The Holy Apostle commands us saying, “Hold fast the traditions which ye have received, whether by word of mouth or through an epistle of ours.”. It is therefore with genuine joy that we recommend to you this present study written by a Greek brother, Fr. Basil Sakkas, who is a priest under our Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia serving in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the voice of a true Orthodox Christian of the Greek Church, which Church has been afflicted for the last fifty years with divisions, and contention, and persecution on account of the innovation of the New Calendar which was brought about in 1924 by modernists in a hasty and most uncanonical manner. Fr. Basil sets forth in a clear fashion the reasons why many of our Greek Orthodox brethren refused to follow after the uncanonical change of the calendar in their Church in 1924 and, being aided by the fathers of the Holy Mountain Athos, courageously and justly withstood this innovation which was the beginning of an inundation of innovations perpetuated by the modernists until the sorry state in which we are found today of the heresy of Ecumenism.
History
SiR's was established in 1979. As with the other Old Calendarists in Greece, SiR separated from the State Church of Greece, considering it to be in error since its adoption of the secular calendar in 1924. It was opposed to the ecumenical movement on the grounds that ecumenism is a violation of Church teaching regarding the primacy of the Orthodox Church, though it expresses strong support for religious toleration. It did not deny that New Calendarist bodies or Orthodox involved in the ecumenical movement are without Grace, as do the other Old Calendarists in Greece, but considered them to be ailing and in error. It did not maintain communion with the New Calendarists and ecumenists. SiR was in communion with the Old Calendar Orthodox Churches of Bulgaria and Romania and that part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia under which did not unite with the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow, in May 2007, forming a coalition of nearly one million traditionalist Orthodox Christians. The New Calendarist Orthodox Churches often refer to the Old Calendarists as being in schism. SiR described itself as "walled off" from the New Calendarists and the "right-believing flock" within the ailing Churches. Its hierarchy was distinguished by their theological education and publishing activities. Its last president was Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili, who succeeded the previous Synod President also known as Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili. SiR ceased to exist on March 18, 2014, when it united completely with the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece under the Presidency of Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens, the largest Old Calendarist Church in Greece.
