Promulgation of anathema against Bishop Theophan

Lvov (Ukraine), 23 June 2013

Theophan

Ex-Bishop of Kyzyl and Tuva

Your Excellency,

together with a Buddhist lama You have established the so-called “Buddhist-Orthodox Interreligious Council” in the Republic of Tuva. This so-called council, in Your opinion, is designed “to strengthen interreligious relations, and to support and coordinate the activities of religious organizations”. This crime of a betrayal of Christ and the Church was presented to the public as a turning point and was, moreover, accompanied by a solemn ceremony.

Your apostatical gesture was made public in the mass media. The Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate also makes public, in the authority of the Triune God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: By establishing the Buddhist-Orthodox Council, You excluded Yourself from the Church of Christ and brought down God’s curse – anathema – on Yourself according to Gal 1:8-9.

You betrayed God, His Word and the essence of the saving faith. You placed the redemptive death of the Only-begotten Son of God on the cross on the same level as pagan Buddhism which worships and offers sacrifice to demons. You thus betrayed Christ like the Apostle Judas. Moreover, You have given offence and set a precedent of apostasy to the weak in the faith, be it bishops, monks, priests or believers. The curse falls on every Orthodox Christian who remains in spiritual unity with You. You have brought down this curse even upon the government of the Republic of Tuva. You deceive the people with a new model of a pseudo Church ruled by the spirit of the New Age – the spirit of antichrist (the spirit of Assisi and Astana).

Christian martyrs preferred to die rather than drop a grain of incense before pagan demons, and the whole system of Buddhism serves these pagan demons. All prophets called syncretism with paganism spiritual fornication. The people of Israel were punished for these sins and exiled to Babylon. This was set as a deterrent example of punishment for all generations because of the sin of syncretism, or, in other words, because of receiving the spirit of paganism. The Orthodox Church is obliged to witness to pagans in the power of the Spirit about salvation which is in Jesus Christ alone. Instead, You establish an antichristian New Age religion in Tuva. You thus lead both Christians and pagans to eternal perdition. Through this apostasy You have expelled the Holy Spirit and received the spirit of antichrist. Being under an anathema, You have been deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Unless You repent, the territory of Your eparchy will fall under a curse and Russia will lose it.

If You use Patriarch Kirill as an excuse, You are deceiving both Yourself and others. Patriarch Kirill is guilty of apostasy because of his act of syncretism in Astana last year. Anathema was declared on him acc. Gal 1:8-9 on 31 May 2012. Another manifestation of his betrayal of the Church was a meeting with pagan representatives in Peking and others. He now exercises his office unlawfully and brings down a curse on the Orthodox Church. The fruit of his apostasy, among other things, is Your act of betrayal.

The Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate appeals to You to repent:

a) Dissolve the antichristian Buddhist-Orthodox Council and begin to preach the necessity of salvation in Christ among Buddhists.

b) Dissociate Yourself from Ex-Patriarch Kirill.

If You refuse to repent and if You die in the state of impenitence, You will be condemned forever. No one can remove this curse which has separated Your soul from God. The only condition for Your salvation is true repentance!

+ Elijah

Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

+ Methodius OSBMr               + Timothy OSBMr

Secretary Bishops

Attachment: Buddhism versus Christianity

Copies to:

Bishops of the Orthodox Churches (in the world)

Orthodox monasteries

Government of Tuva

Mass media

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