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…
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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 BETHESDA, MD – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was the honored guest at the National Intelligence University’s Presidential Lecture Series, where he addressed the faculty and student body on the topic of “Russia’s Weaponization of Religion in the Ukraine Conflict.” This historic visit marks the first-ever address by the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to the US intelligence community. The National Intelligence University (NIU) is the US intelligence community’s premier academic institution, with faculty and students from all 18 agencies of the intelligence community (including the CIA, NSA, NGA, FBI, and more) as…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Internet Ministries There’s still time to register for our April 25th webinar! CISA Physical Security and Cyber Security Webinar Tuesday, April 25 1:00 PM ET In this presentation, our representative from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will discuss sound security practices for mitigating physical attacks, including active shooter situations, and cyber-attacks on our Houses of Worship. We will also discuss the various programs CISA makes available to Faith-based organizations. This presentation is offered by the Department of Internet Ministries in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
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 – His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, former of America, in an interview with The National Herald, spoke about the Archdiocese, the Charter, the dethronement of Metropolitan Evangelos from his Metropolis of New Jersey, the Theological School, Greek Education in America, and much more. The interview follows: TNH: Your Eminence, after so many years away you made an appearance at a few church events in New York. How would you assess the state of the Church and our Community in America in the year 2023? SPYRIDON: Although I attended these events briefly, I was…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Archbishop Elpidophoros of America has turned openly against the will and directives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew regarding the Charter of the Archdiocese of America, as it appears from the last meeting of the Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese in New York on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. We reveal today that the will and the directives given by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the Commission of the Phanar for the Charter call for no changes to come to the metropolises and their respective metropolitans. It is recalled that the Commission of the Phanar…
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…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America A regular meeting of the Holy Eparchial Synod was convened today by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for the purpose of deliberating on current matters concerning the life of the Church. The Archbishop updated the synodal hierarchs on the second meeting of the Mixed Commission on the new Charter for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which took place at the Phanar on March 8, 2023. In continuation, the Holy Eparchial Synod: 1) discussed the official communique of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the Mixed Commission and in response to an invitation from His All-Holiness…
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…