Elder Cleopa of Sihastria on the Calendar Controversy

Some interesting comments from Elder Cleopa (Ilie) of Sihastria in Romania on the calendar controversy and the schisms that have come from it can be found here (the site links to the Romanian-language original as well). I certainly agree with Elder Cleopa's comments on the unhealthiness of the Old Calendrist movements' oftentimes sectarian spirit, but conversely I find it troubling that he does not mention the persecution the Old Calendrists suffered at the hands of both the state and, at times, the world Orthodox Churches in Greece and Romania at the time of the calendar change.

As with so many schisms, there may well be more gray involved than either we in the mainstream Orthodox Churches or those in the various Old Calendrist synods would like to believe. Hat tip to Mystagogy for posting a link to a link to a link to the original of this ;-). Some of the comments on Mystagogy's posting are worth the read while others, especially one regarding the decision of Patriarch Meletius (Metaxakis) of Constantinople to recognize the "Living Church" as the true Church of Russia in the 1920s, are most definitely not...