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Interview with Bishop Athanasius Metropolitan of Limassol on the visit of Benedict XVI in Cyprus

Most people know that the famous Father Maximos Book

Kyriacos C. Markides

Mountain of Silence: In Search of Orthodox spirituality is the Metropolitan of Limassol, Athanasius. He was a monk of Mount Athos, where he had the opportunity to spend much time in holy men like the former Paisios, Katounakia of Ephraim and others. It was at the time of writing the book, the abbot of the monastery of Panagia Machera. Since then he has been devoted Metropolitan of Limassol. by Drousiotou Solomonidou Antigone

The Athanasius Metropolitan of Limassol, dissented from the official position of the Church of Cyprus on the Pope Benedict's visit to Cyprus. He clearly states his opposition on the grounds that the papacy is a heresy and that the visit of the Pontiff of the Catholic Church scandalized the pious souls of innocent Christians. At the same time, stresses that must be committed no impropriety, no rudeness, no bad behavior. However, he said he would not attend the event.

Why the forthcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI Island scandalized the Church and its flock?

I think the Pope's visit to Cyprus will cause several problems in the minds of many devout Christians. It would have been better for him not to come because I do not think we will have no benefit in this I have not seen any positive response from the Vatican about our national problems. It has caused great concern that we do not need right now.

Are we in danger of something

?

I'm not saying that we are endangered by the coming of the Pope; we will not let our faith and the Orthodox Church does not collapse. it simply creates a good deal for Old Calendarists groups who accuse us of being submitted, we will be subtracted from the principles of the Orthodox faith and have created many problems for many people. Of course, the pope was invited by the President of the Republic

and the Archbishop gave his consent.

What have you talked to the Holy Synod ?

At the last Holy Synod the question arose whether or not we should be present at events with the Pope. I refused to attend and I said that we were previously unaware of this. We have indeed learned the news of the Pope's visit in the newspapers.

Did you used to hear the news of the press

?

L Archbishop of Cyprus has increased its prerogatives and we certainly do not want to bring it down to our own level. However, we reserve the right staff, that of that we did not know that the pope was coming and that if we had asked, I personally expressed my opposition on the grounds that it would create a scandal in the minds of pious Orthodox Christians innocent what we now see happening.

Should we not think there is any communication between the churches? After all, we live in the 21st century and we belong to the European Union

.

We can arrange a dialogue with anyone, and even more with the heterodox and people other religions. It's one thing to have a dialogue and another to receive the pope as a bishop, canon, which, for us Orthodox is a heretic, away from the Church, and not even a bishop .

Is it because of the schism

?

He separated from the Church past ten centuries now, it is not a canonical bishop and n ' has no relation to the reality of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Églisedu Christ. It's one thing to receive canon as Bishop and another thing to talk with him as heterodox to tell him the truth of the Faith

Orthodox Tradition.

Ecumenical Patriarch met with the pope and started a dialogue between the churches.

As I said, the dialogue is not in itself a bad thing when this takes place with the correct assumptions, but it is wrong to tell these people that we recognize as a church, we recognize the pope as bishop, he is our brother in Christ in the priesthood and faith. I can not accept this because it is a lie, since all the holy Fathers teach exactly the opposite. Popery is a heresy and the source several other heresies which now agitate the world. St. Justin Popovich, a contemporary saint, said there were three tragic fall in the history of the human race: that of the first created Adam, the disciple of Christ, Judas, and the pope, who as first bishop of the Church, by default the faith of the Apostles, the church broke away from canonical and dragged multitudes of people with him since.

What does the Pope on the Orthodox
?

Pope says we are a Church incomplete.

God is a

Yes, God is one and His Church is one. Therefore, we say in the Symbol of Faith
"in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. "This one Church is the Orthodox Church, no more churches.

Is not the vainglory to think that we are the Church ?

That's not it. When, for example, you say that Italians are not Greeks, what is the truth, you are not currently offending.

Why does the church is ours, not the pope

?

Because Orthodox Church maintains the apostolic faith and experience of the prophets unchanged to this day. The Papists, unfortunately, after having separated from the Church, have included many heretical doctrines in their beliefs, they have changed the symbol of faith and above all, they raised the pope to the position of sole representative of God on earth.

They say the pope is infallible and that anyone not in communion with the Pope is not in communion with God. They have officially declared these teachings in their synods.

When you add things to the Symbol of Faith

, which have not been written by the Fathers, and many other lies, it is a heresy. This is the reality.

What is the position of the Orthodox Church against heretics

?

With lots of love. We love the Pope, we love as we love the Papists all men, we do not despise, we do not reject them as people, but we do not accept their heresy, we do not accept lies, we do not accept disappointments. Because we love them, we must tell them the truth.

course, everyone has their own truth

. ;

is why we have a dialogue so that it is proved by historical evidence of the sources, that the Orthodox Church has preserved the apostolic faith and apostolic experience of the saints.

Do you think this dialogue will be successful

?

It could, if done properly and had been held with correct assumptions. But, unfortunately, as it is today, it does not bear fruit. That's why it lasts for many years without anything being achieved.

E

oes everyone does not speak for yourself

?

We must speak equipped with Scripture with humility and love, to prove the truth of Christ. So anything can happen easily.

Dialogue has he not held with humility and love

?

I do not know. I do not participate in these dialogues, but I not seen any concrete results of their findings. Quite simply, this is not because I disagree, it means that I am indisicipliné and outside the Church.

There is a movement that writing books against the pope and is preparing protests

.

I do not agree with this. No impropriety must take place, no rudeness, no misconduct. But one thing is to express our opinion, unfortunately, we live in a democracy, and another to misbehave. I clearly and publicly expressed my opposition to the Pope's visit and said with all my heart that the pope is a heretic, there is not a bishop, he is not an orthodox Christian, these things are reported by the Fathers of the Church .

If I'm wrong, I'm ready to censorship, but this must be done on the basis of the holy fathers, and not on the basis of globalization. This does not mean that because I disagree, I'm in the discipline and is not part of the Church.

Do not you think that your statements will ignite more scandal in the minds of those who are already outraged
?

We say what we say in all honesty and responsibility, we n'allumons no fire, I do not want to be presented approving and accepting as a conscious presence of the Pope in Cyprus. At the meeting of the Holy Synod, the Archbishop himself addressed our concerns in a very democratic.

Do you agree with the Archbishop to visit the Vatican

?

That does has not been requested and he did not have to ask. We found reports in the newspapers.

What was the result of his visit to the Vatican

?

I do not know.

Do there

not informed?

He did, but personally I have not shown much interest. The pope always speaks in a formal manner, as will happen now, when it will come to Cyprus, but it will not do anything substantial, because it is not a leader of the Church, but a person can politique.Il conflict with the political establishment and system .

When the Pope he defended the Orthodox Church? "We were occupied so many times, when he defended us? Not to mention that our situation was very bad during the Frankish occupation, because of the different popes and their decrees, by which they wanted us to disappear. Tonight, we celebrated the 13 Martyrs of Kantara, who were murdered under orders from the Vatican.

We lived 400 years of Frankish occupation difficult. This was worse than the Turks. But I do not want to go on these things, today I present objections based on purely theological. When we became Bishops ordered, we have sworn to preserve the Orthodox faith.

Are the priests who will welcome the Pope does not preserve the Orthodox faith
?

St. Paul says that those who do not consume meat sacrificial should not criticize those who do. I do not condemn those who will attend, but I do not want to be condemned for not participating.

An encyclical was read at church last Sunday issued by the Holy Synod in which the bishops, who will participate, have been appointed, one by one, and it made an impression on people.

We had all decided to publish an encyclical to the people to remain united in the Church, and they do not let themselves be influenced by the Old-Calendar which want to separate the canonical Church. What has not been specified in the encyclical, however, is that we have not been informed of the invitation to the pope and that we do not all given our approval.

Why do you think that the pope is visiting Cyprus

?

As you know, the Papists through a serious crisis with all the scandals against the Catholic Church.

E

No regard pedophilia

?

I do not want to talk about this, but the press publishes disturbing things every day. I do not condemn, but the pope himself considers the first and only Vicar of Christ on earth and that is why he made these trips.

He said he wanted to make a pilgrimage to follow the footsteps of Saint Paul

.

Except that St. Paul was not in an armored car worth 500,000 euros. I read that Cypriot government has just bought this car for its two-day visit. Personally, I was quite shocked by this news and I said, an armored car is not for a Vicar of Christ, and people should not bear the burden of such cost in view of the economic crisis current.

representatives of the Pope announced that he comes to Cyprus to promote humanitarian principles and Christian values and wants to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul, and meet representatives of the Orthodox Church in a spirit of brotherhood and good intentions

.

We do not question his good intentions. I wish it were like that and it looks like St. Paul and became familiar with the treasures of the Orthodox Church. We hope he returns to Orthodox Church and become an Orthodox bishop again as it was before the schism. It is the only meeting that fits.

What do you think is behind this visit

?

The Vatican does nothing to chance or engages in any free travel intentions. All his trips are intended to present as a leader of the Christian world. While it is not a canonical bishop, or Orthodox, and therefore it is not able to introduce themselves as the first bishop.

Do you think there could be political interests behind this

?

I do not know, but I think we're not going to take political advantage of this visit, only incredible costs and confusion in the minds of the faithful.

The archbishop said that those who oppose the visit themselves out of the church.

I do not know the statements of His Eminence, but I do not think anyone disagrees with the arrival of the Pope himself up outside the church. I am I disagree and say it deliberately, and I'm not outside the Church.

Wait!

The Church, the archbishop himself points out, is a democratic institution. It's one thing to express our concerns in a polite and one thing wrong behave. The Archbishop knows his limits very well.

The Holy Synod accept there a different view

?

The archbishop is a democratic rights and respects our views. He cares for us with lots of love. [...]

What is the purpose of your life

?

To be saved, to be with God, to love God and our brothers.

[...]