Well-known theologian ceases Eucharistic communion with Greek Church because of Crete Council

On March 5, the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Archpriest Theodore Zisis announced from the ambo of his church that he was ceasing commemoration of Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki. Most recently Fr. Theodore has been a vocal critic of the June 2016 Pan-Orthodox Synod on Crete, both before and after its convocation.

Fr. Theodore stated that the Crete Council cannot be justified as it was neither holy, nor a synod, nor representative of the mind of the fullness of the Church. Then directly citing Canon 15, Fr. Theodore announced that on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, when the Church proclaims its triumph over all soul-destroying heresies, he would cease commemoration of his bishop, as he is unable to commemorate all the great saints who have battled against heresy, while commemorating a bishop he believes has fallen into heresy.

In November, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew called upon Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens to defend the documents produced at the Crete Council and to quell criticism of them, warning that he would break communion with those individuals who vocally criticized the Council, after which Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki instructed Fr. Theodore to cease expressing any criticisms of the council.

Both Fr. Theodore and another Thessaloniki priest, Fr. Nicholas Manolis, who has also ceased commemoration, have been summoned to a spiritual court and face the possibility of being defrocked from the holy priesthood.
As reported by the UOJ, on November 18 Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople published a letter to the Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, in which he demanded "to sober" clerics who criticized the Pan-Orthodox Council held in July 2016.

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