Holy Synod of Milan

From OrthodoxWiki
Revision as of 20:26, March 30, 2005 by 67.77.113.248 (talk)
Jump to: navigation, search

The Holy Synod of Milan originated as a diocese for Western Europe of an Old Calendarist Greek Orthodox Church (see also Florinites). The full name of this jurisdiction is the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Milan, Western Europe and the Americas.

History

The diocese was granted a tomos of autonomy in 1984 from Archbishop Auxentios in order to pursue missionary work among the non-Orthodox people of the West. The title of the Synod at this time was the Metropolia of Western Europe. After the transference of its first Chief Hierarch, Metropolitan Gabriel of Portugal, to the autocephalous Church of Poland, Bishop Evloghios of Milan was chosen as second Chief Hierarch and elevated to the rank of metropolitan.

Today Metropolitan Evloghios remains at the helm of the Holy Synod of bishops of the Church of Milan, which comprises eight dioceses, four in Europe and four in America, as well as missionary deaneries in England, Spain and South Africa. The Milan Synod uses the Julian calendar exclusively, and "firmly resists the heresies of false ecumenism and trans-religious syncretism."[1]

Since 1997, the Milan Synod includes a number of Western Rite communities, mainly in the United States, who worship according to a highly unusual translation of the Sarum Liturgy universally panned by those familiar with the legitimate article. These communities originated within the episcopoi vagante/Old Catholic movement. The head of St. Hilarion's Monastery in Austin, Texas, began his career with the Liberal Catholic Church,a Theosophist organization, and he personally ordained the head of the Gnostic Orthodox Church, which runs Monastery Icons,although the "swami" ordinand claimed he did not need ordained because he had received that sacrament in a former life. The head of St. Hilarion's monastery in Austin later joined a vagante organization falsely dubbing itself the "Synod of Orthodox Bishops of the Western Rite" (and advertizing itself as though it were Orthodox).These parishes applied to Archbishop HILARION to be accepted within ROCOR, but His Grace denied their request when the group refused reordination. The Milan Synod then accepted the "Synod," presumably without imposing any further ordination that which they received from their Theosophist forebears.

The principal rite of the Synod of Milan is the Byzantine Rite of the Orthodox Church, celebrated most commonly in the Slavic style but in some parishes in the Greek style.

Ecclesiastical status

As with many of the Old Calendarist jurisdictions, the Milan Synod is not currently in communion with the mainstream Orthodox churches and hence, not considered Orthodox.

Sources

External links