Orthodox Church of Greece (Holy Synod in Resistance)
Encyclopedia
The Orthodox Church of Greece, Holy Synod in Resistance, is a traditionalist Greek Orthodox jurisdiction following the traditional (Julian
or Old) church calendar. They are separated from the Church of Greece
, considering it to be in error since its adoption of the secular (New or Revised Julian Calendar
) calendar in 1924. Its beliefs and customs are in uniformity with those of all Eastern Orthodox Church
es. It is opposed to the ecumenical movement on the grounds that ecumenism
is a violation of Church teaching regarding the primacy of the Orthodox Church, though it expresses strong support for religious toleration. It does not deny that New Calendarist bodies or Orthodox involved in the ecumenical movement are with Grace, as do the other Old Calendarists in Greece
, but considers them to be ailing and in error. It does not maintain communion with the New Calendarists and ecumenists. This church is in communion with the Old Calendar Orthodox Churches of Bulgaria
and Romania
and that part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
which did not unite with the Russian Orthodox Church
in Moscow
, in May of 2007, forming a coalition of nearly one million traditionalist Orthodox Christians. The current Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Holy Synod in Resistance, is Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili (since 1986). Its hierarchy is distinguished by their theological education and publishing activities. The New Calendarist Orthodox Churches often refer to the Old Calendarists as being in schism. The Synod in Resistance describes itself as "walled off" from the New Calendarists and the "right-believing flock" within the ailing Churches. It does not appear to be hostile in its relationships with these Churches.
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
or Old) church calendar. They are separated from the Church of Greece
Church of Greece
The Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
, considering it to be in error since its adoption of the secular (New or Revised Julian Calendar
Revised Julian calendar
The Revised Julian calendar, also known as the Rectified Julian calendar, or, less formally, New calendar, is a calendar, originated in 1923, which effectively discontinued the 340 years of divergence between the naming of dates sanctioned by those Eastern Orthodox churches adopting it and the...
) calendar in 1924. Its beliefs and customs are in uniformity with those of all Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
es. It is opposed to the ecumenical movement on the grounds that ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
is a violation of Church teaching regarding the primacy of the Orthodox Church, though it expresses strong support for religious toleration. It does not deny that New Calendarist bodies or Orthodox involved in the ecumenical movement are with Grace, as do the other Old Calendarists in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, but considers them to be ailing and in error. It does not maintain communion with the New Calendarists and ecumenists. This church is in communion with the Old Calendar Orthodox Churches of Bulgaria
Old Calendar Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria is an Orthodox Church which follows the traditional Orthodox liturgical calendar, or Julian Calendar...
and Romania
Old Calendar Romanian Orthodox Church
The Old Calendar Romanian Orthodox Church is an Orthodox Church that uses the old-style Julian calendar. This church was split in 1925 by Metropolitan Glicherie, formerly a member of the Romanian Orthodox Church...
and that part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia , also called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, ROCA, or ROCOR) is a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church....
which did not unite with the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, in May of 2007, forming a coalition of nearly one million traditionalist Orthodox Christians. The current Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Holy Synod in Resistance, is Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili (since 1986). Its hierarchy is distinguished by their theological education and publishing activities. The New Calendarist Orthodox Churches often refer to the Old Calendarists as being in schism. The Synod in Resistance describes itself as "walled off" from the New Calendarists and the "right-believing flock" within the ailing Churches. It does not appear to be hostile in its relationships with these Churches.
External links
- The Official Homepage (English & Greek)