By Nick Stamatakis
According to a report by TNH just hours ago, “during the meeting of the Committee of the Ecumenical Throne on the Provinces Abroad, which met in Phanar on the afternoon of Thursday, June 9, 2022, it was decided that a request will be submitted from the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of America to the Patriarchate asking to lift the suspension of the Charter, which was ordered on October 8, 2020….” It seems that the decision was made by the “triumvirate”, Pat. Bartholomew, Met. Emmanuel (second in command at the Patriarchate) and AB Elpidophoros.
It was decided that when the Archbishop returns to New York (tomorrow, June 11) will call the Eparchial Synod and will send a letter to the Patriarchate to request Pat. Bartholomew to take back the suspension.
What truly underlines this decision are several factors:
- At the top of the list is the ongoing federal criminal investigations that may be related to the suspension of the Charter in the first place. The federal probes are directed toward GOARCH itself and also to the construction of Saint Nicholas at Ground Zero. A number of legal complications can happen not only in New York but in all states because of the lack of a Charter in effect to determine the affairs of the Church.
- Second in importance is the widespread demand for autonomy for the Church in America, a demand that GOARCH itself had the chance to feel during the submission of the “questionnaire on the New Charter” at the beginning of 2022. Characteristically, the overwhelming response, even by the so-called “Archons” and even from ardent supporters of “the Ecumenical Throne”, was for “Autonomy for the Church in America”. This phenomenon was very visible when GOARCH decided to widen the distribution of the questionnaire beyond the initial 80 respondents…
- The continuing friction between AB Elpidophoros and certain Metropolises. It is already known that the clergy of Chicago and Boston has sent letters containing their disagreements. It is also known that the whole Eparchial Synod is discontent because it is kept uninformed on serious matters by the Archbishop.
- In the meantime, Helleniscope has learned that the demand for one unified, pan-orthodox church of America has gained significant ground and will be among the central matters to be presented by the faithful and discussed in the upcoming Clergy-Laity conference to be held in New York this July 3-7.
Under these circumstances the last article of the 2003 Charter, article 25, regarding the Amendment of the Charter acquires great importance. States article 25: “The present Charter regulating the affairs of the Holy Archdiocese of America as an ecclesiastical institution, may be amended in its entirety or in part after a proposal of the Holy Eparchial Synod submitted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate following the appropriate procedure in the Archdiocesan Council and the Archdiocesan Clergy-Laity Congress, and after the approval of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to which the proposal has been submitted.”
It seems to me that sooner or later the Holy Eparchial Synod, pressed by the continuing problems and the demands of the faithful will present to AB Elpidophoros an offer “he will not be able to refuse…”
Well did Elder Ephraim warn us before his passing to be careful because “WOLVES” will enter the church. As does Revelation. Talk is cheap. Once lost, trust is hard to regain. Tell the boys to prove it!!!
When they perform the miracle of unbreaking the glass they broke, I will absolutely trust them then.
Until then, they will remain in the file labelled “ANaxioi”. Too bad, so sad. (or as the Green Bart would say, Skasila! 😯 )
PS btw, it’s ALWAYS about money. When you think its not, you’re WRONG, it’s still about money.
Αδ θυμησουμε στους ανωτερους βαθμοφορους της Ιερωσυνης οτι διδουν ορκο ΠΕΝΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΙΑΣ οποτε απαιτουμε απο αυτους να τηρουνε τον ορκο τους και να αποτελουν καλο παραδειγμα μιμησης αποφευγοντας να δκανδαλιζουν τους πιστους.
This cracks me up. To me, the big money players played the goa. And continue to play the goa for photo ops. Like all those really smart ppl and super rich ppl who have all those genius lawyers at their beck and call couldn’t tell Barth and Epi doodle up front of the sheer stupidity of revoking the charter??? Did all the potential irs issues just pop into the picture? And the Potential state problems magically appeared? What a conglomeration of buffoons performing buffoonery upon each other and by default us. For sure, they didn’t get so mega rich by not knowing, for example, the tax code.
Anyway, it’s my experience that the priest(s), parish council(s) and parishioners are unaware of the uprs and parish by-laws, the interaction of those rules w federal and state laws and regulations, contract law, etc. They’re just an inconvenient bunch of words, particularly when called to act accordingly.
And some executive governing body best compare the 2003 words with the supposed “2003 reinstated” words to verify that indeed there aren’t any changes, whether material or no. After all the purposeful misrepresentations of facts, who can really believe them?
Not just the great clairvoyant Elder Ephraim but Saint Paisios too predicted the Wolves in Priests clothing long ago… but —
Destiny is Destiny
The time is here and now, for unification of the many disenfranchised Orthodox Christians of varying ethnicities and jurisdictions in the United States to join in the formation of a new Pan-Orthodox, Orthodox Church of America.
Many dedicated Orthodox Christians at OCL are leading the way in order to break free of the financial chains of mismanagement and corruption within GOARCH that will forever plague, bankrupt and bind the existing church to the Turkish infidels seeking destruction for personal gain.
Of course it’s about the money. Fortunately, we Christians are loving, generous and giving people bravely willing to put words and transparency into action. Whoever thinks that by reverting back to the 2003 Charter will once again, “restore” the old GOARCH into something “new” is delusional. Disregard the antics these pitiful “actors” play as impersonators of “holiness”. Believing in the status quo is no longer an option and the Pan Orthodox wave gaining momentum is eager to break bread with Christ’s blessings in order to serve Him and to begin anew.
“The time is here and now, for unification of the many disenfranchised Orthodox Christians of varying ethnicities and jurisdictions in the United States to join in the formation of a new Pan-Orthodox, Orthodox Church of America.“
Margaret I would love for this to happen, but, there are very large swaths of American Orthodoxy that will not unify with GOARCH if Elpidophoros is to remain and to this otherwise would be foolish.
The Antiochians (remember when Elpiodphoros was rebuked by Met. Joseph), the Serbians, and big swaths of the OCA would never go for it.
The Ephraim monasteries would be better off moving to another jurisdiction and individual parishes in the GOA moving to different jurisdictions.
It will be interesting to see what, if any grievances are aired at the Clergy Laity conference.
OCA will not unite with GOARCH under any circumstances… so don’t blame it on Elpidoforos… by the way can someone explain to me what “beef” do the other Orthodox have with Elpidoforos?
Seriously? I am GO and the beefs are too many to count. I am not a lemming and will not be led to hell by the money grabbers. They shame us all .
Menas your points are valid and we can only hope and pray this happens.
As for the clergy laity conference I can tell you from now that there will be radio silence on these matters. No one will dare discuss anything like this! This is the reality. Honestly the idea of the clergy laity conference is has lost its true meaning. People who attend do not even understand the point of being there anymore. Did you every imagine that they would be having a Despina Vandi concert as one their events during the clergy laity conference and tickets are $400 a piece. This is so not acce
This is so not acceptable!
Menas, you wonder: “It will be interesting to see what, if any grievances are aired at the Clergy Laity conference.”
The answer is they will say whatever the PR firm they’ve hired (using church monies btw) tells them to say. IF they had any integrity, decency, honesty, they would have addressed many real, obvious, and existential issues that have sullied the GOA for DECADES. I guess they think their actions are hidden–and God doesn’t know either??
Because they stonewall instead, they have lost all authority over us sheep. They, those known individuals, have consumed and trashed it all (except the buildings). Things they’ve done willingly, aren’t done by ‘servants of God’. Even though there have been plenty of us calling them out, they will not leave of their own volition. Nothing short of their removal by law enforcement, or an unprecedented torches and pitchforks uprising by the parishioners (can you imagine!) will get them out of their feathered nests; I would bet my baptismal cross that I’ve worn more than 6 decades on it.
At this point no words can make up for huge amounts of money gone, trust abused, brazen lies told. Christians owe them NO forgiveness unless they are CONTRITE. Contrition for what they’ve done would necessarily include repairing the damage they’ve done, and at this late stage, how could they? “Oh, no, give us another chance, we’ll be good this time!” (how ridiculous would that sound, huh?)
For the record, I do mock them, in Christian brotherly love. How else to shake such arrogant men off their wicked ways. If I were there to do it, I would smack them on their heads, like a good Greek mother, or a sibling whose fed up with shamelessly stupid behavior. If they were to invite me, yes, I would follow through on this claim, absolutely. Since apparently no one else is there amongst them to light their rumps.
The smoke of Satan has entered the church
THE DOORS! THE DOORS!
Menas~
Thank you for prompting the need for clarification. I’m not suggesting unifying with the current GOARCH leadership at all. Quite the contrary, I speak of the unification of all Orthodox Christians–whether Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Greek, Ethiopian, etc., ethnicities merging into/under the formation of a “new” autocephalous canonical Pan-Orthodox/American Orthodox Church, in which members, past/present may be from GOARCH, OCA, Antiochian, etc.,
No doubt in the minds of many countless former church goers, the “old” church is already spiritually dead and gone! Too many egregious acts have been committed, and trust is but an empty belief in a broken system thinking that somehow, someway the current GOARCH can resurrect and right the ship by reinstating the “old charter”.
As a dear friend reminded me and I’m sure we can all agree, NO unity with GOARCH will ever be possible until after the current GOA leaders are removed by incarceration, deportation or recall.
To that end, inquiry demands answers to the many questions of which the 3 below, are just the beginning of what every Orthodox Christian in the GOARCH deserves the rightful answers:
1. Attorney General status of both pension and St. Nicholas funding investigation.
2. Publication of photostactic proof of US immigration status of all priests from Greece, Turkey and other nations ” employed” in America by GOA, Hellenic College, St. Basil’s Academy, St. Michaels Nursing home all employees at 79th Street and the Bartholomew Foundation.
3. All efforts made under civil suit charging malpractice, errors and omissions, fraud and Civil Rico in covering up loss for the $50 million in pension money from all professionals involved in handling, reviewing, investing, accounting, auditing, directing pension plan.
Years and years and years ago–a really long time ago, maybe allegedly they had like one college -grad working there; they allegedly would hire them right out of high school!
My point is the insight an education gives helps institutions .