Recent History of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Decisions Related to the GOA The recent record of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s “governance” of the GOA: The forced retirement of Archbishop Iakovos (1996); Rejection of the gathering of the Orthodox Bishops in America at Ligonier, Pennsylvania (1995); Election of Archbishop Spyridon (1997); Imposition of the current Charter against the wishes of the Los Angeles Clergy-Laity Congress (2003); Imposition of a new Archbishop from Turkey who has not served in the US, without any input or participation of the clergy or laity of the Archdiocese as required by previous Charters (2019); Unilateral “suspension” (2020) followed…
Browsing: Charter
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Tension was created during the recent meeting of the Archdiocesan Council, which met for two days at the Westin hotel in Detroit, due to the issue of the Charter of the Archdiocese. The issue was again brought up for discussion by Archbishop Elpidophoros despite the contrary recommendations of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. According to our information, Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago reacted by saying that the issue was “out of order” and emphasized that “the Patriarch told us during our meeting at the Phanar that we should not publicly discuss the issue of…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, as a member of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, participated in its deliberation, which was convened on the 29th and 30th of May under the leadership of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. This regular session brought significant decisions for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Central among these decisions was the mandate given to the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to further examine the Archbishop’s proposals for a comprehensive Charter revision. Affirming the Synod’s previous decision, His…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The Ecumenical Patriarchate strongly rejected the proposals and attempts of Archbishop Elpidophoros to change the Charter of the Archdiocese of America. The message was conveyed during a meeting that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had with four of the seven members of the Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese on Wednesday, April 5, in Constantinople at the Phanar. The Metropolitans who participated were Methodios of Boston, Savas of Pittsburgh, Gerasimos of San Francisco, and Nathanael of Chicago. Also present at the meeting were Archbishop Elpidophoros, Metropolitan Emmanuel Geron of Chalcedon, Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Nothing serious or substantial was achieved for the second time during the joint meeting of the committees on the Charter of the Archdiocese, which was convened at the Phanar on Tuesday, March 8, 2023. Initially, it was announced that the meeting was going to be held in Chalcedon, and the excuse used for the change of the location was that it was due to the work of the Holy Synod. We note here that the Synod’s first day was Monday, March 7, convened at the Phanar, and its second and final…
Originally posted on December 31, 2021 The process for gathering input from the clergy and laity outlined by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA), was to ask the 80 or so members of the Charter Committee to submit questions to be collected, organized, and incorporated into a questionnaire to be submitted back to the committee. The committee’s responses to the questionnaire would then be “summarized” by the Archdiocese to guide the members of the “drafting committee” appointed by the Archbishop. Those appointees will presumably meet with the 5 or so members of the drafting committee appointed by the Patriarch.…
I am a third-generation member of the Orthodox Christian Church in the United States, dating back to 1906, when my paternal grandparents settled in Springfield, MA, and then Poughkeepsie, NY (1908), when my maternal grandfather settled in Pittsburgh, PA. At 28 years old, my grandmother died of the Swine Flu in that city in 1918, leaving a 3-month newborn and a 4-year-old child. Eventually, this branch of the family settled in Garden City, L.I., N.Y. I grew up with my parents in Jersey City in 1942. My views on this Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Charter development process relate to this impressionistic…
Source: The National Herald By Christopher Tripoulas It’s a new year, but the Archbishop’s recent meeting at the Phanar regarding amendments to the Archdiocese of America’s Charter is more like a blast from the past. This on-again, off-again process, which began in the fall of 2019 with the sudden suspension of the Charter by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was thought to have ended last June when the Patriarchate restored the Charter at the “request” [sic] of the Archdiocese. However, no sooner did this thoroughly botched matter seem to have been resolved, when it was awkwardly revisited, following a cryptic announcement by…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America NEW YORK – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America convened a special meeting of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Archdiocese of America through videoconference for the purpose of considering current issues concerning the life of the Church in America. The Archbishop first informed the members of the Holy Eparchial Synod about the decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to establish a Mixed Commission for the new Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and to appoint members on behalf of the Mother Church. Therefore,…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America As announced by the Ecumenical Patriarchate during today’s meeting of the Holy and Sacred Synod, His All-Holiness designated as members of the Joint Committee on the Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Their Eminences Metropolitan Geron Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, the The V. Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Archimandrite Aetios, Director of the Patriarchal Private Office, and Dr. Konstantinos Delikostantis, Archon “Didaskalos Tou Genos,” Director of the First Patriarchal Office, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Athens.
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America This week, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate lifted the suspension of the Charter of the Archdiocese. The charter was initially placed in abeyance, by the decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod on October 8, 2020, for the purpose of developing a new charter for the Archdiocese that would strengthen the role of the largest Eparchy of the Mother Church with a new mandate suitable for the evolving and changing modern pastoral needs of American society. The Vision for the Second Centennial: The Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America was…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Clergy-Laity Congress Marriott Marquis – Broadway South, Sixth Floor New York, NY July 6, 2022 Your Eminence Elder-Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Your Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Your Eminence Metropolitan Prodromos of Rethymnon and Avlopotamos, Very Reverend Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Your Eminences and Your Graces, Reverend Clergy, Representatives of our Church Institutions and Organizations, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On October 8, 2020, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate issued a communique which, in part, stated that, “It placed into abeyance the force of the Charter of the Holy Archdiocese of…