Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Why have there been no announcements all these weeks about the resolution of the Election of the Metropolitan of Chicago? Members of the Holy Synod went to Istanbul before August 15. What were the results of this meeting? They are going back in early September? Why is the work of the Greek Archdiocese (GOA) done with no input from the faithful? The Church is a community, a communion. It is about communication. Where is the transparency in its actions and decisions? What role does the Archdiocesan Council play in this process? Do they just pay and…
Browsing: Governance & Unity News
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Source: The National Herald Theodoros Kalmoukos BOSTON, MA – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America and members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will travel to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople on August 30. First, they will have an audience with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, following a meeting with the Patriarchate’s Holy and Sacred Synod. The goal of the visit is an attempt to reverse Bartholomew’s and the Synod’s decision regarding the cancelation of the election of Bishop Sebastian of Zela to Metropolitan of Chicago. TNH has learned that it is expected…
Source: OCA Diocese of the Midwest CHICAGO, IL [OCL] — His Grace, Bishop Paul of Chicago and the Midwest will be among the speakers at the 30th Annual Conference of Orthodox Christian Laity [OCL] on Saturday, October 28, 2017. Bishop Paul will update participants on the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. The conference will be held at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral Community Center, Chicago, Illinois. Other speakers include Father Frank Marangos, Former Dean of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of Holy Trinity, New York, NY; Former National Director of Religious Education…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) supports the decision of Archbishop Demetrios and the Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to elevate Bishop Sevastianos to lead the Metropolis of Chicago as its new Metropolitan. As Elaine Jaharis pointed out in her recent Open Letter published in The National Herald, the stakes for the Metropolis of Chicago, the Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate could not be higher. The Orthodox Christian Laity has supported the efforts of the Ecumenical Patriarchate where it believes that those efforts have merit: (a) The convening of pre-conciliar meetings over the years; (b) the…
Source: The National Herald Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America defied the Synodical decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to revise the List of Candidates for the elevation to Episcopacy. Instead in a unprecedented move they decided that the Archbishop with a representation of hierarchs travel to Constantinople to try to convince Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to reverse the initial Synodical decision that canceled the election of Bishop Sevastianos of Zela as Metropolitan of Chicago. The decision was taken on Thursday July 20 in a special session of the Eparchial Synod convened…
You may be interested in this ruling from the Tucson Court…. a case where a US Court upholds the well settled doctrine: “So long as a court does not cross into ecclesiastical matters, it is appropriate to apply neutral legal principles, including those based in contract, in resolving a dispute involving a religious organization.” If the New York courts had followed this doctrine in the Declaratory Judgment action filed challenging the imposition of the 2003 Charter by the EP without the approval of the Clergy-Laity Congress in accordance with the revision provisions of the previous Charter the GOA would not…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity by George Matsoukas It is difficult to discern the Holy Spirit-Spirit of Truth in the process of selecting the hierarchs in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America [GOA] is headed for another wrenching crisis! What happened to the post conciliar spirit of Orthodoxy one year after Holy and Great Council? Are we experiencing the consequences of the imposed 2003 Charter? We have a clash of cultures in our understanding rules and regulations. The voices of the hierarchy, clergy and laity living in America are being ignored in the…
Source: The National Herald To the Editor, I read again and again the open letter that Elaine Jaharis wrote to “All” and published in the National Herald on July 1. And I read it many times because this is not just a “letter.” This is a homily, this is a sermon, this is a wake-up κήρυγμα that should be read from the pulpit, from the amvona to all the parishioners every Sunday from every priest and every hierarch. The Ephraimite teachings are not the Orthodox Monasticism as we know it, it is not even Christian. It is a devious medieval…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The Orthodox Christian Laity calls upon the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople [EP] to ratify the selection of His Grace Bishop. Sevastianos of Zela as the Metropolitan of Chicago. The process by which the Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America [GOA] under Archbishop Demetrios selected him to lead the recently widowed see of Chicago was agreed upon by all parties before the repose of Metropolitan Iakovos, of blessed memory. The Eparchial Synod followed all the procedures approved by the EP including receiving input from the clergy and laity of the Church in America. It…
by Yianni Pappas I have stood by and supported the Patriarch and the Ecumenical Holy Synod time and again, but if the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Ecumenical Holy Synod can flippantly “change their mind” and go back on their word, then Orthodox Christianity worldwide has another major crisis of integrity. I have stood by and supported the Patriarch and the Ecumenical Holy Synod time and again against the fundamentalist Ephraimites who are more concerned with the outward form rather than content of substance. They have accused the Ecumenical Patriarch of betraying the faith because he said “all people under God are…
Source: The National Herald Theodoros Kalmoukos NEW YORK – The election of Bishop Sevastianos of Zela as the new Metropolitan of Chicago was canceled by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The election was scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 13 at the Phanar. The National Herald has learned that the unexpected turn of events is due to the List of Candidates which was considered problematic and incomplete. The List, however, had been approved by the Ecumenical Patriarchate last March. Bishop Sevastianos of Zela had gathered 7 votes out of 8 who voted for the triprosopon during the…
Source: The National Herald June 24-30, 2017 Edition – Page 12 By Peter Marudas Once again, The National Herald has demonstrated its unique role in stimulating dialogue and the open exchange of ideas concerning important matters facing our community. Its most recent contribution was reflected in two informative items appearing in the May 6 edition regarding the status of the Greek-American political presence in Washington. First, a Herald editorial titled “Emerging Greek-American Leaders” is a serious and thoughtful review of our past and present-emerging leadership in Washington. The other, an article by Washington insiders, Andy and Mike Manatos, suggests that…