Kythira, Greece, September 26, 2019
On Sunday, September 22, Abbot Archimandrite Theologos of the Monastery of St. Elijah on the island of Hydra, Archpriest Nicholas Savvopoulous, the former representative of the Greek Church to the EU, and Hieromonk Hierotheos Savvopoulos concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine at the Kiev Caves Lavra.
In a letter to Met. Onuphry, the priests also praised the Ukrainian primate’s humility and wisdom and called on the Ukrainian flock to remain faithful to the canonical Church and to its primate Met. Onuphry. They also called upon the Greek hierarchs to stand for canonical order and not to abide the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s invasion of the Ukrainian Church’s canonical territory.
The letter became public knowledge after it was published by Romfea, raising the ire of His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim of Hydra, Spetses, and Aegina, who had blessed the clerics to go on pilgrimage to Ukraine.
His Eminence contended that the priests had deceived him, hiding their intentions of meeting with Met. Onuphry and expressing their support to him. “They hid their fraudulent plan to concelebrate with Metropolitan Onuphry and their intention to declare loyalty to the Patriarchate of Moscow and condemn the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” Met. Ephraim wrote.
However, the letter says not one word about “declar[ing] loyalty to the Patriarchate of Moscow,” but rather speaks of loyalty to the canonical norms of Orthodoxy and of love for the suffering Ukrainian people. It is unfortunate that the Ukrainian issue is often painted as a battle between the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Moscow by supporters of Constantinople.
Since then, another Greek hierarch has come to the priests’ defense, arguing that it is unacceptable to punish those who uphold the canons. Met. Ephraim had also indicated that they could face canonical punishments.
His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythira and Antikythera is one of the few Greek hierarchs who has spoken out against Constantinople’s interference in Ukraine. He has called for a pan-Orthodox council to settle the matter several times, and he urged Pat. Bartholomew to cease communication with the schismatics, though the Patriarch obviously did not heed his words.
Met. Seraphim again broached the topic of the Ukrainian crisis in his words on the feast of the Panagia Myrtidiotissa Icon on Tuesday, calling upon all the Patriarchs and Primates to respect the accepted canonical order of the Church.
The Greek prelate stated:
It is unacceptable that worthy clergy are being persecuted because they publicly displayed their respect for the Holy Canons and Canonical Order of the Church which in the matter of Ukraine have been disrupted in many ways. The prudence and illumination of the Holy Spirit should prevail “on both the shepherds and those who are being shepherded.”
Though Met. Seraphim did not mention Met. Ephraim by name, it is clear from the context what situation he is referring to, as several Greek outlets have reported, and Constantinople-aligned sites have reacted bitterly against Met. Seraphim’s words.
