Η ΓΝΗΣΙΑ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΙΚΗ ΔΙΑΔΟΧΗ ΤΑ ΤΕΛΕΥΤΑΙΑ ΕΚΑΤΟ ΕΤΗ (1908 - 2008)
"ΚΑΙ ΠΥΛΑΙ ΑΔΟΥ ΟΥ ΚΑΤΙΣΧΥΣΟΥΣΙ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣ"

The Gates of Hades Shall Not Prevail Against the Church

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave a promise that upon the Confession of His Holy Apostles, He would build His Holy Church and that "the gates of hades shall not prevail against her." In accordance to Christ's promise, from the day of Pentecost until now, the true Apostolic Succesion has been passed down without interruption and without obliteration and is found only within the Church which upholds that very Confession of the Apostles, without corruption or compromise. Thus, the Apostolic Confession and Apostolic Succession has not failed to exist on the face of the earth, despite the persecutions waged against the Church from the time of the Holy Apostles and even in our own days, where thousands of martyrs have shed their blood for Christ, among them even bishops. The Apostolic Confession and Apostolic Succession has not ceased to exist in our day, despite the fact that the heresies have ever increased in their slander against the Church of Christ, and especially in these days when the majority of the world, and among them many "Orthodox" hierarchs, and even so-called "Genuine Orthodox" hierarchs, have completely abandoned the Spotless Bride of Christ (the Genuine Orthodox Church) and have instead chosen the Whore of Babylon (the pan-heresy of Ecumenism) to be their mother. But the fact that the Apostolic Confession and Apostolic Succession has survived in the "little flock" of our Heavenly Shepherd, can only be described as an endless reoccuring miracle.

This continuous miracle was repeated again recently, when Greece was left once again with only one Orthodox Confessor Hierarch, Metropolitan Cerycus. Truly, all the opponents and traitors believed that the Apostolic Confession and Apostolic Succession would come to an end, and that hardly anyone would remain loyal to that very Confession and Succession kept by and preserved in Metropolitan Cerycus. But contrary to their thoughts, not only has the Confession of Faith and Apostolic Succession again been preserved and transmitted, but also the real Genuine Orthodox Church in Greece has increased in strength through the very fact that the Genuine Orthodox Churches of Cyprus, Russia and Africa (with which the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece has been in communion for decades), as well as the Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania (which ascended from the catacombs only recently) all found Metropolitan Cerycus to be a worthy and faithful hierarch. Thus, these churches did not seek to be in communion with any of the “synods” consisting of numerous but yet traitorous bishops. Instead they chose to be in communion with that one remaining Hierarch who courageously fought for the Truth. Even if alone, because he was with Christ, he held the majority. Through him the Apostolic Succession has again been preserved and transmitted, not only within Greece, but throughout the world! Thus, with great symbolism that can only descend from the providence of God, the Apostolic Succession has been preserved and transmitted to our own time through the consecrations of 1908, 1935, 1948, 1995 and 2008. These events occurred as follows:

In 1908, Archbishop Theocletus of Athens (of the then Orthodox Church of Greece) consecrated Bishop Germanus of Demetrias, while Ecumenical Patriarch Joachim III (of the then Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate) consecrated Bishop Chrysostom of Florina. In 1918 and again in 1921, Bishop Germanus of Demetrias served as President of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece. In 1924, the new calendar was uncanonically introduced, and both Bishops Germanus of Demetrias and Chrysostom of Florina were against the innovation but complied with it temporarily. In 1929, Bishop Germanus of Demetrias refused to sign the condemnation against the old calendarists, while Bishop Chrysostom of Florina did sign it, but immediately became very ill, which led to his resignation. He was since known as the former Bishop of Florina. In 1935, eleven years after the new calendarist schism in Greece, Bishops Germanus of Demetrias and Chrysostom of Florina (who were both consecrated before the schism of 1924) denounced the innovation and declared the genuine Confession of Faith that the new calendarists are schismatics and therefore possess invalid mysteries. They immediately assumed the leadership of the Genuine Orthodox Christians with more than 800 parishes in Greece, which had remained faithful to the Orthodox Liturgical Calendar. Bishops Germanus of Demetrias and Chrysostom of Florina read a cheirothesia on Bishop Chrysostom of Zacynthus and received him into communion as the third bishop. They then elected four new bishops to create a seven-member Synod.

In 1935, Bishops Germanus of Demetrias and Chrysostom of Florina consecrated Bishop Matthew of Bresthena and three others. In the same year, three bishops denied the Faith and returned to new calendarism. In 1937, two more bishops denied the Confession of Faith and founded the ecclesiological heresy of Florinism. In 1943, another bishop denied the Confession of Faith and created a schism. From 1943 onwards, Bishop Matthew was the only remaining Confessor Hierarch left in Greece, who had not compromised or denied the Confession of Faith. In 1944, Bishop Matthew of Bresthena (of the GOC of Greece) received into communion the clergy and faithful of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Cyprus, who, according to the canonical charter of the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus, had elected the Athonite Archimandrite-Abbot Gideon as their spiritual head and petitioned for his consecration. In 1948, Bishop Matthew, assisted by 12 archimandrites (as an act of economia due to the inexistence of any other canonical and truly-confessing Orthodox hierarch in Greece), fulfilled the petition of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Cyprus, and consecrated Archimandrite-Abbot Gideon, renaming him Spyridon and giving him the title of Trimythus in Cyprus.

In 1948, Bishop Matthew of Bresthena (of the GOC of Greece) together with Bishop Spyridon of Trimythus (of the GOC of Cyprus) consecrated Bishops Andrew of Patras, Demetrius of Thessalonica and Callistus of Corinth. Many more consecrations followed. In 1958, Bishop Agathangelus of Tenus was elected Archbishop of Athens. In the same year, 13 Hierarchs gathered under Archbishop Agathangelus and blessed Holy Chrism. By 1970 the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece consisted of only five Hierarchs (Andrew, Demetrius, Callistus, Bessarion, Gregory), while the Genuine Orthodox Church of Cyprus consisted of only one Hierarch. (Epiphanius). In 1970, Metropolitan Philaret of New York (of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad) began correspondence with the Genuine Orthodox Churches of Greece and Cyprus and declared that he recognizes them as valid. In 1971, Bishop Callistus of Corinth (of the GOC of Greece) together with Bishop Epiphanius (of the GOC of Cyprus) traveled to America and presented the Confession of Faith to the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Metropolitan Philaret and his fellow bishops accepted this Confession of Faith and approved it. In this manner, the Genuine Orthodox Churches of Greece and Cyprus accepted the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad into communion by the rite of Confession of Faith, as an act of economia. Due to the demands of the Florinites, the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad decided to read a “plain cheirothesia” on the two Matthewite Bishops. When Metropolitan Epiphanius objected to this, it was explained to him that it was not a real cheirothesia, but was simply be a prayer of absolution. Bishops Callistus and Epiphanius returned to Greece and explained the “cheirothesia” in this manner to their fellow Hierarchs. In 1972, Bishop Andrew of Patras was elected Archbishop of Athens and President of the Holy Synod. In 1974, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad expressed a view contrary to the Confession of Faith agreed upon in 1971. For this reason, in 1975, Bishops Callistus of Corinth and Nicholas of Piraeus traveled to New York and attempted to persuade the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad to return to the Confession of Faith. But the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad did not repent. Thus, in 1976, the Genuine Orthodox Churches of Greece and Cyprus severed communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad until such a time that the Russians return to the correct Confession of Faith (but this return never happened, except for in the extreme minority "Russian Orthodox Church in Exile" which declared the true confession only for the first time in 2002, while the great majority of what was once the "Russian Orthodox Church Abroad" submitted to the Sergianistic and Ecumenistic Moscow Patriarchate in 2007). During the 1980s the Catacomb Church of Russia began corresponding with Archbishop Andrew of Athens, and many communities entered into communion with him in 1991. During the 1980s, the Orthodox Diocese of Kenya began correspondence with Archbishop Andrew of Athens, and a number of communities entered into communion with him in 1993. By 1995, there were only three truly Confessing Hierarchs left in Greece (Andrew, Nicholas, Pachomius) and only one left in Cyprus (Epiphanius).

In 1995, Archbishop Andrew of Athens, assisted by two other bishops, consecrated Bishop Cerycus of Mesogaea and four others. In 2004 and 2005, four hierarchs reposed (Andrew, Epiphanius, Gorgonius, Panaretus). Of the remaining hierarchs, four (Nicholas, Pachomius, Andrew, Chrysostom) created a schism and officially espoused heresies and blasphemies, while two (Galaction, Tarasius) did not sign the heretical statements and protested against the schismatic activity, but remained in communion with the schismatics. From 2005 onwards, Bishop Cerycus of Mesogaea was the only canonical and truly-confessing Hierarch left in Greece. From the very beginning in 2005, the Genuine Orthodox Church of Russia supported Bishop Cerycus. From the beginning in 2005, only one priest and parish in Cyprus supported him, but by 2007 the majority of priests and parishes of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Cyprus returned to communion with Bishop Cerycus. In 2007, the Genuine Orthodox Diocese of Kenya also restored communion with him. From 2006 onwards, since the repose of Metropolitan Vitaly, various clergy and parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile began petitioning Bishop Cerycus. In 2007, the Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania commenced official dialogue with Bishop Cerycus (unofficial dialogue had existed since 2002). In 2008, the Genuine Orthodox Churches of Greece, Cyprus, Russia and Kenya received the Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania into full ecclesiastical communion.

In 2008, Bishop Cerycus of Mesogaea (of the GOC of Greece), assisted by Bishop Gerontius of Vrancea (of the GOC of Romania), and with the written approval and agreement of Bishop Cassian of Bacau (of the GOC of Romania), consecrated Bishop Matthew of Kenya (for the GOC of Africa), Bishop Seraphim of Kiev (for the GOC of Russia) and Bishop Parthenius of Citium (for the GOC of Cyprus). Thus, whereas the external enemies and internal traitors planned the destruction of the Church, the Lord intervened yet again, and the Church has once again arisen in triumph and her enemies have been shattered. Truly, this fulfillment of the Lord’s promise, is a great miracle that has occurred repeatedly in the past 100 years (1908-2008), and at the precise intervals of 1908, 1935, 1948, 1995 and 2008.

Since the last Triumph of the Church in 2008, the Genuine Orthodox Church is rising in every other region of the world, with laymen, communities and even priests coming from the east and west, from the north and the south, from the far corners of the world, bringing many regions once enlightened by the Apostles back into the Genuine Orthodox Church. Thus, even where the Apostolic Confession and Apostolic Succession has been lost, and these nations toiled in the depths of hades, yet the gates thereof have not prevailed. They have been shattered and continue to be despoiled, and the Light of the Resurrection is beginning to shine upon them once again. Indeed, the Lord has kept his promise, that upon the Faith of the Apostles (the Apostolic Confesion and Apostolic Succession), He has built His Church, and "the gates of hades shall not prevail against her." Glory be to God for all things!