SAINT PORPHYRIOS’ DOGMATIC TEACHINGS

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

SAINT PORPHYRIOS’ DOGMATIC TEACHINGS

Concerning the Heterodox, Other Religions, Heretical
Teachings, and the Devil.

Concerning Papism

“A certain American woman, a professor, passed along a message from the Pope to an Orthodox clergyman stating that Elder Paisios and Elder Porphyrios were invited to go to the Vatican. The answer from both was the following: No, we cannot go, because the Roman Catholic church and the Pope are not ready for us yet. They have way too much pride. Not only do they wish to subjugate us, but they also believe that we do not possess the Truth. There is no need for us to go. We will better aid the cause through our prayers.”

From the above, we clearly come to see the position of both Elders, Saints:

1. Both Saints Porphyrios and Paisios say, in clear language, that the Pope is a heretic.
He has lost Orthodoxy on account of egotism. Estrangement from the life of God, which
prevails in the West on account of the enslavement of the Western Roman Empire (the
de-christianized Orthodox Western Roman state of Byzantium) to the heretical and
barbarian Franks, led to heresy.

This is how it usually happens: life outside of the Orthodox spirit, a confused ethos, the love of power, and egotism lead to estranged dogma; in other words, to heresy. When we live a life contrary to Christ, “we fabricate” corresponding dogmas which are altered, dogmas which “house” this alienated way of life.

2. From the aforementioned response of the Elders, their
position is likewise quite clear; it is not the dialogue with
the Pope that is beneficial, but prayer. This is so, because
the Pope is not ready.
Now why isn’t the Pope ready? Well, because he has NOT REJECTED THE HERETICAL INNOVATIONS MADE TO DOGMA, INCLUDING: THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, THE FILIOQUE, PAPAL INFALLIBILITY, AND MANY OTHERS. Regarding this, the Venerable Elders are in agreement with Saint Gregory Palamas.

This holy Archbishop of Thessaloniki, Saint Gregory Palamas, one who the Papists continue to insult to this day, teaches us that in order FOR PROPER DIALOGUE TO OCCUR WITH THE LATINS (Papists), THEY MUST FIRST REMOVE THE “ADDITION” WHICH THEY MADE TO THE SYMBOL OF FAITH, THAT OF THE FILIOQUE.”

Thus, both of these two great, contemporary Elders say NO TO SUCH DIALOGUE BECAUSE THE POPE IS NOT YET PREPARED.

3. The Pope, according to these two holy Elders, DOES NOT BELIEVE THE ORTHODOX POSSESS THE TRUTH.
In fact, recently, it has been shown that the Elders have been proved right, since the current Pope ASSERTED
THAT THEY (meaning the Papists) HAVE THE TRUE CHURCH, WHILE WE (the Orthodox), HAVE AN “ECCLESIOLOGICAL DEFICIENCY!” This is what Pope Benedict declared in a text, signed by his hand, which was circulated in June of 2007. In short, he told us that we are deficient with regard to our dogmas and THAT WE MUST RETURN TO THE FULL TRUTH WHICH IS POSSESSED BY Papism!!! In reality, THE OPPOSITE MUST OCCUR. The Pope MUST RENOUNCE HIS HERETICAL DOGMAS AND RETURN TO ORTHODOXY.

Our holy Elder Porphyrios understands the devices of Papism quite well. “Do not be afraid,” he would say, “the attitude of the Pope HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO SUBJECT THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE DAY WILL COME WHEN THE DIALOGUE WILL BE CALLED OFF. Nothing will happen. Furthermore, by existence of the UNIATES, THIS TROJAN HORSE, THEY SHOW PLAIN AS DAY THAT THEY ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING THE ORTHODOX RECOGNIZE THE POPE AS THEIR HEAD AND NOTHING MORE.”

ORTHODOXY IS THE LONE TRUE FAITH: THE NEW TRUTHS DO NOT
EXIST

Saint Porphyrios did not accept the New Age position that all religions simply represent “different paths” which leads to the same God. “We Greeks, here,” he said, “possess ONE RELIGION; WE ARE CHRISTIANS… However… Even from us Greek Orthodox Christians, many have become atheists… Only Christ’s religion UNITES AND WE ALL OUGHT TO PRAY THAT THEY COME BACK TO THIS FAITH AND THUS, THE UNION WILL OCCUR. This will not come about by believing THAT WE ARE ALL THE SAME THING…THAT ALL THE RELIGIONS ARE THE SAME. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.. TRUE LOVE IS THE LOVE OF CHRIST.” Where then, are all these proponents of the New Age who claim that we all believe in the same God?

According to the Elder, True religion IS ONLY THE Orthodox Christian Faith. The very spirit of Orthodoxy is True. All the other spirits are spirits of deceit and their teachings are obscured because they fail to recognize the Majesty of the Triadic God and our own destination, which is achieving LIKENESS WITH Him…

The Truth has been revealed to us. New truths simply do not exist. “No one can say,” Saint Porphyrios emphasized, “that I am sent from God bearing a new truth, which is quite a common thing in the world today. God’s Truths, as they have been revealed from the beginning, are exactly the same; other truths do not exist… new ones, just became the world has progressed and because science and people have gone to the stars… If someone were to go to the stars and say that there are people also up there, and we see them, my thinking will not change… I will say, Christ is there also, God is there too, He has gone there as well.”

Orthodoxy is the Only Faith which Heals the Human
Soul

The human soul requires all the things which Christ bestows, including Divine Grace, enthusiasm, Divine zeal, Divine eros, and indiscriminate love. The human soul requires these things, by analogy, just as the human body requires material sustenance so that it can grow and be preserved.
If a person does not follow Christ, ONE DIES SPIRITUALLY. In contrast, IF ONE BELIEVES HIM, HIS SOUL IS VIVIFIED AND ALL OF HIS BEING FULFILLS ITS PURPOSE, THAT: THE PERSON BECOMES GOD BY GRACE AND LOVES ALL PEOPLE, HAVING BECOME ONE WITH ALL. Orthodoxy, AND SHE ALONE, makes all people into one, fulfilling the request of the Lord’s Archpriestly prayer: “THAT THEY MAY BE ONE.” [Source: Healing the Soul: Saint Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia as a Model for Our Lives]

Please note: FILIOQUE is the heresy which teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds “and from the Son.” “The Filioque is a theological position put forward by the Roman Catholic church. This is a NOVEL ADDITION to the Ancient Creed of the Church, which Creed was FORMULATED WITHIN THE FIRST TWO ECUMENICAL COUNCILS (Nicaea 325 A.D. & Constantinople, 381 A.D.). The Nicene Creed states that the ‘Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father’. However, centuries later, the Church in the West tampered with the Creed. Although it was first added in Toledo in the Sixth Century, it was not widely accepted in the West until the 11 Century, when the Franks took over the Papacy.

THE UNIA. “Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, there has been a painful separation of Orthodox brothers to parallel the separation introduced into Western Christianity by this great religious upheaval. This separation among Orthodox came about through the so-called UNIA, in which Eastern Orthodox Christians were joined with Rome… These poor brothers find themselves today neither wholly Orthodox nor fully Roman, having no real recognition by the Orthodox and being separated from Rome by their Liturgical customs, which, to varying degrees despite the erosion of such under under the effects of Latinization (and in some practices, these poor people have succumbed to tall abandonment of Orthodox customs), they preserve from their Orthodox past. These UNIATES are organized under various exarchates (as they would be properly termed in Orthodoxy) with their surviving Byzantine organizational structures… Some of these Unitates have been nothing short of ‘JESUITICAL’ BETRAYERS OF THE EAST, DECEPTIVELY TAKING SIMPLE ORTHODOX FAITHFUL AWAY FROM THEIR PAST… To this number of Uniates (or Greek [Byzantine] Catholics, as they sometimes call themselves). something must be said about the effects of the contemporary irresponsibility among Orthodox Prelates who are playing with souls by embracing un-Orthodox standards.” [Hieromonk Auxentios].

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“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George