Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
New York – On Monday, October 12, 2020, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America convened the Holy Eparchial Synod via videoconference for an extraordinary session to consider the current issues concerning the life of the Church.
Significant decisions were made, such as:
- The expression of gratitude to His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy and Sacred Synod of the venerable center of Orthodoxy for the opportunity provided to the Archdiocese of America to draft a new Charter. This distinguished prospect is made even more profound in light of the celebration in the year 2022 of the first centennial since the inception of the Archdiocese. The compilation of the new Charter, with the collaboration of the Hierarchy, the clergy and the laity of the Church, will inaugurate the new centennial of Archdiocesan ministry, and for this reason two Committees will be commissioned with this great and sacred task: 1) An extensive committee in America, composed of representatives of the Holy Eparchial Synod, the clergy and the laity and 2) a second committee, assigned to participate in the Joint Committee that will be devised by our Mother Church, in order to convey and communicate the essence and the ideas of the former committee.
- The validation of the Press Release of the Holy Archdiocese regarding the uninterrupted authority and continuous operation of all the Archdiocesan administrative bodies until the ratification and publication of the new Charter by the Patriarchate such as the Holy Eparchial Synod, the Archdiocesan Council, the Executive Committee, the Clergy Laity Congress and the respective administrative bodies of the Metropolises.
- The dedication of upcoming meetings of the Archdiocesan Council to the formulation of the vision for the new Charter.
- To ensure a dignified life with sufficient earnings, befitting to his hierarchal distinction and to the tradition of the Church, for His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of Sardes, who has served the Archdiocese for many decades.
Lastly, the Archbishop announced the a) composition of the Executive Committee and the National Board of the National Philoptochos Society, b) the appointment of the V. Rev. Archimandrite Constantine Moralis as the Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of New Jersey and the appointment of the Metropolitan Council of the aforementioned Metropolis and c) the dates for the ordinations to the Sacred Hierarchy of the Bishops-elect: His Grace Spyridon (Kezios) of Amastris on November 14th, His Grace Timothy (Bakakos) of Hexamilion on December 5th and His Grace Ioannis (Constantine) of Phocaea on December 19th of this year.
From the Office of the Chief-Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod
2 Comments
A rational meeting on its face, but do we know all that occurred?
Did the Most Reverend Metropolitan’s stand up to His Eminence about consultation regarding contemplated actions against one of them?
Did they suggest that consultation with Metropolitan Methodios might have been sufficient to deal with the problems announced about his behavior?
Was Metropolitan Evangelos offered the opportunity to repent before his essential forced retirement?
Did any of them ask why the provisions of the Constitutional Charter were ignored in so far as vacant metropolises are to be filled by a neighboring metropolitan as a “Locum Tenens,” not by a “Patriarchal Vicar,” an innovative term in American Archdiocese historical ecclesiology?
I’m hoping some of them asked to use the proposed Charter, collaboratively prepared, that was submitted by Archbishop Demetrios to the Committee on the Eparchy’s Abroad in 2000 be used as a basis for a new Charter. That Charter had been dismissed outright by the committee and would have brought some level of self-governance to the Archdiocese. Did they remind His Eminence that His All Holiness had entered the chamber during the discussion and advised the mixed American delegation, “You’ll get what you want in 10 years or so,” and that would have been a decade ago?
Did anyone suggest, Your Eminence, let’s work together to build-up the Holy Archdiocese of America, rather than fall on our backs while the Ecumenical Patriarchate suppresses us even more? Wouldn’t a strong, loyal Archdiocese of America be more beneficial to the venerable Ecumenical Throne?
Excellent comments ! Would that our hierarchy read OCL column to better understand what their brethren are thinking and doing , they would have a unique appreciation of what’s going in the pews. In fact diocese lines should be relaxed to allow our Metropolitans to offer sermons anywhere in the USA.