Question 5

Whence do the Greek Old Calendarists of today derive their Apostolic Succession?

Following the repose of the ever-memorable Primate of the traditionalists, Saint Chrysostomos of Florina, in 1955, the administration of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece was assumed by a temporary Ecclesiastical Council made up of the twelve most eminent traditionalist clergymen, because the Florinites—as the Greek Old Calendarists loyal to Saint Chrysostomos of Florina were called in contrast to the Matthewites, the Greek Old Calendarists loyal to Bishop Matthaios of Bresthenē—no longer had any Hierarchs to govern them. One of the goals of this Ecclesiastical Council was to search for and to find a shepherd who could take on the leadership of the Old Calendar Church of the Florinites. The ultimate desire of the movement was, in fact, for the Church of Greece to rectify the matter by returning to the Church Calendar, so that unity could be achieved and thus have harmony restored to the Orthodox Christians of Greece. However, the Hierarchs of the Church of Greece, with very few exceptions, were inflexible on the matter….

Videos

• “Part 2 of Met. Petros of Astoria—His Life and Struggle,” Greek Orthodox Christian Television, 23′ 51″–31′ 58″.
  

• “(G) The Ordination of Bishop Petros of Astoria in 1962,” Greek Orthodox Christian Television.

• “(G) The Funeral of Metropolitan Petros of Astoria,” Greek Orthodox Christian Television.