Romanian Orthodox Metropolis Warns of Fake Website Impersonating Church Hierarchs
The Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas warned that a fraudulent website is impersonating Orthodox hierarchs to falsely claim ecclesiastical legitimacy and urged the faithful to rely only on recognized Church sources.
CHICAGO — The Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas issued an official warning on December 17 regarding a fraudulent website that falsely claims ecclesiastical legitimacy by misusing the images and identities of prominent Orthodox hierarchs.
According to the press release, a website operating under the name “Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of the Americas” has unlawfully used a photograph of His Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae, misidentifying him as “Archbishop Gregory,” despite his having no affiliation with the group. The site also falsely identifies photographs of His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, as “Patriarch Paulos I,” and Bp. Matthew of the Moscow Patriarchal Parishes in the USA as “Bishop Methodius.”
Church officials stated that these deliberate misrepresentations are intended to deceive the faithful and have no canonical basis within Orthodoxy. The Metropolis has begun legal and administrative action and urged clergy and faithful to rely only on official, canonically recognized Church sources.
Previously, the UOJ reported on Met. Nicolae's blessing of the newly renovated headquarters of the Romanian Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.
