional Supreme Ecclesiastical Authority of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad" [1] under Bishop Agafangel, who had departed from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia over its union with the Moscow Patriarchate.

Structure

The synod had five dioceses, including the Metropolis of Oropos and Fili, the Archdiocese of Etna (California), the Diocese of Sydney and New South Wales, the Diocese of Nora (Italy), and the Diocese of Luni (Italy). There were also missions in Austria, Sweden, Italy, Czech Republic, Georgia, South Ossetia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Uganda, the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Serving and praying in the synod's parishes, missions, and monasteries were 74 priests (including 17 hieromonks and 57 married priests), 15 deacons, 43 monks and 60 nuns.

There was also one publication house, the Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies.

Dissolution

On March 5, 2014, after several years of dialogue, the Synod in Resistance united itself to the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece and formally ceased to exist.

External links

• Official Website
• Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies (Etna, CA)
• Convent of Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr (Etna, CA)
• The Saint Edward Brotherhood (Brookwood, Surrey, UK)

Hierarchs

• Cyprian, Metropolitan of Oropos and Fili, last President of the Holy Synod in Resistance
• Chrysostomos, Archbishop (now Metropolitan) of Etna (California), Member of the Synod
• Chrysostomos, Bishop of Sydney and New South Wales, Member of the Synod
• Michael, Bishop of Nora (Sardinia), Member of the Synod
• Silvano, Bishop of Luni (Italy), Member of the Synod
• George, Bishop of Alania
• Chrysostomos, Bishop of Christianoupolis
• Auxentios, Bishop of Photiki
• Ambrose, Bishop of Methone
• Johannes, Bishop of Makarioupolis, Assistant for Missions in Sweden

References

• The initial version of this article was derived from material in the corresponding article on Orthodox Wiki.