THE CALENDAR REFORM. THE DEGRADATION OF THE FINNISH ORTHODOX CHURCH

The problem of the calendar deserves particular attention. When speaking of the times of Antichrist, prophet Daniel foretold that Antichrist will even "think to change times and laws" (Dan. 7,25). This prophecy is already coming true. The acceptance of the "new Julian Calendar" by some local Churches also brought about a change of Church feast days, which caused discord in liturgical life, dissension and division amongst church people [236].

The calendar reform has particularly harmed the already-mentioned Finnish Orthodox Church, the only one in the Orthodox world which dared to make a complete break with the Orthodox Paschalia [237]. This canonical deviation of the Finnish Orthodox Church entailed a series of other deviations, both great and small. As the proverb says: "It never rains but it pours". We shall name only a few of them. "Orthodox" bishops in Finland have long since weaned their parishioners from Confession before Communion. In their churches anyone may freely approach the Sacred Chalice, not only without any preparation -- amongst the communicants there may be heterodox Christians, sectarians and homosexuals; women in any condition are allowed to partake of Holy Communion, and marriages may be celebrated on unauthorized days.

Moreover, to please Lutherans, Finnish "Orthodox" Christians change service texts. In supplication services (Russ. moleben) they omit the invocation: "All-Holy Theotokos, save us!" Archbishops of the Finnish "Orthodox" Church, amongst whom the late Archbishops Herman and Paul especially distinguished themselves, accustomed their parishioners to constant changes in the order of divine services and to their unprecedented abbreviations. (Archbishop Paul has even managed to abbreviate the Little Litany to one (!) invocation: "Again and again..."). Such excessive abbreviation of divine services of the Finnish Orthodox Church made a foreign observer refer to this church as a "fast church", analogous to the americanized "fast food".

No one in Finland is surprised to see Lutherans dressed in sticharions reading and serving in the sanctuaries of the Finnish Orthodox Church; a certain "priest", an eager ecumenist and a participant of all ecumenical gatherings, dressed a group of young girls in sticharions and brought them into the sanctuary.

Not wishing to stay behind their Lutheran brothers the Finnish Orthodox Church is engaged in an active struggle for the rights of "sexual minorities" (which no one has infringed upon). Many publications are dealing with this problem. Thus, two local Archbishops -- Lutheran John Vikstroem and "Orthodox" Johannes -- participated in a discussion on homosexuality which developed recently. From their interview readers may learn that both Archbishops oppose anyone's interfering in the private lives of Sodomites, or refusing to respect them. Archbishop Johannes sacrilegiously concluded his part of the debate with the words of Christ: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" [238].

Finnish "Orthodox" bishops take part in solemn concelebrations with their heterodox counterparts and publicly embrace them on church ambos, and also permit them to perform their services in Orthodox churches [239]. These and other transgressions have already become routine for ecumenists.

One could continue with the list of instances of ecclesiological arbitrariness and spiritual "free-thinking" of this Church, which cause discontent amongst its own parishioners.

For almost seventy years this church has been guilty of numerous deviations -- canonical, ecclesiological, and others -- and is now an instructive example of spiritual "backsliding" and "stony insensibility". It goes without saying that the Finnish Orthodox Church is the most active advocate of the ecumenical movement and is its "Orthodox" mouthpiece.

It is well known that ecumenists have long been since engaged in calendar reform. Not being content with the trouble caused by the "New Julian calendar" in the local Churches, they intend, for the purpose of unification of Orthodox with the non-Orthodox, to follow the example of the Finnish Orthodox Church and change the Orthodox Paschalia. This would entail changing the time of celebration of the movable feasts bound with Pascha.

The final deviation from the established order in Orthodox Church services will be realized if Churches accept the so called "New World Calendar". The United Nations has been working on this project for several decades now, and ecumenists are striving for its acceptance. This new "international calendar", which aims at fixing all dates on definite days of the week (satanic non-freedom of determination!) will exclude the last day of the year (December 31) from the sequence of weekdays. This will bring about complete chaos in the uninterrupted alternation of weeks. This calendar will disrupt the periodicity of the seven-day week, which ascends to the creation of the world. As a result, Sunday, the Lord's day -- this weekly celebration of His Resurrection -- will be abolished. Sunday will fall on various days of a civil week.

This "abolition of time" (Dan. 7,25) will also entail "abolition of law" (Dan. 7,25) inasmuch as the changes in the Orthodox Paschalia mean violation of the immutability of the canons of the Holy Orthodox Church (for example, the 7th Apostolic Rule, the 1st Rule of the Antiochian Council, the 7th Rule of the Second Ecumenical Council, etc.) [240]

[236] About the New Julian Calendar in more detail see Ludmila Perepiolkina "The Julian Calendar -- a 1000-year Old Icon of Time in Russia" in the journal The Orthodox Way for 1988, Jordanville, N.Y., USA, 1989, pp. 129-134. See also the table of "Deviations from the Typicon under the New-Julian Calendar", pp.142-144.

[237] See "The Acts of Ecumenical Councils", published in Russian translation at Kazan Theological Academy, 2nd ed., 1887.

[238] "Ortodoksinen kulttuuri", Helsinki, 1994, N 4, p. 84-88.

[239] Ibid., 1993, 11.12, p. 11.

[240] See The Canons or The Book of Rules of the Holy Apostles, the Holy Councils, Ecumenical and Local, and of the Holy Fathers. The second complete edition. Publication of the Brotherhood of St. Job of Pochaev in Montreal, Canada, Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, 1974.