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− | == '''The History of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania''' ==
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− | ''by Fr. Anthimos''
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− | At 1859, the provinces of Walachia and Moldavia elected Alexandru Ion Cuza as their common
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− | prince. The same year saw the organization of the Romanian Orthodox Church as a distinct
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− | jurisdiction within the Orthodox Church. At 1861 the two provinces united and were recognized by
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− | the sultan as the autonomous Principality of Romania with its capital at Bucharest. In 1881,
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− | Romania declared itself a kingdom, and at 1885 the Ecumenical Patriarch recognized the
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− | establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
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− | At 1924, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced into the Romanian Church by Metropolitan Miron
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− | (Cristea) (1868-1939), a former Uniate bishop. This innovation was received without protest by the
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− | majority of the Romanian people. However, the Holy Skete of Prokrov in northern Moldavia
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− | remained faithful to the church calendar under the leadership of its abbot, Hieromonk Glicherie
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− | (Tanase). A few other priests and faithful also refused to recognize the innovation. In 1925, the
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− | New Calendarist Patriarch of Constantinople recognized the autocephaly of the New Calendar
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− | Church of Romania, and Metropolitan Miron assumed the title of Patriarch.
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− |
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− | '''The Romanian Old Calendarists'''
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− |
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− | At November, 1925, Father Glicherie, together with Hierodeacon David (Bidascu), fled to the
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− | Coroi Ravine, away from the authorities, where they built a hut in which to spend the winter. In the
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− | spring, they built a larger hut with a chapel. In time, they were joined by Hieromonk Pamvu and
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− | two of his brothers, Veniamin and Galaction. In 1926 and 1929, Patriarch Miron ordered the
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− | celebration of Pascha according to the papal paschalion. This raised a storm of protest in parts of
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− | Romania. Metropolitan Gurias of Bessarabia openly criticized the Patriarch, and defied the order
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− | by directing the churches of his Metropolis to celebrate Pascha according to the Orthodox
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− | Paschalion. The White Russian clergy of Bucharest also ignored the order and continued to follow
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− | the Orthodox Paschalion. Many Romanians were shocked by this latest innovation, and began to
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− | return to the Genuine Orthodox Church. By 1936, Hieromonk Glicherie had built about forty
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− | churches, mostly in Moldavia.
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− | At 1936, Father Glicherie went to Athens with Father Ghimnazie and another monk from the
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− | Holy Mountain in the hope that the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece would consecrate one of
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− | the Athonite Fathers as a bishop for the Romanians. The Romanian fathers were expelled by the
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− | civil authorities before this could take place.
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− | At 1935, Patriarch Miron decided to stamp out the Genuine Orthodox Church. He ordered the
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− | destruction of all the Genuine Orthodox churches and the imprisonment of all the Genuine
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− | Orthodox clergy. During the persecution of 1935-1939, at least ten Genuine Orthodox priests were
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− | either killed or died in prison. Among the martyrs were Hieromonk Pambo, founder of the
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− | Monastery of Dobru, and Fathers Gideon and Theophan. Also among the holy martyrs who
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− | suffered during this persecution were five lay people who were thrown into the well of the
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− | Monastery of Cucova and drowned. Hieromonk Glicherie was also arrested and taken to
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− | Bucharest, where he was sentenced to death. The Most Holy Theotokos intervened to save his
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− | life, appearing to the wife of the Minister of Justice and ordering her to intercede with her husband
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− | for Hieromonk Glicherie. Her husband, heeding his wife's advice, commuted the death sentence
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− | and ordered Father Glicherie imprisoned in a monastery. By 1940, the government and New
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− | Calendarists had destroyed all the churches and monasteries of the Genuine Orthodox.
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− | At the outbreak of the war, Father Glicherie and other confessors of the Faith were set free, and
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− | fled into the forests. There they lived lives of incredible hardship, not once lighting a fire for fear of
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− | revealing their location. Father Glicherie's companion during this time of suffering was
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− | Hierodeacon David (Bidascu).
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− | After the war, there began the labour of rebuilding the destroyed churches and monasteries. In
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− | 1947, Hieromonk Glicherie began building the Slatioara Monastery, dedicated to the Holy
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− | Transfiguration of our Saviour. The same year, the women's Monastery of the Holy Protection was
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− | founded at Bradatel Neamt by Abbess Macariai. By 1950, almost all of the destroyed churches
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− | and monasteries had been rebuilt. However, the Genuine Orthodox Church was still without
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− | bishops and suffering from a desperate shortage of priests.
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− | It was decided to offer the leadership of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania to the retired
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− | Metropolitan Galaction (Codrun), who had protested the adoption of the new calendar. In 1955,
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− | Metropolitan Galaction accepted the offer and returned to the Genuine Orthodox Church. He
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− | made a public confession of faith announcing his return, and was accordingly "deposed" on Great
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− | and Holy Thursday, 1955, by the New Calendarists under Patriarch Justinian (Miron Cristea died).
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− | Metropolitan Galaction immediately went to Moldavia, where he ordained a number of priests and
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− | deacons. Very soon, though, he was arrested. Later he was allowed to live under house arrest in
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− | Bucharest, and performed ordinations secretly at night. Soon, however, Metropolitan Galaction
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− | saw that his strength was waning. He was the only Genuine Orthodox bishop in Romania, and it
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− | was impossible to obtain the cooperation of bishops from outside the country because of the
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− | persecution of the state. Like a number of other Genuine Orthodox hierarchs of the twentieth
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− | century, Metropolitan Galaction was forced to the extraordinary measure of consecrating a bishop
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− | single-handedly, so that his flock would not be left orphaned.
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− |
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− | '''First Synod'''
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− |
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− | At 1956, Metropolitan Galaction consecrated Father Evloghie (Ota) to the episcopate, and then
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− | the two of them together consecrated Father Meftodie (Marinache). Afterwards, these three
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− | consecrated Hieromonk Glicherie to the episcopate. Metropolitan Galaction designated Bishop
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− | Glicherie as his successor. The Metropolitan, worn out by age and by his suffering for the Faith,
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− | reposed in 1957 and is buried at the Monastery of Slatioara.
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− | At 1967, Hieromonk Pahomie rebuilt the Monastery of the Holy Trinity at Cucova, which had been
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− | razed by the government at 1937.
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− | At 1968, Archimandrite Silvestru (Onofrei), the secretary of the Holy Synod, was consecrated to
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− | the episcopate.
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− | During all these years, the struggle of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania was largely
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− | unknown to the outside world. At 1977, the Romanian priest Father Basil Patracescu visited the
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− | Monastery of Sts. Cyprian and Justina, which was then under the Synod of Archbishop Auxentios.
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− | Later that year the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Cyprian, visited the Genuine Orthodox
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− | Church of Romania. On his return to Greece, he reported favourably on the Romanians, and the
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− | GOC of Greece conceived a desire to establish relations with the GOC of Romania.
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− | Also at 1977, Bishop Meftodie reposed, and Archimandrite Cozma (Lostun) was consecrated by
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− | Metropolitan Glicherie and Bishop Silvestru.
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− | At 1977-1978, Bishop Cozma rebuilt the Slatioara Monastery, which had been destroyed by the
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− | Communists. (The Cyprianite Bishop Ambrose denies that the monastery was ever destroyed, but
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− | says a new wing was added at this time.)
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− | At 1979, Bishop Evloghie reposed, and in 1981 Archimandrite Dimosten (Ionita) was
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− | conscrecrated to the episcopate. The Holy Synod then consisted of Metropolitan Glicherie, Bishop
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− | Silvestru, Bishop Cozma, and Bishop Dimosten.
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− | At 1983, Metropolitan Glicherie fell seriously ill. No locum tenens was appointed, but Bishop
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− | Silvestru took upon himself the leadership of the Holy Synod.
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− | '''
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− | Relations with Greek old calendar synod'''
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− |
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− | Also at 1983, Metropolitan Kallistos of Corinth withdrew from his synod over ecclesiological
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− | issues, and Metropolitan Antonios became the president of the Kallistite synod. At 1984 the
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− | Kallistites joined the Synod of Metropolitan Gerontios, but Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili
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− | refused to accept this, and founded a new synod together with Bishop Giovanni of Sardinia. Due
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− | to his close personal ties with the Romanians, Metropolitan Cyprian managed to remain in
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− | communion with them, and thus the GOC of Romania came to be in communion with the
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− | Cyprianite synod. Bishop Cozma at this time protested against the false Cyprianite ecclesiology.
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− | The same year, there was a serious fire, which was probably set by government agents, at the
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− | Slatioara Monastery. The fire burst out in five or six places, and several military incendiary phials
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− | were found in the monastic cells. Bishops Silvestru and Dimosten accused Bishop Cozma of
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− | deliberately setting the fire and of being an agent of the Securitate (the Communist secret police).
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− | It is believed that these bishops falsely accused Bishop Cozma because he strongly held fast to
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− | the strict ecclesiology and would not allow any change of ecclesiology through communion with
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− | the Greek "Synod in Resistance" under Cyprian of Oropos and Fili. Bishop Cozma was cast out of
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− | the monastery and was not allowed to communicate with Metropolitan Glicherie, who was guarded
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− | by Hieromonks Vlasie, Benjamin and Mireas. It is thought by some that Hieromonk Vlasie, the
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− | brother of a Securitate agent, may have been one of the real conspirators in the fire. This Father
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− | Vlasie was soon elected as the new abbot of Slatioara. Bishop Cozma wrote to the Communist
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− | dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, asking for an investigation of the fire at Slatioara. The authorities
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− | never responded to his letter, and never conducted any formal investigation.
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− |
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− | '''Against cyprianites and persecutions'''
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− |
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− | To combat the errors of the Cyprianites, Bishop Cozma founded the National Committee for the
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− | Salvation of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Romania. The Communist authorities exiled
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− | Bishop Cozma to his native village, Negru Sarului. The other bishops and clergymen began to
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− | spread malicious lies, rumors and slanders against the person of Bishop Cozma. This they did, in
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− | hope that all of the Romanian Old Calendarists would turn against him. Metropolitan Glicherie,
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− | who was very ill, wanted to speak to his spiritual son, Bishop Cozma, but the other clergymen
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− | would not let any meetings take place.
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− | At 1985, Bishop Cozma sent a letter to the Synod of the TOC (Cyprianite) of Romania, saying: "If
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− | even one of the 200 accusations against me is proven to be true, please depose me. I want to
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− | meet with my spiritual father, the Metropolitan!" The Synod did not reply to any of Bishop Cozma's
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− | letters. Bishop Cozma was again investigated by the communist police and he was confined to his
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− | native village.
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− | That same year, the blessed Metropolitan Glicherie reposed in the Lord, and Bishop Silvestru was
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− | elected as Metropolitan of the GOC of Romania. Also at this time, Metropolitan Silvestru and
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− | Bishop Dimosten consecrated Abbot Vlasie to the episcopate. Archimandrite Ghenadie was
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− | consecrated to the episcopate either at this time or in 1988. Bishop Cozma wrote to the new
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− | Metropolitan Silvestru, accusing him of changing the ecclesiology of the church, of secluding
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− | Metropolitan Glicherie and not informing him of the false ecclesiology of the Cyprianites, and of
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− | not permitting Bishop Cozma to meet with Metropolitan Glicherie. Metropolitan Silvestru did not
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− | reply to Bishop Cozma's letter.
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− | From 1985 to 1989, Bishop Cozma was forcefully isolated by the demands of the government and
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− | was constantly spied on by the communist secret police. He could not contact any other Genuine
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− | Orthodox Christian Church in the world, although he endlessly tried. Bishop Cozma began
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− | constructing the Monastery of Dornelor on his parents' property in his native village.
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− | '''
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− | Freedom and a new church'''
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− |
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− | At 1989, the Communist regime collapsed, and the dictator Ceaucescu and his wife were
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− | executed. At 1990, the Synod under Metropolitan Silvestru was officially legalized and recognized
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− | as a religious association by the Court of Suceava. Metropolitan Silvestru died at 1992, and
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− | Bishop Vlasie was elected as Metropolitan. Also, Archimandrite Pahomie was consecrated to the
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− | episcopate.
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− | Bishop Cosmas announced that he was severing every ecclesiastical communion with the Synod
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− | under Metropolitan Vlasie, due to the fact that they had accepted the heretical ecclesiology of the
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− | Cyprianites and because they ware spreading malicious lies and slander against the person of
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− | Bishop Cozma. In an article, he wrote that he refused to recognize the church under Vlasie, of
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− | which he wrote, "The Genuine Orthodox Church in which I worked and served all my life is not this
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− | one. Everything has changed. They have introduced a new ecclesiology and modernism has
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− | entered in among them. I however, continue to be the Bishop of the same Genuine Orthodox
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− | Church as my spiritual father, Metropolitan Glicherie, not this new "Church" that Vlasie has now
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− | created. Vlasie and his company are a shame to Orthodoxy!"
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− | At 1992, the Synod of Metropolitan Vlasie consecrated Sofronie (Otel) and Teodosie (Scutaru) to
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− | the episcopate. The same year, Metropolitan Vlasie accepted Archimandrite Anthony of Lavardac,
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− | France, into his jurisdiction. Soon, however, Anthony left Vlasie to join the Serbian Patriarchate. At
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− | 1995, Bishop Cozma fell seriously ill. Construction on the catholicon of the Dornelor Monastery
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− | ceased. At 1997, the relics of Blessed Metropolitan Glicherie were exhumed and found to be
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− | fragrant. The Synod under Vlasie officially glorified Metropolitan Glicherie as a saint. Though he
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− | was ill and unable to walk, Bishop Cozma travelled to the Slatioara Monastery to venerate the
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− | wonderworking relics of his spiritual father. But Metropolitan Vlasie dismissed Bishop Cozma and
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− | would not permit him to enter the monastery grounds.
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− |
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− | '''Under the omophor of GOC of Greece'''
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− | By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece and the Diaspora,
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− | lead by the Holy President, Metropolitan kyr Kallinikos, Metropolitan of Ftiotidos, from 5/25/2001 in
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− | Athens, the people of Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania were received under the omophorion
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− | of Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece. His Eminence, Metropolitan Christopher of Mesogaia
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− | was elected Exarch for Romania. Also, His Eminence Cosmas was received as a retired bishop.
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− | Metropolitan Cozma reposed in the Lord February 17th / March 2, 2002 + Memory Eternal.
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− | '''Sources:'''
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− | 'Bichir, Anthim, priest - "Relation between Genuine Orthodox Church of Romania and Genuine
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− | Orthodox Church of Greece" - 2001
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− | Boldewskul, Victor. "The Old Calendar Church of Romania: Short History," Orthodox Life, Volume
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− | 42, No. 5 (Oct.-Nov. 1992), pages 11-17.
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− | Cyprian, Metropolitan of Oropos and Fili. "The True Orthodox Christians of Romania," The
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− | Orthodox Word, Volume 18, No. 1 (102) (Jan.-Feb. 1982), pages 5-15. (Compiled and translated
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− | from the Greek by Archimandrite [now Archbishop] Chrysostomos.)
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− | Stavrianos, L.S. The Balkans Since 1453 (New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1958).
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− | Vlasie, Metropolitan. The Life of the Holy Hierarch and Confessor Glicherie of Romania.
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− | Translated by Sorin Comanescu and Protodeacon Gheorghe Balaban. (Etna, CA: Center for
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− | Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, 1999).
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| == Hierarchs == | | == Hierarchs == |