Paisios and Vikentios are Summoned to the Ecumenical Patriarchate

BOSTON, MA – Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana and Bishop Vikentios of Apameia – the former abbot and deputy abbot, respectively, of the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery in Astoria New York will be summoned to the Ecumenical Patriarchate on March 27th 2012 for 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 Holy Synod of the Patriarchate 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.

Both former leaders of the Chrysovalantou Monastery Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana and Bishop Vikentios of Apameia are under the penance of liturgical suspension, which was placed on both in December 2010. Essentially, they are not allowed to perform liturgies or to celebrate any other services or sacraments.

A prior decision was taken by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to send into retirement Paisios and Vikentios to monasteries in Kalymnos and Patmos. The decision was not honored by either one of them. Vikentios, continues to reside in New York and Paisios has resided in Athens since October of 2010.

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 the nun who initiated the allegations were among the dozens of persons who volunteered to offer live testimony while being taped. The Exarchy then presented all of the evidence to Ecumenical Bartholomew.