Ex-Abbots Summoned to Patriarchate

ASTORIA – Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana and Bishop Vikentios of Apameia – the former abbot and deputy abbot, respectively, of the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery in Astoria – have been summoned to the Ecumenical Patriarchate on March 27th to issue an apology in front of the Holy and Sacred Synod. According to the canonicity and ecclesiastical order of the Church, the Holy Synod in these instances becomes a Spiritual Court presided by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Also, the Synod elected a new Abbot for the Monastery of Chrysovalantou in Astoria, Archimandrite Ierotheos Zaharis, former Dean of the Athonias Ecclesiastical School of Holy Mount Athos in Greece. He also had served as Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Patras Greece under the late Metropolitan Nikodimos Valindras.

Those decisions were taken during the recent Synodal meeting at the Ecumenical Patriarchate on February 22 and 23. Archimandrite Ierotheos had visited the Chrysovalantou Monastery for a few weeks last year.

Both Paisios and Vikentios are under the penance of liturgical suspension, which was placed on them in December 2010. Essentially, they are not allowed to perform liturgies or to celebrate any other services or sacraments.

The Synod had previously decided to retire Paisios and Vikentios to monasteries in Kalymnos and Patmos, but neither honored that edict: Vikentios continues to reside in New York, and Paisios in Athens.

The issue first came to light in October of 2010, when Paisios submitted a letter of resignation as the Monastery’s abbot, citing health reasons. TNH revealed shortly thereafter that a man who lived in the Monastery for 13 years had contacted federal and local authorities about clandestine activities, alleging rampant orgies involving young male and female parishioners, including some who had joined the Paisios Order from the time they were underage. The same person also notified the Patriarchate about the allegations, both verbally and in writing.

Young nun Christonymphi Fitzpatrick took off the monastic vows and cassock and returned to the ranks of the laity, and turned over $280,000 in cash and some golden lire to Astoria police.

The following month, November 2010, the Patriarchate sent a three-person Exarchy, headed by Metropolitan Nikitas of Dardanelia, to investigate. The Exarchy conducted a long inquiry, at which both the man and Fitzpatrick were among the dozens of persons who volunteered to offer live testimony while being taped. The Exarchy then presented all of the evidence to Bartholomew.

In an exclusive interview to TNH in December 2010, Vikentios made stunning allegations about Paisios, including charges that the Metropolitan sexually abused the Vikentios’ brother, Spyros Malamatenios, who was 17 at the time.