Orthodox father of many children calls on Patriarch Bartholomew for public repentance

An open letter from an Orthodox believer, a father of ten children, sent to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has caused a wide resonance and heated discussions in church circles. The author of the letter expresses deep concern about the Patriarch’s participation in the recent event dedicated to the memory of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea, which was also attended by representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant denominations. According to the author, the event raised serious questions of faith and ecclesiology, and he calls on the Patriarch to publicly repent.

According to Vima Orthodoxias, the letter is dated December 11, 2025 and signed by Michael Tsakiridis of Thessaloniki, a father of ten children. It is being actively circulated in the church environment, causing serious reflection among part of the Orthodox flock, which is also noted in church news reports.

In his address, Michael Tsakiridis directly criticizes the presence of the Patriarch at the event in Nicea, organized under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, where representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant dogmas also participated. He states: «As an Orthodox Christian, father of 10 children by the grace of God, experiencing ‘good anxiety’ as St. Paisios said, and seeing this fiesta that took place in Nicea with your presence, the presence of the heresiarch of Rome Pope Leo(note: probably referring to the current Pope), various Protestant offshoots, I will share with you some thoughts and questions that I have had.»

Tsakiridis makes specific dogmatic arguments, citing the decisions of the First, Second and Third Ecumenical Councils and the drafting of the Creed. He emphasizes: «The First Ecumenical Council established a common Paschalia for its members, the Orthodox Christians, and not for the heretics that existed at that time. The first two Ecumenical Councils established the Creed, while the third condemns anyone who adds or removes anything from it.»

Special attention is paid to the issue of Filioque and the position of the Roman Catholic Church. The author of the letter refers to the III Ecumenical Council and IX Apostolic Canon, pointing out that according to Church tradition, praying together with heretics entails the heaviest penalties.

In the central part of the letter, the large-hearted believer asks the Patriarch five questions. Among them:

• «For the sake of unity, is it possible for the pure faith of Orthodoxy to unite with the impurities of heretics?»
• «Is it possible for light to unite with darkness?»
• «Was St. Gregory Palamas wrong when he declared that we will not accept the Papists into communion as long as they maintain Filioque?»

In the most emotional part of the letter, Michael Tsakiridis makes a dramatic appeal to the Patriarch: «Now that the curtain has fallen and you are one step away from your grave, I implore you to make a public statement of repentance: condemn all heresies, the false council in Kolimbari, revoke the tomos on autocephaly from the Ukrainian schismatics, condemn the schismatic Church of Skopje, and confess the only truth of Orthodoxy.»

The letter ends with a strong eschatological reference and wish, having already sparked discussions in theological circles, among the faithful and in the Church media, as noted by sources from the Hellenic Church and observers of the ecclesiastical sphere. Its content reflects the deep rift that continues to exist within Orthodoxy around inter-Christian dialog, and the letter serves as a loud testimony to the hard but real voice of the Orthodox flock.

Recall, earlier we reported that the hierarch of the Hellenic Orthodox Church Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythira and Antikyphyria criticized the joint celebrations with Roman Catholics of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, held in Turkey at the end of November 2025 under the auspices of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Hierarch noted that only one — except Patriarch Bartholomew — of the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches was present at the celebration precisely because Pope Leo XIV took part in the event. In addition, Metropolitan Seraphim stated that it was inappropriate to sign a declaration of cooperation between the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope because of the significant contradictions in Orthodox and Catholic theology.