SACRED METROPOLIS

OF DRUINOUPOLIS, POGONIANE AND KONITSA

 

 

Protocol No.96                                                                                                                                                                            In Delvinakion, the  25th of September 2009.

 

TOP PRIORITY

 

To His Beatitude Archbishop Hieronymos

of Athens and All Greece,

Chairman of the Holy Synod

in Athens

 

Your Beatitude, Mr. Chairman,

I have been informed by a reliable source that during the meeting of the “Dialogue” Committees of the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholics, which is to take place in Cyprus in the forthcoming month of October, the matter of primacy and infallibility of the Pope will be discussed.

As regards the primacy, there are persistent rumours that are saying the Orthodox intend to accept the primacy as a “primacy of honour” of the pope, the way it actually used to be, before the papists excised themselves from the Church.  Nevertheless, the pope himself will continue to regard it as a “primacy of power”.  If that is the case, then what will ensue?  Is there perhaps going to be a certain unacceptable compromise?  

Personally speaking, I am absolutely unable to accept something like this.        

And what is to be done about that notorious “infallibility”?

It is my opinion, therefore, Your Beatitude, that:  a) You must make known to the venerable Hierarchy the persons that will comprise the Orthodox Committee for the “Dialogue”, so that we do not risk sustaining any new humiliation, like the one that we sustained a few years ago at Balamand.  b) You must make known if the members of the Committee have been given the appropriate – Orthodox guidelines, to which it is imperative that the members strictly adhere.

This briefing must be urgently conveyed to the venerable Hierarchy as soon as possible and in fact, with the commencement of the Sacred Corps’ work agenda.

Events are taking their course.  The agony of the Clergy and the People is increasing from day to day.  I beseech you fervently, let us not remain idle.  “Time does not wait”.  We have an immense responsibility before God and our Holy Church.

 

With the above,

I remain,

The least among brothers in Christ,

†  Andrew of Druinoupolis, Pogoniani and Konitsa