Rethymno, Crete, Greece, August 15, 2023
A hierarch of the Church of Crete immediately responded to the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church’s call to bring a certain cleric under control who is well-known for his online attacks against Church personalities.
Metropolitan Prodromos of Rethymno stated:
In response to reports in the media about a derogatory post by a clergyman of the Holy Metropolis of Rethymno and Avlopotamos against His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, it is absolutely clear that insults and mockery from a clergyman, directed at any person, especially at a primate of an Orthodox Church, are not acceptable and strongly condemned.
Similar behaviors will not be repeated and will not be tolerated in the future.
Every dialogue on any matter requires only logical arguments and mutual respect, with an understanding of the position and responsibility that each person holds.
Everything else is from the evil one!
Blessed feast of the Dormition!
The Albanian Church and Met. Prodromos are referring to Archimandrite Romanos (Anastasiadis), who repeatedly attacked Abp. Anastasios, the primate of the Albanian Church for expressing his support for His Eminence Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchin, the persecuted hierarch of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church who was recently sentenced to five years in prison.
The archimandrite accused the Archbishop of supporting the “Russian world” political theory and the war in Ukraine because he spoke out against the imprisonment of a bishop.
In fact, he has repeatedly attacked Abp. Anastasios over the years because he refuses to recognize the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” which was created by Patriarch Bartholomew, who is the focus of Fr. Romanos’ faith and online activity.
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