The term Cyprianites signifies the parasynagogue and heresy formed in the 1970’s around the person of the so-called Metropolitan of Oropos and Filii, Cyprian - a schismatic from the ranks of the Florinite Greek Old-Calendarists.
The vain-glorious archimandrite Cyprian began his episcopal ‘career’ by organizing an uncanonical and secret ordination of himself and others in an attempted takeover of the leadership of the Greek Old-Calendarists in 1979, for which he and the others were deposed by the Florinite Synod. Most of the others repented; however, Cyprian did not, and not being able to find recognition with any other group, he developed a new, heretical ecclesiology to justify his isolation, validate his episcopacy, and put down his detractors as incompetant and unorthodox.
Metropolitan Cyprian taught that: 1) the ecumenical churches of World Orthodoxy who have been anathematized for their ecumenism, still have the grace of God in their mysteries, 2) he also applies the label of “ill” or “sick” to the heretics, which are terms only applicable to sinners who are membres of the Church, and 3) he teaches that not *heresies* but councils separate someone from the Church.
In this way, he justifies his ecclesiology of administering communion to and accepting the mysteries of the heretics, whether they have fallen into ecumenism, modernism, or even papism, for until an Ecumenical Council, assembled from every group (Orthodox, heretical, and/or schismatic), and contemporaneous with those it condemns, declares them invalid (which is in practice an impossibility), he considers these organizations to be part of the Church.
This convoluted ecclesiology denies the existence of One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and brings one into communion with heresy. Therefore Cyprianism is rightly called crypto-ecumenism. Thus, the Cyprianites, being a schism turned heretical, find a place in this LIST OF HERETICS.
The Resolution of the Pastoral Conference of the Canadian and American Clergy of ROCE Regarding the Issue of Terminating Eucharistic Communion with Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili.
For those who speak Russian, the above article is avaible in Russian at this link: http://www.roacbulgaria.org/contents/vitali_kiprian.htm
For those who speak Bulgarian, an in depth article on Cyprianism may be found at this link: http://www.roacbulgaria.org/contents/antitezisi_kiprianu.htm
“The depose of Metropolitan of Oropos Kyprianos (Cyprian) Koutsoumbas”
Le dépôt de Cyprian métropolitain de Fili - Français The Deposition of Metropolitan Cyprian of Fili - French
Archbishop Gregory P.O. Box 3177 Buena Vista, CO 81211-3177 USA Email: ArchbishopGregory@starband.net
Copyright 2005.
