Interview conducted by the nuns of the Samtavro
Monastery, for the Journal of the Holy Monastery, located in Mtskheta
(Georgia), "Samtavros Makhvlovani," [trans. "The Blackberry Bush
of Samtavro"], issues 3-4(24-25), August-September, 2016, pp. 7-9. [This is
the monastery where the newly glorified holy ascetic, confessor and fool for
Christ Saint Gabriel (Georgian: გაბრიელი), lived and reposed and where his relics lay. (See:
http://www.gabrielberi.ge/eng/index.htm.)
Fr. Peter Heers is the Rector of the
Parish of the Prophet Elias, Petrokerasa, Greece, Diocese of Ierissou and Agion
Oros (Orthodox Church of Greece)*
The
delegation of theologians from Greece meeting with the Hierarchs of the Church
of Georgia at the Patriarchate to discuss the "Council" of Crete and
the post-council path.
1. Please give us your assessment
of Cretan council.
~ Sadly, the council in Crete is a false
council which produced unorthodox texts which now must be rejected by the
Orthodox pleroma (entire Body).
Christ is the Way and the Truth and on
both counts the "Cretan Council" departed from rightly representing
Christ. Both in terms of methodology - how it was prepared, organized and
conducted - and in terms of essence - the final texts were heavily tainted by
the non-orthodox ecumenist mentality - the "Cretan Council" departed
from the Way and Truth of the Holy Fathers and Oecumenical Councils. A foreign
spirit, alien to the Holy Fathers but at home in this world, animated the
proceedings, proclaiming foreign teachings and not those "strange words,
strange doctrines, strange teachings of the Holy Trinity" (Praises of
Orthros of the Feast of Pentecost) which have been spoken in the past at every
true Oecumenical Council.
In spite of the excessive claims to the
contrary, both the preparatory process and the organization and governing rules
did not reflect the Orthodox Way of conciliarity (συνοδικότητα). Major decisions regarding the Council, including
the final decision to hold the Council, were consistently made without the
knowledge, let alone the participation, of the Synods of the Local Churches. In
practice, then, a new form of Papalism was practiced and promoted, wherein the
Primates of the Local Churches operated not as "first among equals"
but as "first without equals" and as "popes" over their
bishops. This was most evident in the unprecedented and unorthodox practice of
limiting voting to the Primates of the Local Churches. As one bishop noted,
without the possibility of voting, the only difference between the Orthodox
Bishops in attendance and the observers of the various heterodox confessions
was that the former [the Orthodox bishops] could speak publicly, even if only
for a limited time.
The Truth of Christ, that "sign
spoken against,""divisive" and revealing of hearts' desires, was
also absent or skewed in Crete. The well-known criteria of all Orthodox
Councils is that they were called to confront doctrinal and, by extension,
pastoral challenges to the Church's unity and thus chiefly addressed matters of
Faith (and thus heresy) and only secondarily related matters of canonical
order. In Crete, this relation of Faith and Order, Dogma and Ethos, was set
aside, with any reference to schism and heresy, let alone living heretics,
completely absent. In this most heretical of all ages, in which syncretism and
the New Age reigns and the devil "walks naked through history," the
Cretan Council referred even to those well-known heresies condemned by past
Oecumenical Councils and the consensus of Church Fathers, as
"churches."
Unfortunately, it is also clear that the
Council was neither "great" nor "holy." It was a minor
gathering which will be remembered at best as an episcopal conference without
pan-Orthodox authority both on account of the small number of bishops invited
and the rather secondary issues it addressed. Moreover, however, it was also
not "holy" on account of a glaring departure from Holy Tradition and
the promotion of syncretistic ecumenism with, among other things, the
non-chalant endorsement of unorthodox texts issued in the dialogue with the
Papacy (ex. Balamand) and in the so-called "World Council of
Churches" (ex. Pussan and Porte Alegre). This tragic departure from Holy
Tradition is also apparent in the text approved by the Council, "The
Sacrament of Marriage and its Impediments," which directly overturns the
72nd canon of the Penthekte Oecumenical Council ("in Trullo"). In
allowing for inter-marriages with the heterodox this document subtly but
clearly expresses the so-called "baptismal theology" and the new
ecumenist ecclesiology of "partial churches" outside of the One
Church. Both it and the document "Relations of the Orthodox Church with
the Rest of the Christian World," which recognizes the existence of
"heterodox churches," are unorthodox texts which must be rejected by
the Orthodox Church.
In conclusion, the overwhelming majority
of the faithful in Greece were greatly disappointed with the "Cretan
Council" and are looking forward to its clear rejection by the hierarchies
of the Local Churches which did not attend, first of all which is the venerable
Church of Georgia, but also from the Church of Greece's own hierarchy, the
pre-council decisions of which were uncanonically set aside by the Archbishop
of Greece when he and his retinue accepted the "historical name" of
"heterodox churches."
2. What was the resonance of the
position of the Georgian Church in Greece?
~ The Church of Georgia stands, at this
moment in history, as light unto the Faithful everywhere and their hope for the
unity of the Church and a future victory of Orthodoxy over the new heretical
ecclesiology of syncretistic ecumenism. In particular, the pre-synodical stance
of the Holy Synod and His Beatitude, Patriarch Ilia II, with regard to the
unorthodox texts on marriage and on the heterodox, as well as the Patriarch's
epistle sent to the Patriarch of Constantinople during the Council itself,
explaining the reasons for not attending, gave great joy to the Faithful
everywhere and especially in Greece. The Faithful in Greece are now looking to
the Georgian Church to stay the course and remain strong, standing fearlessly
on the firm rock of the confession of faith in the One and Only Body of Christ,
which is the Orthodox Church, the salvation of the world. We ourselves are
engaged in a terrible struggle against antichristian forces in our country,
which are openly working for the uprooting of the Christian Faith from Greece.
Syncretistic ecumenism is a part of this antichristian agenda. Thus, the
witness of the Georgian Church is immensely important.
3. What was your impression of
meeting with the Patriarch of Georgia?
~ Our meeting with His Beatitude was the
highlight of our visit and a great blessing. His words and graciousness were an
encouragement to us in our struggle for the saving Faith and against the new
ecclesiology of ecumenism. It was clear to us that the Patriarch and Hierarchy
are committed to Orthodox unity and will not be swayed to entertain any of the
divisive innovations introduced in Crete. His Beatitude showed us that he
understands that only on the basis of the Orthodox confession of faith in the
One Church and rejection of the new ecclesiology can "the unity of the
faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit" be built and remain steadfast.
His Beatitude assured us that for the Church of Georgia "there are not
many churches, but only one Church, the Orthodox Church," and that he and
the Holy Synod will "work for the unity of all the Orthodox," which
can only be assured on the basis of the Faith once delivered.
We will be forever grateful to His
Beatitude Ilia II, the reverend metropolitans and pious clergy and faithful of
the Church of Georgia for the exceptional hospitality and loving-kindess they
showed to us during our visit. It is our prayer that our short visit will be
the beginning of a close and fruitful cooperation between the faithful of
Georgia and Greece on the all-important matters of the Faith which binds us
together in Christ and His Church. May it be blessed!
- - -
This
interview was conducted in August of 2016 and published in the August-September
editon of the Monastery's Journal.
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