"They both were monastic brothers, but Fr. Seraphim put himself under the obedience of Herman, for his humility sake. Yet, both confessed their sins to each other."

"Fr. Seraphim suffered because he knew of at least some of the secret sins of his brother, but....he refused to condemn or judge Herman, and he kept silence, publically."

https://josephsciambra.com/fr-seraphim-of-platina-the-life-and-death-of-the-unlikeliest-russian-orthodox-monk/

http://readerdanielsharing.blogspot.com/2014/07/death-of-fr-herman-podmoshensky.html

"However, it is not for us to define the state of those who are outside the Orthodox Church. If God wishes to grant salvation to some who are Christians in the best way they know, but without ever knowing the Orthodox Church—that is up to Him, not us. But when He does this, it is outside the normal way that He established for salvation—which is in the Church, as a part of the Body of Christ. I myself can accept the experience of Protestants being ‘born-again’ in Christ; I have met people who have changed their lives entirely through meeting Christ, and I cannot deny their experience just because they are not Orthodox. I call these people “subjective” or “beginning” Christians." - Rose

https://classicalchristianity.com/2011/12/26/three-perspectives-on-the-heterodox/

"And it is also true that since angels and souls are limited in space…, they must always be in one definite place – whether heaven, hell, or earth." - Rose

https://classicalchristianity.com/2013/11/01/on-the-location-of-heaven-and-hell/

"There are some who look at our Orthodox Church and say, “It’s impossible for people to find truth there. You say you don’t believe in any one pope or bishop, and thus there is no guarantee; you don’t believe in the Scriptures like a Protestant might and say that they are the absolutely ‘infallible’ word. If you have a controversy, where is the final word?” And we say that the Holy Spirit will reveal Himself. This happens especially when bishops come together in council, but even then there can be a false council. One might then say, “There’s no hope!” But we say that the Holy Spirit guides the Church, and therefore He will not be false to the Church. If you haven’t got the feeling that this is so, then you devise things like making the Bible infallible, making the Pope infallible. Also, you make Orthodox things – as the Roman Catholics did – into some kind of “law”, so that everything is nicely defined: if you break this law you go your confessor, get such-and-such a penance, and you’re all “set” again. Orthodoxy does not believe; from this came the whole idea of indulgences, which is a totally legalistic perversion of the idea of repentance. If you repent, like the thief on the cross, you can be saved at that moment." - Rose

https://classicalchristianity.com/2011/12/16/on-orthodoxroman-catholic-differences/

CONTRA ERRORES GRAECORUM

AGAINST THE ERRORS OF THE GREEKS

Latin: https://www.corpusthomisticum.org/oce.html

English: https://isidore.co/aquinas/english/ContraErrGraecorum.htm

"As for the Greek claim that the concept of double procession resulted in the error of two ultimate principles in the Godhead, Anselm could respond that just as the creation of the world by all three persons does not result in a theory of three ultimate principles, so does the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son not result in a theory of two principles: for the three persons create as one God, and the Father and the Son are one God in the procession of the Spirit."

- 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓, 𝑷𝑹𝑹𝑫 𝑽𝒐𝒍 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒓, 𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚

"This peace, however, was but of short duration, for the Greeks, on their return home, again fell back into their former errors, principally at the instigation ofthe wicked Mark of Ephesus. The chastisement of God soon overtook that fickle people; in 1453, Mahomet II. took Constantinople by assault, and gave it up to sack and slaughter; the infuriated soldiery slew all who came in their way, cast down the altars, profaned the monasteries, and despoiled the wretched inhabitants of all their property. Thus fell the empire of the East, after eleven centuries of a glorious existence. The Greeks continue, to the present day, obstinately attached to their errors; they are the slaves of the Turks in their ancient capital. That noble Church that gave to the world, Athanasius, Gregory, Basil, and so many other learned and holy Doctors, now lies trampled under foot, vice usurping the place of virtue, and ignorance seated in the chair of learning. The Greek Church, in a word, the Mother of many Saints and Doctors of the Church, has, on account of its separation from the Roman See, fallen into a state of deplorable barbarity and wretched slavery" - St. Alphonsus Liguori, "Against Heresies"

St Josaphat Kuntsevych pray for us!

"Peter’s ecclesiastical policy was inspired above all by his determination to insure that the
Russian Church could no more attempt to place itself above the state, as Nikon had sought to do. Peter subordinated the church to the state. After the death of Patriarch Adrian in 1700, Peter refused to allow the appointment of a successor and in 1721 he issued a decree known as the Spiritual Regulation. This abolished the patriarchate and set up in its place a commission, the Spiritual College or Holy Synod, composed of twelve members, three of whom were bishops, and the rest drawn from the heads of monasteries or from the married clergy. The constitution of the Synod had no precedence in Orthodoxy and was not based on Orthodox canon law, but was copied from Protestant ecclesiastical synods in Germany. Its members were not chosen by the church but appointed by the emperor, who could dismiss them. A government official, the Chief Procurator, was the link between the government and the Holy Synod. Although not formally a member of the Synod, the Chief Procurator was a sort of ‘executive secretary’ who was responsible for the agenda of the Synod and conveyed its decisions to the emperor for his approval. In practice the Procurator wielded considerable power over church affairs and was in effect a ‘minister of religious affairs’. Peter’s reforms ended the uneasy balance of authority that had previously existed between patriarch and tsar, suppressing ecclesiastical criticism of the ruler and state policy and transforming the church into a department of the imperial administration, a ‘ministry of religion’."

Modern Orthodox Theology, by Paul Ladouceur

"There reigns in this book and breathes from its pages the unction of the evil spirit, flattering the reader, intoxicating him…the book conducts the reader directly to communion with God, without previous purification by repentance…from it carnal people enter into rapture from a delight and intoxication attained without difficulty, without self-renunciation, without repentance, without crucifixion of the flesh with its passions and desires(Gal. 5:24), with flattery of their fallen state."

- Ignatius Brianchaninov on 'The Imitation of Christ' by St. Thomas Kempis

“How right was that nobleman (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov wrote about him), who, when seeing the Catholic book The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis (fifteenth century) in his daughter's hands, tore it away from her, saying, "Stop playing romance with God." The examples cited above leave no doubt as to the reasonableness of these words. It is a great misfortune that in Catholicism, as we can see, people have ceased to differentiate between the spiritual and the emotional, sanctity and fantasy. This is the greatest calamity that can befall any Christian Church.”

https://pravoslavie.ru/42941.html

John Maximovitch:

“However, neither John Chrysostom, nor the Bishop Ignatius [Brianchianinov] teach about the sinlessness of the Mother of God. The words of John Damascene, “The Spirit that was taken down came down on the pure Virgin and still cleansed Her” show the need for cleansing. “A stranger to all filthiness” does not mean “sinless.” Not only the Mother of God is called “spiritual, divine”. In Ignatius Brianchaninov, these expressions also refer to other ascetics; this expression corresponds to the expression “God-bearing”, which we constantly hear in the church when the monks are mentioned; and in divine services “divine” is repeatedly used (for example, in the kontakion of the protomartyr Stephen: “the protomartyr and divine Stephen”). Archpriest Bulgakov does not hide the fact that Bishop Ignatius, citing a quote, continues to speak, that the old man and sin could not but manifest themselves in the Mother of God.
But he sees here only “inaccurate and unfortunate expressions” of Bishop Ignatius, difficult to reconcile with the above words and referring only to original sin, and by no means to personal, “which he, apparently, excludes.” Meanwhile, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov not only “expressed himself”, but also substantiated in detail why the Mother of God had sins, and not only the original sin, but also personal sins. “Despite the righteousness and integrity of life which Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov and not only the original sin, but also personal sins. “Despite the righteousness and integrity of life, which the Mother of God lived up to … sin and eternal death manifested their presence and dominion in her.” He refers to John Chrysostom and Theophylact of Bulgaria, in confirmation of the fact that original sin manifested itself in the commission of personal sins and says: “Truth is alien to all exaggerations and belittles: it gives everything a proper measure and a proper place.” He recognizes the Mother of God as alien only to thoughts and sensations of voluptuous and fleshly desires, a tasteless struggle with them, and not in general with sin.”
[…]
There were no sinful habits or heavy sinful falls in Mary’s life, but the severity of sin is relative. What is almost not a sin for a person who is mired in vices, since against the background of his other affairs seems completely indifferent, then, for a person of high morality and ideal, is a black spot in his soul. For the pure and highly pious Virgin Mary, even every shadow of lack of faith and doubt, every small decay of zeal for pleasing God, was a noticeable sin . But She became more and more inspired to fight him. Without justifying Herself, She atoned for Her sins with even greater zeal.”

https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ioann_Maksimovich/pochitanie-bogoroditsy-i-ioanna-krestitelja-i-novoe-napravlenie-russkoj-religiozno-filosofskoj-mysli/ .

"An Armenian bishop has sparked outrage whilst giving a tour of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to an Israeli journalist interested in the miracle of the Holy Fire, after he suggested that it does not always appear and so sometimes, the Greek Patriarch has to light his candle from a lamp instead (καντύλι)!

The journalist, stunned by the response, queried further whether the Holy Fire is a miracle at all. In response, the Armenian said that God wasn’t always in the mood to perform miracles.

At once the Greek Orthodox monk responsible for the guarding of the holy site, interjected and accused the Armenian bishop of lying and that was no such lamp or process takes place."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vODIsZzbK8s

Hagiotaphite Archbishop Gerason Theofanis (candidate for the Patriarchal throne in 2005), in front of the Holy Sepulchre, explains to pilgrims how the Holy Fire lights up and why this is not a miracle.
This is the first recorded testimony of an Hagiotaphite, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which debunks the miracle and explains the proper theological approach of the matter.
"They do not tell the truth to the believers, even though the clergyman who wears the vestments should tell the truth. The Holy Fire is sacred and holy since it is sanctified. But it lights up from a candle. It is natural fire. It is high time people understood it."
https://youtu.be/7QksL-X8cNI?si=jwZpEJrNef64d79k

Many of the Greek Old Calendarists were also not against communism and praised it:

Met Chrysostom of Florina: “This triumph of the Church [in Russia] was achieved via the all-sustaining power of Christ, using the Excellent Commander Stalin as his means and organ, and his glorious collaborators and military men, who, together with the First-Hierarch [Sergius Stragorodsky] and the hierarchs of the Russian Church published the pact of the State with the Church [the "Sergianistic Declaration"], and “this is the alteration of the right hand of the Most High!” [Psalm77:10].”

-Chrysostom of Florina, "Memorandum
Regarding the Future Pan-Orthodox Council," Athens, 1947, p. 21

ROCOR with Old Calendarist Bishops

On September 20, 1975, St. Philaret wrote to Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kition, the leader of the Old Calendarist Church of Cyprus, with whom He continued to have friendly relations even after the Matthewite Synod to which Epiphanius belonged had broken communion with ROCOR:

“From the beginning our Russian Church has known that the calendar innovation was unacceptable, and has not dared to move this boundary set by patristic tradition, for the Ecclesiastical Calendar is a support of the life of the Church and as such is fortified by decrees of Holy Tradition. However, it is obvious to all that the calendar innovation caused a schism in the Greek Church in 1924, and the responsibility for the schism weighs exclusively on the innovators. This is the conclusion that will be reached by anyone studying the Patriarchal Tomoi (as that of 1583) and taking into account the wretched and self-evident fact of the schism and the frightful punishments, persecutions and blasphemies which those who have cleaved to the patristic piety of Holy Tradition have undergone. Thinking in this way, our Holy Synod has decreed that we ‘flee’ concelebrations with the new calendarist modernists. We do not concelebrate with them, nor do we give permission or a blessing to our clergy for such a concelebration. In order to assure you of the truth of what we say, we inform you that whenever a community in the diaspora is received into our Church, they are required to follow the patristic Calendar of the Orthodox Church…”

- From the Letter of St. Philaret of New York to Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiton, Sept. 20th (1975 A.D)