Metropolitan Jeremiah of Gortynia reasoned his refusal to sign the document of Pan-Orthodox Council

Metropolitan Jeremiah of Gortyniah announced he did not sign a Pan-Orthodox document “Relationships of the Orthodox Church with the rest Christian world” since it is erroneous from the dogmatic perspective. He reports about is in the address to his parish on the occasion of Crete Council, as reported by Agionoros.ru.

“How could it happen that the Holy and Great Council in Crete called heterodox heretic communities “Churches”? They said, wrote, and signed a term “heterodox Christian Churches”. Well, does it mean now heretics have also become the “Church”? Then what ONE SINGLE CHURCH are we talking about in the Symbol of Faith?”, His Eminence resented.

Metropolitan Jeremiah reminded that the delegation of the Greek Orthodox Church violated their obligations at the Council to defend a unanimously adopted position of the Holy Synod and a proposed correction “Christian confessions and communities”. 

According to Met. Jeremiah, the most horrible thing is that having called heterodox as a Church, they added weight to that and presented the matter so as if this position were historically grounded: “The Orthodox Church recognizes a historic name of other heterodox Christian churches and confessions – but what does “historic name” mean? When and where did Holy Fathers call schisms and heresies “Churches”?  Nowhere and never!”  

“The most regretful” the Metropolitan called the fact of signing an “erroneous from the dogmatic and ecclesiastic point of view proposal” by Primates of Local Churches and many delegations of the Council.

Metropolitan Jeremiah thanked Metropolitan Hierotheus and other archbishops who also refused to sign the text mentioned. He compared their position with the behavior of Mark of Ephesus who was the only one to have refused to sign a union with the papal adherents at the Council of Basel-Ferrata-Florence (1431-1449).

Metropolitan Jeremiah declared that being a bishop, he accedes to those who refused to sign the document which is “erroneous from the dogmatic point of view”. “We, Gortyniah and Megalupol diocese, support them as they do not recognize heresies and schisms as “Churches”. 

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