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Child of Governance

Blueprint for a Unified Orthodox Christian Church in the United States: Where are We? A Layperson’s Overview

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity by George E. Matsoukas In 2008, a Meeting of Patriarchs of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches convened in Switzerland under the auspices of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, and charged the Bishops, in the lands outside of the traditional Roman Empire, to meet together in Assemblies of Bishops.  The purpose of these meetings of Assemblies of Bishops is to develop blueprints to establish canonical order within their geographic areas.   The Churches in these areas have Bishops of different Orthodox Christian groupings overlapping in the same geographic areas.  There is no comprehensive directory of priests.  There is great duplication…

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Terry Mattingly

Death of an Orthodox visionary — in America

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Source: Terry Mattingly On Religion When major religious leaders die, it’s traditional that public figures — secular and sacred — release letters expressing sorrow and sending their condolences to the spiritual sheep who have suddenly found themselves without a shepherd. This is precisely what Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios Trakatellis did, acting as chairman of the assembly of America’s Eastern Orthodox bishops, after he heard about the death of Metropolitan Philip Saliba — the leader of the Antiochian Orthodox Christians in North America for a half century. His letter was kind and gracious, but contained a hint of candor that spoke volumes. “For more than 15 years…

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Some Thoughts and (Unsought) Advice on Holding Church Councils

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The Catholic World Report How the Eastern Orthodox can benefit from the lessons of Vatican II and other Councils  By Dr. Adam A. J. DeVille  The recent news out of Constantinople that the Orthodox Church has finally set a date (2016) for the holding of its much-promised but much-delayed “great and holy synod” is good news indeed. If it comes to pass, if it deals successfully with matters of substance, and if it doesn’t get bogged down in the usual jurisdictional squabbles—especially between the patriarchs of Constantinople and Moscow, and more recently Jerusalem and Antioch—then it promises to be…

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Do Old World Patriarchs Really Want Orthodox Unity?

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald By George D. Karcazes Special to The National Herald The letter that Archbishop Kyril, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the “Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia” recently sent to Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, as Chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in North and Central America is disappointing. But, it probably should have been expected. In his letter, Kyril echoes the sentiments of Bishop Danili of the “Bulgarian Diocese in the USA and Canada” which were also in a letter apparently presented to Archbishop Demetrios and his “Committee for…

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Orthodox Leaders Should Learn from the New Pope

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald To the Editor: A report of an interview given by Pope Francis to an Italian journalist was recently published in the International Herald Tribune. Although the pope was speaking of the Roman Curia and the Catholic Church, his comments accurately described the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA). In the interview, the Pope called the church “overly clerical and insular, interested in temporal power”. He pointed out that the “heads of the church have often been narcissists, flattered and thrilled by their courtiers.” As for the Roman Curia he said: “The court is the leprosy of…

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Transparency and the Finances of Metropolises

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Source: Estiator – The Restaurateur Peter S. Makrias, Publisher-Editor October 2013 In addition to all that we have already written about the hegemonic authority exercised by the Metropolitans of our Church in America, we must also note the fact that they do not offer an account for their actions and decisions.  Among other things, they do not offer any public accounting of their income and expenses, as the Archdiocese does at its Clergy-Laity Congresses.  It is there that the Archdiocese’s finances are discussed, along with its income from parishes and expenditures for various institutions. The incidents involving Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey…

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Constantine and current church politics

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Source: Ekklesia 2013 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, when emperor Constantine ended the persecution of Christianity, to which he had converted. In early October, World Council of Churches General Secretary Dr Olav Fykse Tveit praised Constantine’s legacy in glowing terms. Yet in reality it has been a mixture of harm and good. Tveit sent his regrets to Serbian church leaders for being unable to attend anniversary ceremonies to which they had invited him, stating that the legacy of Constantine – the first ruler to do battle and kill in Christ’s name – “is still helping to…

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A Resolution for Autocephaly

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We reprint the OCL Resolution calling for Autocephaly of the American Orthodox Church passed in 1998, fifteen years ago, and pray that the meeting of Assembly of Canonical Bishops on September 17-19 in Chicago will make progress in developing the blueprint for a unified, self-governing, canonical Church in our geographic areas.  The “fullness of time” for the unification and autocephaly of the Church in the United States and in all other  geographic areas has arrived.                          – Editor    Orthodox Christian Laity A Resolution for Autocephaly Adopted October 10, 1998 BE IT RESOLVED THAT:  The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL), assembled…

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Problems of Orthodoxy in America

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

by Fr. Alexander Schmemann Editor’s Note: As the Assembly of Bishops meets in Chicago on September 15-17, 2013, please review some of the following canonical issues related to unity. The Canonical Problem [St. Vladimir’s Seminary Quarterly, 1964, Vol. 8, # 2, pp. 67-85.] 1. An Uncanonical Situation No term is used—and misused—among the Orthodox people in America more often than the term canonical. One hears endless discussions about the “canonicity” or the “uncanonicity” of this or that bishop, jurisdiction, priest, parish. Is it not in itself an indication that something is wrong or, at least, questionable from the canonical point of…

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DESIGNED FOR EXTINCTION?

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Source: Greek Orthodox Christians for Truth and Reform Two recently published articles, one in the Orthodox Observer and the other in The National Herald caught the attention of our Editors. Both concern the administration and the future of our Church and Faith. They come from two different perspectives yet both accurately indicate the present condition. Both authors draw upon their own views and reach, in our minds, the identical conclusion that foreshadows the future of our Church. These authors have not yet fully appreciated the foresight, power or the precision of their observations. Remarkably, it is as if both of…

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Accountable Church Leadership – Where?

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

 “After this I will pour out my spirit on all humanity….Your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.”  Joel 2:28 Since the imposition of a Charter on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America without the input and approval of the Clergy and Laity within that particular Orthodox grouping in the United States, the consequences have been chaotic.  There is no accountability within the Archdiocese.  The Metropolitans each report directly to the Patriarch in Istanbul. They see the Archbishop as a figurehead.  Each Metropolis sees itself as an independent entity.  The Metropolitans in these geographic areas…

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