A Response to: “Gabriel of Lisbon, Eulogius of Milan and Angelus of Aulona”

It appears that the so-called Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece under the Synod of Metropolitan Cerycus of Mesogaea and Laureotica is not content with its own growth or lack thereof. In a recent article entitled, “Gabriel of Lisbon, Eulogius of Milan and Angelus of Aulona” on the web site the so-called Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece has launched an attack upon our moderate yet traditional jurisdiction, the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Western Europe and the Americas (popularly known as the “Milan Synod”).

Here I shall address their attacks in the order they have provided them. Our own parish priest, the Reverend Father Raphael Johnson, Ph.D. of Pokrov Mission Parish in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania has likewise responded to this scandalous article, here. The reader will see that this GOC group is disingenuous in its accusation of another synod witnessing True Orthodoxy. Read their other writings and converse with them and you will discover their blatant hubris, lack of charity, and void of mercy. One who is without love is dead. This GOC appears not to live by the spirit of the Law that leads to Love but according to the letter of Sacred Canons that can only bind themselves to a fate in hell. We pray that the hearts of the author(s) of the article and for the leadership of their jurisdiction may be softened by Divine Grace so that greater blessings may be theirs.

(1.) Regarding the late Bishop Gabriel of Lisbon’s involvement with the fraudulent “seer” known as “A Santa da Ladeira”.

This unfortunate drama occurred on Wednesday 2nd January 2000 in Lisbon, Portugal. Yet, Bishop Gabriel of Lisbon was under the Orthodox Church of Poland since 1989. It is interesting to note that the Serbian Orthodox Church, South America´s Deanery website claims “the Metropolita Gabriel de Lisbon (Portugal) who belonged to Polish Orthodox Church” in 1986. And the website of the Orthodox Catholic Church of Portugal (which Bp Gabriel founded in 1990) accounts for his repose on February 18, 1997. Perhaps the author(s) claim of Bp Gabriel’s involvement was due to the fact that he was buried in the same Orthodox Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercies where the unholy event took place?

(2.) “The above clearly demonstrates what kind of “bishops” Auxentius Pastras would readily consecrate, and how this blasphemous “Western European Synod” came into existence.”

These claims have clearly demonstrated nothing since the author(s) have gotten the dates and the players wrong. They choose instead to scandalize the dead in the persons of Archbishop Auxentius of Athens and Metropolitan Gabriel of Lisbon.

(3.) “In June, 1984, Auxentius consecrated a second Portuguese bishop, James (Tiago), without the knowledge of part of his Synod.”

This is far from the truth. Fact is, on 17th March I984 Archbishops Auxentius and Gabriel, together with Metropolitans Maximos, Kallinikos, and Gerasimos, consecrated Bishop Tiago (James) of Coimbra in Portugal.

(4.) “Both Auxentius and Gabriel had promised before God, the hierarchs and the priests present at that time that James (Tiago) would remain as Gabriel’s assistant, so that he would not be able to take part in the consecration of another bishop with Gabriel. However, in October, 1984, we were informed to our astonishment that the two Portuguese ‘bishops’ had consecrated yet another Portuguese bishop and two Italians, with the blessings and prayers of Auxentius, and the participation of Metropolitans Gerasimus, Maximus, Germanus and Athanasius of Larisa.”

Look at this statement carefully. The author(s) are obvious in their self-contractions. First there is a so-called promise that Bp. James would not be able to co-consecrate another bishop with Bishop Gabriel. Then the author(s) admit that three Portuguese and two Italians were made bishops with the participation of four other bishops from Abp. Auxentius’ Synod. So where was the so-called promise broken? How was it a secret with four Greek hierarchs not only present but also participating? We do not believe such promises were made.

(5.) “One of the new bishops, the Italian Gregory of Aquileia, turned out to be a fervent supporter, if not worshipper, of the fascist dictator Mussolini! Evidence of this fact is the following One of the new bishops, the Italian Gregory of Aquileia, turned out to be a fervent supporter, if not worshipper, of the fascist dictator Mussolini! Evidence of this fact is the following”

The “following” so-called facts offered by the author(s) were excerpts of an interview with Abp Gregorios wherein he recounted his past; that is, his youth and early adulthood. Nothing having to do with who he was and what he believed at the time of the interview was offered as “facts”. Does the reality of repentance and forgiveness not exist? Again this GOC group attempts to attack the dead. Abp Gregorios (Bacolini) reposed February 2, 1997.

(6.) “Moreover, Auxentius – acting completely on his own this time, now gave this new group a “Tome of Autonomy”! It appears that the “Tome of Autonomy” was signed by Auxentius alone…”

The tomos of Autonomy was in fact signed only by Abp Auxentius but only after having consulted with the other hierarchs of the Holy Synod. This would be in reference to the decree of autonomy granted to the True Orthodox Church of Greece’s Eparchy of Portugal and all-Western Europe overseen by Metropolitan Gabriel.

(7.) “However, this newly established “Autonomous” Synod never met to the requirements of attending the Greek Synod every year.”

Having an ‘autonomous’ rather than an ‘autocephalous’ status the new Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Portugal and Western Europe was required to attend the annual Synod meeting of its mother-church being the True Orthodox Church of Greece under Abp Auxentius of Athens. What the author(s) of this scandalous article do not tell you is that, the following year the Auxentian Synod had splintered leaving Abp Auxentius to repair the remnant of his synod. In practical effect there was no longer a mother church to report to. It is for that reason, under the 2^nd chief hierarch, that this Western European Old Calendar Orthodox Church entered into communion with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kievian Patriarchate under to first two Patriarchs previous the current Filaret.

(8.) “In 1987 this newly “autonomous” Church split up, with the Freemason Metropolitan Eulogius of Milan joining the Cyprianites for a while before being received into the Polish Orthodox Church. In 1990 Metropolitan Gabriel followed, claiming that he had not known that Auxentius confessed that the new calendarists had no grace, which, he said, was a “heretical opinion”. . . In 1990, Eulogius of Milan, together with Gregory of Turin and Vigile of Paris, created a new Synod, the so-called “Milan Synod’.”

First I wish to address the most unforgivable accusation that our 2^nd and current Chief Hierarch was/is a Freemason. Nothing can be farther from the truth. While it is true Met. Evloghios has established chivalric orders, one can find the same in the Churches of Moscow Patriarchate, Constantinople Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church in America to name three. This is not the same as the Masons who are themselves anathema to Holy Orthodoxy.

His Eminence Archbishop John of New York & New Jersey has stated:

“The metropolitan is not a freemason. He has said this to me and to anyone who will listen. No one seems to listen, and no one seems to want to listen. The metropolitan is constantly frustrated by these attacks, the rejection of his denials and the obsession with forgers and other nut-jobs who continue to spread these rumors. Serious journalism should replace the muck-raking so common in the Greek Old Calendar movement. No real Mason who is trying to keep his identity a secret will put anything in writing, or go blabbing about creating (yet unnamed) “masonic orders” to whomever. That’s not how real Masons operate. In fact, masons have a history of trying to smear churchmen they do not like by encouraging rumor-mongering about “masonic membership.” It’s a tactic. The metropolitan could post things all over denying his Masonry, but it will do no good. The Matthewites and other enemies of the synod will merely call it a “Masonic trick” and ignore it. Hence, there is limited utility in responding to these never-ending attacks, they will continue no matter what is said, posted or understood. Honesty and truth are not the motive here, but simply attacking all non-Matthewites. There is nothing “masonic” about the Milan synod. It follows the teachings of the Greek Old Calendarists to the letter, and believes all that the ancient Orthodox church teaches without exception. If the metropolitan is a Mason, where are the marks of masonic activity? Why are we constantly under attack from the real Masons at the Phanar?”

The rumor of Metr. Evloghios being a Freemason had its origins in the smear campaign by our former bishop in France, Vigile, who had abandoned the Synod and was subsequently deposed. Bp Vigile was thorough but not without errors in creating false documents, letters and membership card which he posted on the internet. Apparently some of these false documents have survived and are being used on the website of this so-called Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece.

Secondly, Metropolitan Evolghios was never part of either the so-called “Synod in Resistance” of Metropolitan Cyprian (aka ‘the Cyprianites”) or the Orthodox Church of Poland. As an archimandrite Fr Evloghios was under Metropolitan Anthony Bloom of the Russian Orthodox Church. Moscow ordered that all Western Rite parishes be either closed, changed over to Eastern Rite or allowed to leave without penalty. Archimandrite Evloghios accepted the blessing to leave and joined the Old Calendar Greek Church under Archbishop Auxentius. He was elevated to the episcopacy on September 9, 1984 by Metr. Gabriel and Bp. James as instructed by Abp Auxentius. It was in 1987 that Metropolitan Gabriel and all other hierarchs in Portugal themselves fell into schism by leaving the traditionalist Autonomous Orthodox Church of Western Europe to join the modernist Church of Poland. In 1990, Metropolitan Evloghios was elected as the 2^nd Chief Hierarch. There was no new synod to be created. The Autonomous Orthodox Church of Western Europe that received its ‘autonomy’ from Abp. Auxentius and headed by Metropolitan Gabriel of Lisbon is the same that Metr. Evloghios of Milan was elected to as its 2^nd primate. The nomenclature, “Milan Synod” and “Holy Synod of Milan” were created around 1998 by those of us in America as an unofficial nickname for the jurisdiction since “The Autonomous Orthodox Church of Western Europe and the Americas” was a mouthful to say.

(9.) “To understand what this Milan Synod stands for, one must first take a look at the character and person of Eulogius of Milan. Firstly, Eulogius was a member of the Moscow Patriarchate during the 1970s, when Communism was at its peak in Russia. He was under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Metropolitan Nicodemus (Nikodim) of Leningrad, who was a secret Papist, and the most Ecumenistic bishop of the Sergianist Moscow State “Church.” Here is a photograph of Eulogius as an Archimandrite together with Metropolitan Nicodemus of Leningrad.”

“To understand what this Milan Synod stands for, one must first take a look at…” the mission statement on the website of the Archdiocese of New York & New Jersey [here]. Then call Archbishop John in New Jersey, call Metropolitan Evloghios in Milan. Talk with them yourself. The real lesson that the author(s) of this questionable article teaches is, Be careful with whom you have your picture taken! As we have already mentioned, when the former Archimandrite (now Metropolitan) Evloghios of Milan was in the Moscow Patriarchate he was under Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom).

(10.) The author(s) again harp on the false accusation of Metr. Evloghios being a Freemason and witnessed by our former and deposed bishop Vigile of France.

Nothing more to be said here.

(11.) “Eulogius of Milan consecrated a well-known active homosexual, the former Roman Catholic priest, as “Bishop” Giovanni Climaco Mapelli.”

Seems very reasonable that a person who does not run in the gay community nor reads the news about the gay community would not know the who’s who and the what’s what in the gay community. Metr. Evloghios had no knowledge that this Giovanni Mapelli was a notorious homosexual well known to the secular world. Likewise, Mapelli did not represent himself openly and honestly to the Metropolitan. The GOC author(s) of the article under criticism are once again in error of the facts. Mapelli was never made a bishop but rather a deacon. Once the truth was revealed about this unrepentant scoundrel he was immediately deposed. Soon thereafter Mapelli had himself “made” a bishop in one of the Old Catholic vagante groups but Mapelli still calls himself an Orthodox Bishop while living and working in Milan. <sigh>

(12.) “In 2008, Angelus of Aulona separated from the Macarian faction of the Florino-Acacians…”

What is this to the so-called Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece? Metr. Angelus, as they stated, was of a different synod or jurisdiction of Old Calendar Greeks than they. This reminds me of a family who has far greater interests in the family next door than the one they themselves are living in. Fact is Metr. Angelus was disillusioned by the sectarianism, in-fighting and overall hypocrisy of many in the Old Calendar Greek Church movement. He had decided that his only safe spiritual refuge was with the Milan Synod. Simple as that!

(13.) “It is advised to all Orthodox Christians to have nothing to do with this impostor, Eulogius of Milan, or any of the so-called bishops in communion with him. If any of you have unfortunately found yourselves in this false parasynagogue, flee far away as possible from it, and join yourself to the real Genuine Orthodox Church.”

So says the devil! Our advise to all Orthodox Christians is to pray and discern the particular jurisdiction you are considering to join. Get information first hand. What does your own face-to-face experience of the hierarchs, clergy and laity in that jurisdiction tell you?

(14.) “The real Genuine Orthodox Church is the Synod of Metropolitan Cerycus of Mesogaea and Laureotica of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece and the local Genuine Orthodox Churches in communion with him, in Russia, Romania, Cyprus, Kenya and throughout the world.”

Such is the self-promotional article at the expense of our traditional yet moderate witness of Holy Orthodoxy that teaches us to love our enemies not just ourselves. May God have mercy on us all!

–Rev. Fr. Stavrophoremonk Symeon
The Hermitage of St. John the Theologian
Archdiocese of New York and New Jersey
Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of
Western Europe and the Americas

January 30 o.s., 2009 Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cyrus and John