IGNATIOS, Bishop of Trephylias and Olympia to the minister of ecclesiastical affairs, May 31, 1872

The holy synod of Greece to the minister of ecclesiastical affairs.

synodic complaint.

Concerning the heterodox teaching, which has long been practiced here in Athens, by the missionaries M. Kalopothakis, Sakillarios, and Constantine:

It is now full five years since the synod, by its paper of April 6, 1867, No. 7107, accused the said M. Kalopothakis, yet, unfortunately, against all expectation, nothing was done about it.

Now, having been informed that in the house he has recently built, in the Placa ward, he has set up a church for the purpose of promulgating his heterodox doctrines, and every Sunday he does, in the full light of day, spread these doctrines for the purpose of proselyting; also that the other two, Sakillarios and Constantine, have established schools or meetings, in which they teach Greek children of both sexes, being likewise notified of the same by the inclosed papers, viz, No. 1780 of the newspaper called the Age, published at Athens, and secondly by an extra sheet also recently published, the holy synod is constrained, by its sacred and binding duties, to arraign once more the said missionaries, and to implore the bureau to hasten and render the authority of Greece respected, (at a time, especially, when the church suffers such trials in the east by various agencies, open and secret,) and to execute with severity the laws against those who attack the integrity and the peace of the orthodox apostolic church, that henceforth these infernal scandals and unlawful proceedings, which shake our holy religion to its very foundations, may be stopped. Otherwise there is great danger lest an irreparable damage, both religious and social, be done by these missionaries, who, without shame and without molestation, break the established laws, and openly and fearlessly injure the most holy things.

The synod, bringing these things to the notice of the ministers, within, as before said, the bounds of its sacred duties and of the law, is persuaded that the government will discharge immediately, and with severity, its own duties, and inform the synod in due time of its proceedings.