Home Θέματα Εκκλησία Papa Lefteris Shows the Way To A Church Independent Of the Patriarchate!!

Papa Lefteris Shows the Way To A Church Independent Of the Patriarchate!!

29
1070

EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis): Hundreds of faithful of Australia followed Papa Lefteris to his new home, an unknown church in Castlemaine, where he was invited to do what he does best – be a priest.  He has been practicing there for a few weeks now, and he turned this inactive Church into a major center for the Orthodox people of Australia…   Papa Lefteris has formed a new non-profit religious organization, and he has received all the necessary permits from the Australian government to perform all religious ceremonies.

And so he does… He shows the way to all of us… We do not need to be under any Archbishop and any Patriarchate.  We enjoy all religious rights and freedoms and we can wave good buy once and for all to all the Ottomans who are here for one reason and one reason only – to milk us for all we got… And to form country clubs for the wealthy. 

Enough is enough… Follow Papa Lefteris’s example.  Find a priest who has faith in Christ.  Then find a Church, one of the many that were abandoned the last few years. And there you go… No tens of thousands of $$$ annually to the Sultans of New York and Istanbul and no faithless “supervision”… 

And please do not tell me about Church hierarchy and “apostolic succession”… There was no hierarchy in the first three centuries after Christ… There was no need for mediators in “succession” – it came directly from Christ himself…

In Communism, as in centuries of Christianity, one truth became clear: Hierarchies create unwarranted privileges and exploitative elites… No more… Let’s go back to the basics… Back to Christ…

============================

SOURCE – NEOSKOSMOS.COM

Εκατοντάδες ακολούθησαν τον παπά-Λευτέρη στο Castlemain για την Γιορτή των Σταφυλιών

Φωτογραφικά στιγμιότυπα από την λειτουργία και το γλέντι στο Castlemain.

Έχει πολλούς και φανατικούς πιστούς ο παπα-Λευτέρης που επιμένει, σαν άλλος Καζαντζίδης να φωνάζει «Υπάρχω».
Έτσι, λοιπόν, την περασμένη Κυριακή βρέθηκε στην Γιορτή του Σταφυλιού, στην Παναγία Castlemaine.
Μπορεί οι περισσότεροι να μην γνώριζαν ότι υπάρχει ναός της Παναγίας στο επαρχιακό Castlemaine (λέγεται ότι δεν έχει λειτουργήσει εδώ και 25 χρόνια), αλλά μόλις άκουσαν ότι η Ελληνική Ορθόδοξη Αδελφότητα “Άγιος Παΐσιος” Αυστραλίας, οργανώνει Γιορτή των Σταφυλιών εκεί, με τον παπα-Λευτέρη, έσπευσαν εκατοντάδες από την Μελβούρνη.
Ο παπα-Λευτέρης τέλεσε την πρώτη του λειτουργία στον συγκεκριμένο ναό μεταξύ 9 και 11πμ. ενώ στις 11.30πμ. ακολούθησε η ευλογία των σταφυλιών.
Ακολούθησε το καθιερωμένο πανηγύρι στο προαύλιο της εκκλησίας με πλούσιο φαγοπότι και τη μουσική ψυχαγωγία να επιμελείται ο DJ Joe και οι εκατοντάδες ομογενείς που πήγαν στην εκδήλωση ξεφάντωσαν μέχρι το απόγευμα.
Παλαιότερα, ο παπα-Λευτέρης οργάνωνε την Γιορτή των Σταφυλιών, στην Παναγία Καμαριανή, την εκκλησία που ο ίδιος ίδρυσε και υπηρέτησε μέχρι την παύση του από την Αρχιεπισκοπή.
Στην Παναγία Καμαριανή έγινε την περασμένη Κυριακή το Πανηγύρι του Ταύρου.

 

29 COMMENTS

  1. You don’t want me to tell you about church hierarchy and Apostolic Succession? You are a schismatic, my friend!

    So far, all you have said and done have been very good, but now you have crossed a line. Do you not know that the Apostles themselved ordained Deacons, Priests and Bishops, like Timothy and Titus, to whom St. Paul wrote letters, after ordaining them? Please get a copy of the Orthodox Study Bible and read a little each day. Your intentions are good but your method is flawed. Less politics and more Bible Study please.

    Woe to those by whom scandals come, and woe to those who are scandalized.

    • We prefer to stick to the essence of Christ’s word than waste our time and effort in serving abusive hierarchies! Yes we have crossed a line! For the second time on my life I discovered how hierarchical structures have the capacity to destroy ideals. The first I was a young socialist and at age twenty I quit.
      Finally, the commonest suggestion on the “possible way out” of our current misery in Church from many of you over the past few years was this: “We should return practicing our faith in our homes, as early immigrants to America did!!!”

    • Φίλε μου ζεις πίσω στην σκοτεινή πλευρά του
      Φεγγαριού, άλλο Εκκλησία και άλλο αυτοί που
      την διοικούν. Εκκλησία δεν είναι οι εγκαταστάσεις , δεν είναι τα κτήρια αλλά οι
      πιστοί που διψούν να νιώσουν να γευθούν την
      αληθινή πίστη από σωστούς λειτουργούς κληρικούς που πιστεύουν στην ύπαρξη του Θεού
      και τις εντολές του. Δεν ξεπέρασε τα εσκαμμένα
      ο Παπά Λευτέρης αλλά ο ανώτερος του ο οποίος
      όχι μόνο δεν σεβάστηκε τον κατώτερό του και το
      έργο του , αλλά με την συμπεριφορά του προσπάθησε να τον κονιορτοποιήσει σαν άνθρωπο, σαν κληρικό και σαν οικογενειάρχη ο
      οποίος βοηθούσε όλους εκτός από τον εαυτόν του
      ( αναφέρομαι και στο οικονομικό μέρος).
      Ο δρόμος τον οποίον ακολούθησε ο Πσπά Λευτέρης είναι αυτός που του υπέδειξαν ο Θεός
      και οι χιλιάδες πιστοί που τον ακολουθούν. Θα
      μπορούσε να τα παρατήσει όλα και να πάει στο
      σπίτι του, αυτό το κάνουν οι δειλοί και οι άπιστοι
      που στα δύσκολα το βάζουν στα πόδια εγκαταλείποντας Θεόν και ποίμνιον. Ο καλός
      ποιμένας δεν αφήνει το ποίμνιό του να γίνει βορά
      των λύκων, διότι οι περισσότεροι από τους σημερινούς ηγέτες τις Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας μας
      είναι χειρότεροι και από τους λύκους , διότι είναι
      αχόρταγοι. Γνωρίζεις πως η διαφορά μεταξύ Ιερέως και Αρχιεπισκόπου είναι μόνο ένας βαθμός; , να σου το εξηγήσω γιατί φαίνεσαι και
      αγράμματος. Οι βαθμοί της Ιερωσύνης είναι τρείς
      my friend, Διάκονος, Ιερεύς και Επίσκοπος , όλα
      τα άλλα είναι τίτλοι , δηλαδή βερνίκι σε αγυάλιστο
      παπούτσι…… Τα θεμέλια πάνω στα οποία στηρίζετε η Εκκλησία είναι ο Χριστός και η ακράδαντος πίστη των πιστών , Ο αείμνηστος
      Επίσκοπος Μελόης Μακαριστός Φιλόθεος που
      διάβαζε τα κείμενά μου, μου είπε κάποτε πως αν
      ήταν στο χέρι μας , εμείς που διοικούμε την
      Εκκλησία θα την είχαμε ήδη καταστρέψει , αλλά
      ευτυχώς προστατεύεται από τον ίδιο τον Χριστόν.
      Σήμερα ζούμε αυτό που αναφέρει ο Άγιος Ιωάννης
      ο Θεολόγος στην αποκάλυψη, πως θα έλθει μια
      μέρα σωστό ρασοφόρο ….. θα πρέπει να διανύσεις πάρα πολλά χιλιόμετρα. Έτσι και στην
      Μελβούρνη της Αυστραλίας ο κόσμος τρέχει και
      ακολουθεί τον Παπά Λευτέρη , να τον ακούσουν,
      να τον αγκαλιάσουν και όλοι μαζί να γίνουν
      συγκινονούντα δοχεία , πίστης και αγάπης που
      παρέχουν την νόστιμη γεύση της Ελπίδας.
      Προσπάθησε φίλε να ξεκολλήσεις να αλλάξεις
      πλευρά στο φεγγάρι και να εισέλθεις εις την
      φωτεινή του πλευρά για να δείς το φως το αληθινό που θα σε οδηγήσει στη σωστή σκέψη και το σωστό δρόμο.

  2. Congratulations to Papa Lefteris!!
    You mean he’s really free of answering to that fraudulent Archbishop Makarios?
    This is spectacular.

  3. Let’s make HELLENISCOPE Greater than before.
    Many thanks to all our viewers for your love and
    exceptional interesting and meaningful messages.

    Ελάτε όλοι μαζί να κάνουμε το HELLENISCOPE
    σπουδαιότερο από πρώτα.
    Ευχαριστούμε για την αγάπη σας και τα άκρως
    ενδιαφέροντα μηνύματα.

  4. Nick, what you are proposing is called Protestantism. Break away from the church and start your own church. Not everyone is going to like Fr. Lefteris, should they then break away and start another church. I must admit, that I am amazed you did not know there was a hierarchy in the early church. Please, as mentioned, read Timothy and Titus and see the qualifications for hierarchy. After reading the those Epistles let’s continue the discussion.

    • Thank you for your suggestions and it maybe worth reading. Are we in American Orthodoxy today going to spend the rest of our lives correcting the failures of our hierarchy? So many of you have been proposing to me returning to practicing our faith in our homes… Have we all suddenly become Protestants? No, but we see that we cannot survive as faithful Christians in the current structure of this church. And we cannot spend the rest of our lives fixing something that is inherently broken.

    • What is the meaning of apostolic succession in the current structure of Orthodoxy where all and I mean almost all of our hierarchy all the way to Bartholomew are so flawed that most faithful would not dare kiss their hand? Sorry to burst your bubble but journalism has made me very cynical…

    • Jk those hierarchs you are talking about were quite different than today’s ones.
      Do you remember the damage Meletios
      Metaxakis did to our Orthodox Church
      with the shim of the calendar? , all the
      other orthodox churches remained with the
      old calendar and we are the only ones we
      celebrate Christmas with Catholics .
      The heads of our Church are puppets of the New world order don’t you see that P.B is going
      along for the establishment of the new
      ecoumenical church? . Today’s Hierarchs
      are interested in the good life on earth they do not believe anything about eternal
      life , their God is money and power .

  5. Orthodoxy does not exist without its hierarchy. We are fighting to preserve the Orthodox Church, not to dismember it as you propose! You are also wrong if you think YOU can correct the problems in this church. So far you have done the right thing by calling them out, but…when you take matters in your OWN hands and out of God’s hands, you are going way too far. What you are doing is Protestantism. You need to practice patient endurance my friend and let GOD take control. He will do that, just wait and see! Be patient. Patience is the key virtue here.

    • I was known for patience as a teenager. But in my early 60s I tend to see why even Jesus lost his patience a couple of times… When they have turned God’s Temple into a marketplace it is NOT a good time to show patience. It’s definitely the time to RISE UP and chase them out…

  6. And Bartholomaios himself by accepting as the church in Ukraine the sacraments and clergy of those ordained by priests and not bishops ,has himself cast doubt on the hierarchy as we see it.
    I have been reading Hans Kung ,that famous catholic theologian so wise and so critical of the Catholic phanar and it’s system aka Vatican !! How relevant to us especially us Greeks who are seeing a Greek Vatican being formed. Not that Moscow’s third Rome is much better.
    But he articulates our own crisis of hierarchy in 21st century that they try and control and the faithful as if is AD1000.
    As Kung shows and as we need to understand as Orthodox today , the problem is not the hierarchy per se BUT HOW IT EXERCISES POWER which is far from Christ and far from the early church .
    Yes we are not protestants ,and have a apostolic succession. But we need to think harder about what this is and how it exercises authority.
    The orthodox church not just in USA but works wide is in deep crisis. As the late fr Alexander Schmemamn wrote , the church has always lived surrounded by an orthodox culture which today does not exist . Not just in the diaspora but as here in Bulgaria where I live. More secular than UK even. A church commotosed .
    If the faithful left do not wake up to the religion of ‘Byzantism’ , that we being sold all the way to their Swiss bank accounts ,there will be no church. Maybe it needs to die to rise in Christ.

  7. There’s a lot to untangle here, so it’s best that we focus on the essence.

    1) It is clear that papa-Leuteris is adopting a model similar to what St. Gregory the Theologian did when all the parish churches in Constantinople had been taken over by the Arians. Yet, we have to recall that at the time St. Gregory was still a canonical bishop, and not a priest. So that presents a distinct difference.
    https://saint.gr/1161/saint.aspx

    2) We have seen a lot of schisms and in the words of St. Basil “parasynagoges” (παρασυναγωγες) even within the Old Calendar movement in the last 100 years, precisely because individuals started “doing their own thing”. While there is no doubt that papa-Leuteris was properly ordained back in the day, I don’t recall if he merely retired in this case before any defrocking action, or if they proceeded to defrock him for some “kangaroo court” charges…this detail is quite significant, so if anyone knows it, please add it here.

    3) A properly ordained priest has the authority of priesthood. In general, we accept that mysteries performed are valid. However, ecclesiastical taxis for 2000 years still reserves certain privileges for bishops, and not presbyters. This cannot be ignored, and there are boundaries to what priests can do without a bishop, and for how long (aka what constitutes an emergency or extenuating circumstance) before we stray into a state of disorder, parasynagoge, or even schism. A quick example…in the old days, when a bishop died, and it took days or weeks for the news of the “temporary replacement” to make it to the remote villages, were the mysteries performed valid in the interim, when they were commemorating the dead bishop and utilizing the antimension signed by him? Certainly not…but that’s the definition of an extenuating circumstance, which has some kind of “end date”…

    4) In these cases, it is best for some order to be maintained. In Australia, North America, etc, we have a wonderful advantage of a perpetual violation of Apostolic Canons, where there are multiple Canonical Bishops claiming jurisdictional authority over the same city…(how many bishops have the title “of NYC and North America” if you examine the Synod of Canonical Bishops)? That’s fantastic, because every Papa-Leuteris, and every disappointed Greek Orthodox parishioner have the very simple opportunity to find another Bishop (Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Russian, etc), and follow the model that has existed for hundreds of years in the Black Sea, and elsewhere, of Greek-speaking parishes under a non-Greek omoforion…(not because we are advocating ethnophyletism, but because in times of persecution, arbitrary border creation that trapped populations on either side, it was much simpler to accept the trapped populations “as is” than to force them to learn a new language, new customs, etc)…we know that the Georgian Church and the Russian Church has a ton of Greek speaking parishes for hundreds of years. We know the Serbs have a lot of Greek-speaking clergy. You get the point. We’ve said it here before…the letter to Titus says “after the first and second counseling, abandon a heretical man”…If we feel the hierarchy has gone heretical, it’s time to find hierarchy outside the spiritual cesspool, leave the corrupt ones with empty buildings and empty coffers, etc.

    5) Finally, because things are a little more restrictive for priests than for laypeople, we should remind folks that the Canons allow for “easy transfer” (no paperwork) of clergy in times when formal schism is declared. So far, only the Russians have cut ties with Constantinople. Technically, if 2 ancient Churches cut ties (Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Cyprus), that constitutes a formal schism. We know that Alexandria and Cyprus are in the back pocket of Constantinople right now, so that’s unlikely, but if enough other jurisdictions (Serbia, Georgia, etc) follow suit, then it will be easy for clergy to be “absorbed” across jurisdictional lines. These words however, are just to explain what those calling for “patience” are possibly implying…

    Either way, papa-Leuteris is in a very tough predicament if he does not have the option of being “absorbed” by another jurisdiction. This is not going to end well if he doesn’t have that sort of backing, or at least if he doesn’t “cut a deal” with the corrupt hierarchy. The “orderly options” are as stated above.

    • It is too early for making any kind of
      statements.
      God chose Lot to save humanity by
      ordering him to leave Sodoma and Gomorrah because he decided to burn
      them out .
      Most of the today’s Hierarchs remind us
      the citizens of Sodoma and Gomorrah.
      Perhaps Papa Lefteris heard God’s voice
      who told him take your people from the
      sin desert and make a new start .
      As for the canons of the church my friend those are man made, the only right cannons are the 10 commandments God gave to Moses.
      Our Church is not anymore the church that
      Christ established . The word Orthodox means that you cannot add or deduct anything from the scripts and we all know
      that the chiefs….. of our church during the
      course of the time made so many changes
      suitable to them and to their boses…Do you know that many years ago the Hierarchs use to be married ? , I believe
      you know why they made the change,
      they brought back Sodoma and Gomorrah…..yes my friend . Most of the
      people have more respect to the married
      priest than the Hierarchs and I am not
      talking for the few exceptions.
      The followers of Papa Lefteris have high
      respect for him for many things. He is anarhyros ….
      his bank book is always empty he is not
      after money like Makarios who bought
      6,5 millions condo for himself at Sidney.
      He has God’s gift to love and be loved by
      the people. Those are willing to save their
      soul are going after Priest like Papa Lefteris. Those they know Papalefteris for
      many years they say that he never changed he is still like a young boy .
      Unfortunately Markos the cannons have
      been cannibalised by the heads of our
      church timeless.

  8. I’d like to edit a typing error in my previous comment…

    Instead of
    A quick example…in the old days, when a bishop died, and it took days or weeks for the news of the “temporary replacement” to make it to the remote villages, were the mysteries performed valid in the interim, when they were commemorating the dead bishop and utilizing the antimension signed by him? Certainly not

    It should read
    A quick example…in the old days, when a bishop died, and it took days or weeks for the news of the “temporary replacement” to make it to the remote villages, were the mysteries performed INVALID in the interim, when they were commemorating the dead bishop and utilizing the antimension signed by him? Certainly not

    Quite a difference, so apologies for the confusion on the first typo (if the moderators can intervene to edit the original, please do)

    • i agree with you, Markos, my brother in Christ.

      I also believe that there WILL be a schism in the GREEK Orthodox Church soon enough. Elder Ephraim of Arizona predicted it and told us NOT to leave the Church until then. Have you seen any of the monasteries he established in North America jumping ship? No. They, too, are waiting for the schism, as per his instructions. He predicted there would be a schism where all the Ecumenists would join together and those that do not follow, the faithful remnant, will be the true Orthodox Church. According to his words, this remnant will then hold a valid Ecumenical Council and set everything in order. The others who break off with their Ecumenist and greedy friends will go the way of perdition. Now is the time for patient endurance. Do not lose heart or hope. These are not the end times yet, but we are getting near. These are a type of the end times, where we need to exercise faith and patience. When the present seems darkest, the future can only be brighter.

  9. God bless Fr. Eleftherios for getting out & taking his faithful with him!
    Sending love & prayers for his continued victory in land down under

  10. I’ve enjoyed your blog for quite sometime now but now I feel it’s time for us to part ways. I disagree with the viewpoint put forth in this article. I would recommend the author to reread the epistle written by St. Ignatius of Antioch and to watch the movie Man of God which is about St Nectarios of Agina. I weep tears for you my brother and I will pray for you.

  11. I would be very surprised to see any priest in the United States be independent. Considering the lack of transparency as to where our money has been going, it would be welcomed by me.

  12. I completely agree with some of the other commentators. This priest really needs to get a canonical release from his bishop, then be absorbed (received) into another canonical Orthodox jurisdiction. Otherwise, he’s just going to float around and cause controversy. And, we have far too much of that these days!

  13. Starting an independent new Greek Orthodox Christian is an act of great wisdom.

    THE 501(c)(3) INCORPORATED CHURCH©
    “DOWN AND DIRTY”

    By Barbara Ketay

    O.K. Pastors, Evangelists, Missionaries, Deacons, Trustees, Elders…listen up! Let’s stop all the hocus-pocus, the illusions, the scams, the fairy-tales and the out right lies regarding what the 501(c)(3) incorporated church is and is not. For a change, let’s deal with facts. For those of you who don’t understand “facts”, in the legal arena facts are used and are supported by documented evidence which would be admissible in a legitimate court of law. Facts are not hyperbole!

    THE DOWN side of the 501(c)(3) corporation:

    *The creator of a corporation is the State;

    *The State is the sole authority and sovereign head over the corporation;

    *The corporation is subject to the laws of the State which limits its powers;

    *The corporation tion has no constitutionally protected rights, except 14th Amendment;

    *The corporation is an artificial person;

    *The corporation submits to a State Charter declaring it is a creature of the State;

    *The corporation is created for the benefit of the public;

    *The corporation is a State franchise;

    *The corporation is a privilege granted by the State.

    https://libertychurchproject.com/Mission.aspx

  14. I think this is the problem with the age of the internet and instant communication. That is not how things happened over the long history of the Church. Everyone needs to take a chill pill and let the Holy Spirit work.

    Father did right to leave a Church of vipers and heretics. He is a gentle and decent man and a Godly priest. He is validly ordained and will take proper care of his flock in the short term. Now let the Holy Spirit work.

    If Father leads his people into faithful and canonical Orthodox (which is does not have today) under a good and learned bishop and hierarchy, he will be blessed forever.

    If he tries to set himself up as the new hierarch, whether in name or in fact, of his people outside of canonical Orthodoxy, it will be sad that a good priest has given over to delusion.

    But to be clear the vicious and evil hierarch he is leaving will never give him a canonical release and anything these vipers do would be of dubious legitimacy.

    So let’s give this man, who has been a faithful man of God for decades, the benefit of the doubt and a little bit of breathing room. We will all know soon enough if he does it in a way pleasing to God. I have faith that he will and will pray daily for him and his flock.

    A century or so ago those of us in a different land would hear about these things years later when dust had settled. Give Father the benefit of the doubt based on his long life of faithfulness and a little time to do what he is doing. And trust the Holy Spirit a little more.

    I am rooting for Father and more importantly praying for him. I would not be surprised if he is not even now discussing finding a home for his flock in the Russian or Serbian Churches.

    Until then, pray more and judge less. May God have mercy on me a sinner.

  15. We need a Patriarchate…a real Patriarchate, ROCOR, Antiochian, OCA. We’re not Protestant…we are Apostolic as in Apostolic succession.

    • Yes we do need a REAL Patriarchate… Which one is the big question!… Certainly not the Istanbul Patriarchate is the one answer we know so far… And before we find a REAL Patriarchate we need to DETACH…

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here