by Nick Stamatakis
“We come to you at the eleventh hour, praying that, for the sake of Orthodox unity in
America, you will not proceed with this ordination. Moreover, we ask that you propose to the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate that it reverse its decision to elevate this individual to the Episcopacy, whose conduct and canonical status have caused, and will continue to cause, so much division among the Orthodox Christians of the United States.”
With these stern words, four members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops (ACOB) in America send their final warning to AB Elpidophoros regarding the much-heated issue of the ordination of Alexander Belya to Episcopacy (after he was defrocked by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). You can read the short letter, a true final warning, dated August 11, 2023, here ASSEMBLY OF BISHOPS RESPONSE LETTER TO AB ELPIDOPHOROS. You can also read it at the end of this post.
The letter is signed by Metropolitan Saba, Vice-Chairman Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Bishop Longin, the Serbian Orthodox Bishop, Metropolitan Nicolae, Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, and Metropolitan Tikhon, Orthodox Church in America.
AB Elpidophoros follows Pat. Bartholomew’s already failed contrarian strategy of going ahead with controversial, one-sided decisions and actions that are against the Orthodox Canons, Faith, and Traditions, and above all, they are not Synodical. It’s a road leading to disaster, one more schism in Orthodoxy. But they do not seem to care. Maybe because their globalist puppet masters have ordered them to do so, to destroy Orthodoxy? Pat. Bartholomew and AB Elpidophoros, as delusional as the rest of the Western leadership, cannot come face-to-face with their mistakes in Ukraine and the even more brutal reality of their complete and total rejection everywhere, especially in Mt.Athos and America.
August 14, 2023, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
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BELOW YOU CAN READ THE LETTER OF THE ASSEMBLY OF BISHOPS
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ASSEMBLY OF CANONICAL ORTHODOX BISHOPS OF THE USA
August 11, 2023
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
10 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075
Your Eminence, Beloved Brother in Christ,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
It was with sorrow and disappointment that we received your letter of August 7, 2023, regarding your intention to ordain Alexander Belya to the Holy Episcopacy in spite of our concerns and objections. Our position, as expressed in letters dated June 27, 2022, July 12, 2022, and January 19, 2023, has not changed.
Therefore, we come to you at the eleventh hour, praying that, for the sake of Orthodox unity in America, you will not proceed with this ordination. Moreover, we ask that you propose to the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate that it reverse its decision to elevate this individual to the Episcopacy, whose conduct and canonical status have caused, and will continue to cause, so much division among the Orthodox Christians of the United States.
Wishing you a blessed Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, we remain,
Your brothers and concelebrants,
Metropolitan Saba, Vice-Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Bishop Longin, Serbian Orthodox Bishop of New Gracanica-Midwestern America
Metropolitan Nicolae, Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas
Metropolitan Tikhon, Orthodox Church in America
CC: His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
His Beatitude, Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East
His Holiness, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia
His Beatitude, Patriarch Daniel of Romania
Axios!
I assume that Elpi/Bart will go ahead with this ordination despite the warning. I hope I am wrong but they have shown their hubris and pride know no bounds. Because Bart & Elpi see themselves as “first without equals”, they see no need to pay attention to their brother bishops.
Maybe this will be the final catalyst do break-up the AOB which is nothing more than an apparatus of the EP.
A line has been drawn into the sand. We can only hope and pray that these ‘whack-a-doodles’ come to their senses!
EVERYTHING Elpidoktonos touches turns poisonous!
Thank God they are standing their ground.
Of course, this means that if Elpi proceeds, a defacto ceasing of Communion with the rest of the jurisdictions will likely follow, so each person will have to understand for themselves what that means…
Ugh. Awful stuff. But……….I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear that citizen Alex croaked under mysterious circumstances. You know, the henchmen(4,700 miles away) of you know who might be sent. No need to say anymore. Everyone knows which side Elpidipity is on.
I commend them for standing their ground…but in my worthless opinion…every Hierarch should have followed ROCOR and broken communion with the EP when he decided to create the destructive schism in Ukraine.
If they don’t want Belya enthroned, they need to come up with bigger suitcases of cash for the Phanar and for El Pido than the ones Belya brought.
We need someone to make the first move
towards to our own church we need someone like Papalefteris of Melbourne
Australia , some one like Agios Paisios
who went against the Trader Patriarch
Athenagoras , we need some one to go
against Bartholomeu and Elpi , I clearly see
that they both the game of Papa …..
Correction: they both play the game of Papa…..