The Body of Christ is blasphemed (Christological heresy)
During the discussion I had with Elder Gabriel from the Cell of St. Christodoulos of the Monastery Iviron on Mount Athos, the elder said that the hierarchs who signed the texts of the Council of Crete will not be saved if they do not publicly renounce and anathematise this false council. From our conversation, the following conclusions were revealed to us:
The local Orthodox Churches who have synodally adopted the Council of Crete in 2016, are as heretical as the Roman Catholics (who along with other heresies, have added the heresy of “incomplete churches” at the Second Vatican Council). This is due to the fact that those who accepted the texts of the Council of Crete (which adopted the 1950 Toronto Statement of the World Council of Churches) are attacking the One and Unique Church, by considering that besides the local Orthodox Churches, the Church of Christ would include the Protestants, Papists and Monophysites as well. In other words, they claim that the Church of Christ includes the Orthodox together with the blasphemers of God (the heretics), asserting that Christ has a monstrous Body. The Church is the Body of Christ and as the Church is blasphemed, so is the Body of Christ also blasphemed. In conclusion, the Council of Crete has Christological heresy.
When Christ rebukes Saul on the road to Damascus by saying to him “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:1-5) Christ is identifying Himself with the Christians; by persecuting Christians, Saul was persecuting Christ Himself. Any persecution against Christians is a persecution against Christ Himself, and as the Church is the Body of Christ, any blasphemy against the Church is a blasphemy against Christ.
Saint Maximus the Confessor defended Orthodox dogma by confessing that Christ has two wills and two energies, and he went to death for this confession. How much more must we be ready to die today for confessing against the blasphemy towards the Body of Christ! Through our fight against the false Council of Crete, we show our real love for Christ!
Protopresbyter Matthew Vulcanescu
Biserica Ortodoxă este universală - Blog personal al Părintelui Matei Vulcanescu
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