Metropolitan Evloghios Wants Peace with Sister Churches: Abp Abundius Disagrees

IN apparent response to Metropolitan Evloghios repenting and restoring communion with his sister Churches and Greece and Russia, Abp Abundius, the admitted "prime mover" behind union attempts with the Moscow Patriarchate, has issued another statement, supposedly "from the Metropolitan", stating that they are only in communion with the Greek Church "until communion with Moscow", on the "Ihtis" website.

Source: ihtis.wordpress.com , 1/20 NS

This flies in the face of both the communion statement here signed by the Metropolitan as well as the fact of concelebration on Jan 1/14.

The bizarre (and occasionally misspelled in its original, which can be found here) statement reads: "In addition, until the conclusion of total unity of communion with the Patriarch of Moscow, we have relationships of communion and fellowship with the Synod of Metropolitan ONLY Anqhelos which ones were in communion with the first of our decision to enter into dialogue with the Moscow Patriarchate."

Metr Evloghios signing the Reunion Tomos 1/14 NS

According to the website, the document was "signed" by Metropolitan Evloghios; there is no original or photo of the original document.

We are at a loss to explain here at NFTU exactly what is Abp Abundius' problem with being in communion with the True Orthodox.

According to observers in Greece, Abp Abundius repented of his desire communion with World Orthodoxy alongside Metropolitan Evloghios, who not only signed the document recognizing union, but condemned the ecumenists in Moscow by name during the reception.

Abp Abundius in schema

Perhaps Abp Abundius didn't like this idea and reconsidered his own actions?

Our only explanation is that Abp Abundius, who recently took the great schema and announced his retirement before changing his mind, wants not so much retirement as deposition from his episocopal rank for the scandal he is causing the faithful throughout the world. He must be aware that that a canonical trial can be easily arranged due to the size of the True Orthodox communion between Metrs. Evloghios, Anghelos, Rafail and John, and -- through his apparent admissions here and elsewhere-- he can easily be brought on charges of publicly fomenting schism, so we do not understand why he would so openly challenge a sister Church just days after such a joyful announcement. Maybe he's just tired and wants a vacation?

We are following this story with interest.