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Old Calendarists

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From April 23rd to April 26th 1935 the ordination of four new bishops took place. Ordained were the Archmandrites: Germanos (Barikopoulos) as Bishop of Kyklades, Christoforos (Hatzis) as Bishop of Megaris, Polycarp (Liosis) as Bishop of Diavleia, and Bishop Matthew (Karpathakes) of Bresthena).[http://www.hotca.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71:the-change-in-the-calendar-of-the-church-of-greece&catid=23:goc-history&Itemid=71]
====The Florinite/Matthewite schism====By the 1940s, two parties had formed within the Church of Greece: the [[Florinites]] (under Metropolitan [[Chrysostom (Kavourides) of Florina]]) and the [[Matthewites]] (under Bp. [[Matthew (Karpathakis) of Bresthena]]). The issue had been the formerschism originated in Metropolitan Chrysostom's vacillation on whether hesitation to consider the mysteries of the State Church were still grace-filled. Both sides had their respective justifications for their positionsas graceless, and both were violently persecuted by whereas the state. The Matthewites were holding a more consistently applied position, but were accused adherents of ignoring Bishop Matthew (the existence of flexibility within "Matthewites") maintained the rigorist position: that State Church's tradition. That they labelled the Florinites as a whole as opportunists who were trying to ingratiate themselves with the state was unfortunate, and not altogether true for the followers of Metropolitan Chrysostom, schismatic and so the parties became psychologically distincttherefore graceless.
In the end1948, a real physical division was formed, whereas a real doctrinal division ended: Bishop Matthew singlehandedly consecrated another bishop, and together they made more new bishops, furthering the rift and causing many former Matthewite clergy to join ranks with the Florintes. After the death of Bishop Matthew, however, Chrysostom of Florina reaffirmed the decision of 1935 declaring the New Calendar State Church as [[schism]]atic. Two The declaration had two basic motivations have been given, neither of which has been universally accepted for why this was done: (1) ''Political''-- That the move was primarily political to stop any growth among the Matthewites and (2) ''Irenic''-- to heal the more commonly acceptedMatthewite schism. Nonetheless, that he did so in the hope of uniting all the True Orthodox Greeks into one jurisdiction. In any case, irenic gesture went unheeded and the Matthewites proceeded to elect Archbishop Agathagelos to the rank of Primate of Athens in 1958.
We will deal first with the major divisions of the Florinites, since their divisions have generally been larger and more permanent in nature, and then the Matthewites.
====Divisions within the Florinites====
After the death of Metropolitan Chrysostom, the Florinites had no bishops, and Metropolitan Chrysostom advised his flock to go under the protection of the Matthewite bishops. Fearing the repercussions, however, the Florinites opted to seek a new hierarchy and appealed to Bishops of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] to help them. In 1960, Archimandrite Akakios Pappas was made a bishop with the title of Bishop of Talantion for these communities without the official blessing of the ROCOR Synod by [http://www.roca.org/life_of_archbishop_seraphim.htm Archbishop Seraphim of Chicago] and Bp. Theophilos Ionescu, a Romanian New Calendar Bishop under the ROCOR. The following year, the ROCOR elected and ordained Archimandrite Petros Astyfides as Bishop of Astoria in order to serve as archpastor of the Greek Old Calendarist immigrant communities in the United States and Canada. Later Bp. Akakios of Talantion and Archbishop Leonty of Chile (ROCOR) ordained five more bishops in Greece. Thus in 1961, Akakios of Talantion became the new First-Hierarch of the restored Florinite Synod. He died, however, in 1963. The Synod thus proceeded to elect Auxentios Pastras, Bishop of Gardikion, to be their new leader as Archbishop of Athens. The ROCOR under Metropolitan Philaret eventually recognized the validity of the secret consecrations in 1969.
'''[[Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece (Lamian Synod)|The Makarian Synod (Lamian Synod)]]''': In 1995, a resistance faction of six bishops formed within the synod of Chrysostom (Kiousis) and separated itself over what they claimed to be a series of canonical infractions, headed by Metropolitan Kallinikos of Lamia. The charges related to the trial of Metropolitan of Thessaloniki Euthymios (Orphanos), who had been charged with moral infractions, and the election of Bishop Vikentios (Malamatenios) of Avlona as Metropolitan of Peiraeus. By early 1997, the bishops headed by Kallinikos of Lamia had fragmented into three groups, one of which reconciled with Archbishop Chrysostom (Kiousis). A second group, Paisios Loulourgas (Met. of America) and Vikentios Malamatenios (titular Bp. of Avlona), submitted to the Ecumenical Patiarchate. Later that same year, Kallinikos of Lamia and Euthymios of Thessaloniki proceeded to ordain five [[bishop|titular bishop]]s in an attempt to create a new synod. In 2003, they finally decided to elect a primate, and elected Makarios (Kavakides) of Athens. A good deal of their membership was then lost, as many who did not see themselves as separate from the Kiousis synod were forced to decide between the two.
====Divisions within the Matthewites====
For all the negative press the Matthewites have received over the years due to the strictness of their position, their church has been strangely free from long lasting schisms. Only two separations are worthy of note from the main body, and while they had the potential to destroy the unity that exists within the Matthewite True Orthodox Church of Greece, they did not.
'''[[Genuine Orthodox Church (Matthewite)|The Synod of Metropolitan Kirykos]]''': Originally not a schism proper, Metropolitan Kirykos and two other bishops of the synod refused to recognize the retirement of Archbishop Andreas or the enthronement of the new Archbishop, but continued to remain a member of the Synod of Archbishop Nicholas. Finally, in 2005, after several attempts, the Synod of Abp Nicholas endeavored to depose Metropolitan Kirykos, who has since added five Bishops to his Synod in a number of countries.
 ====[[Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Romania|Romania]]====The history In 1924, Metropolitan Miron of the Church of Romania introduced the New Calendar for use in the Church. Although most Romanians accepted the change, the skete of the Protection of the Theotokos in northern Moldavia rejected it. In 1925, led by Hieromonk Glicherie, some of True Orthodoxy the brethren left the skete to start an Old Calendarist group. When, in 1926 and 1929, Metropolitan Miron ordered Pascha to be celebrated according to the Gregorian Paschalion, a large number of faithful, including Russian émigrés, left the Church of Romania has a rich history and goes back to 1924joined the Old Calendarists. By 1936, the Old Calendarists numbered about 40 parishes. Most Beginning in 1935, at the order of Metropolitan Miron, the faithful are currently Old Calendarists were under persecution. By 1940, ten Old Calendarist priests had died in prison, and all of the omophor Old Calendar churches had been shut down. Hieromonk Glicherie was imprisoned, but, at the beginning of World War II, released. By 1950, with the release of Hmk Glicherie and other priests from prison, many of the churches were rebuilt. In 1955, Metropolitan Vlasie Galaktion left the Church of Romania to serve the Old Calendarists, and immediately ordained new priests and his subordinate deacons. However, he was soon arrested, and placed under house arrest in Bucharest. While under house arrest, Metropolitan Galaktion consecrated three other bishops, including Hmk Glicherie, who, in 1957, became the Metropolitan of the True Orthodox Church of Romania. Romania was given Bishops Since 1980, the Synod has been in full communion with the Synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece presided by Metropolitan Kallistos of Corinth, then with the synod under Holy Synod in Resistance presided by Metropolitan Cyprian of Fili (see above)One parish is under The Synod also maintains communion with the Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria, headed by Bishop Photii. From 1994 to 2007 there was full communion with the Lamian Synod Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia (see aboveROCOR), but with the rapprochement between the ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate, communion with the ROCOR was severed.
====Bulgaria====
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