In Response to Rome's Denigrations on our Validity

The following is a commentary provided by the Apostolic Synod of Antioch regarding the hypocrisies of the Roman Church against the holy orders within the Ancient Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church.

Recently, the Catholic Church in Rome's diocesan jurisdictions have published news articles deriding the holy orders of those who have their orders from them, as well as others. More specifically, some diocesan prelates have hypocritically criticized the holy orders within the ancient and true Great and Holy Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church as a whole (which consists of the Antiochian Catholic Apostolic Church and Syracusan Catholic Apostolic Church).

The Church of the Papish Persuasion has specifically, destructively criticized and demeaned our holy orders with sheer hypocrisy as they have seemingly forgotten that our ordinations are recognized as valid according to the principle of "ex opere operato." Even before garnering a restored fullness of apostolic succession through clandestinely upholding the Alexandrian habitude for thousands of years in persecution since our separation after the wrongful deposition of Saint Eustathius the Great of Antioch, our holy orders have been valid in both schools of thought by virtue of Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition.

Through the episcopal ordination of our Great and Holy Church's bishops then and today, our ordinations are valid because they were done according to—in their own Roman Catholic teachings, and also according to the teachings of the Anglicans and the Lutherans, and indeed, even some of the Greek Orthodox—the proper form, matter, minister, and intent. Our ordinations are also valid because in this, the indelible mark is established according to their, the Lutherans and Anglicans, and our dogma of sacramental character by the testimonies written in the Acts of the Apostles; it is written indeed, that humans are mere instruments of God, for it is the "Holy Spirit who has made you bishops."

Additionally, Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition teach the people of God that the Holy Spirit freely gifts blessings upon all without requesting them back, alongside the eternal callings of God, from Israel to the present age; and all holy mysteries or sacraments are valid according to the proper precepts regardless of an individual's own nature, be they faithful or an apostate so long as they intend to do what the faith does. The Holy Spirit does this with those He has freely gifted His blessings toward, in order to serve as a testimony to a clergyman's faithfulness or unfaithfulness at the Judgment Throne of God.

Though our holy orders and tracing of the historic episcopacy in the fullness of apostolic succession by restorative measures may derive themselves through individuals who were both part of the Roman Church and other churches in the [Eastern] Orthodox Catholic and Oriental Orthodox patrimonies among others—laboring to assist us in restoring a fullness of apostolic ministry—their ministries were and are still valid as well according to "The 'Indelible Character' of Holy Orders" which was published in The Catholic Layman, vol. 7, no. 76, 1858, pp. 38-39, which references their Council of Trent. They are also still valid as well according to the declarations made during the Council of Florence, which saw the temporary reunification of the descendants of the Roman state church as a safeguard against the Islamic conquests, and others; they are even validated in the [Eastern] Orthodox Catholic's acceptance of sacramental character according to the decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem in 1627.

Per the Roman or Augustinian understanding of holy orders by the writings of the Roman Church's most cherished Saint Augustine of Hippo with whom we also sanctify; and per, again, the Council of Florence and their Council of Trent; and making use of these against them as the Pharisees have tried to do to the Lord Jesus the Christ Who likewise used their own self-corrupted devices against them; while they deem such holy orders shared with them as illegal or non-canonical by their standards, they are nevertheless valid and exemplified by continuity of doctrine and practice in all of Ancient Orthodox, Catholic, and Apostolic Christendom. Per this understanding, which is biblical and traditionally sound, we also categorically reject and anathematize the statements of Cyprian of Carthage—a disputed episcopate who was rushed into the office and order of bishop against Holy Scripture's mandate that a bishop should not be a recent convert.

Any remarks by Roman Catholic dioceses, prelates, and so forth arguing against our holy orders and historic episcopacy especially, are at risk of blaspheming the Holy Spirit by attributing the Holy Spirit's worth and work to worthlessness. The same is to be regarded of those in the [Eastern] Orthodox Catholic faith, who so fiercely and pridefully reject the Holy Spirit's authority over their own so as to censure others in the spirit of the Pharisee by strict adherence to the letters of the law; and selectively regarding the ordinations of others which they contradictorily affirmed pending the nature of each autocephalous church amongst them (e.g., Aftimios Ofiesh, Ignatius Nichols, Joseph Zuk, Christophoros Contogeorge, Alexander Turner, etc.); these remarks arguing against our holy orders and our claims to apostolic succession may historically be akin to the Donatists or Novatianists, furthering our defense. To increase the furthering of our defense evermore, the [Eastern] Orthodox Catholic Christians' bishops accepted, once more, the theological formulations at Florence until rebellion occurred against them, severing the East and West yet again into the Eastern Catholics and contemporary Byzantine and Slavic Orthodox Christians; and they also, once more, decreed sacramental character or the indelible mark exists during their Synod of Jerusalem.

Even so, the same stances must be regarded amongst those various Protestants and others who so contradictorily claim to be in fullness of apostolic succession—such as those within the Anglican and Lutheran traditions or patrimonies—yet lack the means by improper liturgies which cannot even be read and followed thoroughly under God's inspiration; by improper dogma and submission to heresy thereby revealing a lack of continuity which produces a serious impediment to the use of holy orders; by claiming a heritage lasting more than 3,000 years; and by overriding God's own sovereignty so as to vacate, nullify, or usurp what He has given through their hands, even to the hilariously foolish measure of stating that the historic episcopacy or grace of apostolic succession cannot be passed or becomes null and void unless someone is there or without another prelate's permission; or even to produce their own separate copies of their scrolls unto their own successors.

The hypocrisy of Rome and others sets a very dangerous precedent, leading to the unfounded harm of innocent clergymen's reputation throughout the world. Whereas the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches has valiantly defended their holy orders with Rome's approval of their validity, even though a Roman pope initially and foolishly deemed them null and void, and even though they come into question with continual divergence from the historic essentiality of Christendom with women's ordination beyond the diaconate and such; and whereas the Union of Scranton of the Old Catholic Churches has valiantly defended their holy orders, which are ecumenically addressed as the orthodox Old Catholics with full continuity by the Romans and others; and whereas the Old Roman Catholic Church and its derivatives including the Liberal Catholic Church have done the same, albeit, to the accepted reality of Arnold Harris Mathew's null and void holy orders by improper intent yet continuing on in a more conservative Old Catholic patrimony or theologically liberal Old Catholic understanding (plus the additional measure of his conditional ordination through the bishops affiliated to the Order of Corporate Reunion); and whereas the Old Catholic Mariavite Church has done the same to their continuity with the faith by rejecting the Catholic Mariavite apostasy while embracing a stronger Marian emphasis; and whereas the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church has continued to perpetuate its strong holy orders and claims to succession by the controversial Ferraz and Costa; the Ancient Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church submits to the world, its defense of its holy orders and apostolic succession by being valid, and doctrinally sound, with its episcopal heritage stemming from those who have been duly recognized in our daughter Roman Catholic, Byzantine or Slavic Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Lutheran and Anglican, and other sacramental patrimonies.

Any and all remarks against our valid, God-given ministries in holy orders are decreed to be unilaterally vindictive, thereby automatically deposing those who have sought retribution against "the Holy Spirit who has made you bishops." Though they may take rightfully their credentials and offices in those considered to have once concelebrated with them; and seek reputational harm by whatever means they have devised, albeit immoral; they may not take what God has given unless they deem themselves more powerful than God Himself. They may no longer recognize the office according to their understanding, but they must recognize the holy order of being "priest forever." They must "not grieve the Holy Spirit" nor forget the Spirit that has "sealed the people unto salvation" as Holy Scripture teaches. To do so, would again, place them at odds with God Himself, and experience the same great fall as Satan. If God marks His people in the Old Testament and New Testament by various means so that they are sealed, even if they fall into continued sin; and if Satan likewise seeks to counterfeit such actions yet selectively mark and unmark according to his own premonitions by seeking to usurp both grace (which, once and for all, can be lost yet restored before judgment) and character (which, once and for all can never be lost); and if baptism does seal the new Christian with God's indelible mark; so do all actions of God which confer grace and authority seal them with God's indelible mark of order.

Let all who seek to be God Himself, and override His predestined workmanship for the sake of their own laws, be committed to anathematization until they so repent. Let all who seek to overtake God's mandate be mindful of their automatic, self-excommunication from the Body of the Lord Jesus the Christ. Let all who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, be mindful of their unpardonable sinfulness. Let them all be marked.