Posted by Photini Henderson
(Photini) on 4/25/2008, 12:00 pm, in reply to "Thanks to Metropolitan Methodios for making it clear..."
From the National Herald
Consequences Methodios's Letter to the N.E. Clergy
To The Editor:
I am flabbergasted by the content of the letter addressed to the
Greek Orthodox Clergy in New England written by His Eminence,
Metropolitan Methodios. I pray to the Saints of North America to
intercede for him and for all Orthodox Christians in North America.
By his action Metropolitan Methodios appears to be stating that the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese represents the Church of Constantinople's
questionable claim of PROTEIA…precedence in the New World. It is an
indication that Constantinople is claiming jurisdiction over all
Orthodox faithful in North and South America. Metropolitan Methodios
is saying in this letter that he has precedence because he represents
Constantinople. The fact that many cities are diocesan Sees for more
than one Orthodox hierarch is truly a scandal. Patriarch Demetrios,
of blessed memory, recognized this scandal in the first ever visit to
America by an Ecumenical Patriarch. Many of these cities had sitting
bishops before the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese was established. An
Albanian bishop was in Boston as early as 1908 and Boston remains the
See under the Metropolia now the OCA. The City of Detroit had a
bishop now within the Metropolia since 1935. One of the oldest
Metropolia/OCA Sees, San Francisco, had a bishop years before the
other Orthodox jurisdictions established bishops in that city. It
would be interesting to investigate the dates when the dioceses were
established in the cities and who established them. In fact the first
bishops under their jurisdictions have PROTEIA. In fact the good
order of the Church in America requires a synod of all canonical
bishops working together in synergy with each other to settle this
and other uncanonical issues causes by multi-jurisdictions.
This action by Metropolitan Methodios begs for a response by the
mother churches because, in fact this is really their issue. They
need to say that Constantinople does not have this precedence. If
they do not respond they admit, by default, that Constantinople has
precedence and that they are out of order in having dioceses in North
America. Only the Church of Russia has taken issue with the Church of
Constantinople on this issue. .
In his letter Metropolitan Methodios' is saying that any Greek priest
in his metropolis cannot serve with anyone in the OCA anywhere in the
United States and Canada. Does this mean that a Greek Orthodox
clergyman from another metropolis visiting in his metropolis cannot
serve in an OCA parish? How can he alone write the letter which
affects the relationship with an entire church? Is he speaking for
all the hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese? Do his brother
hierarchs agree with him? Does the synod of the GOA uphold his ban?
May the Saints of North America intercede for the faithful People of
God who live in North America to resolve the matter of "one bishop in
each city", territorial integrity and a single Holy Synod onto the
strengthening of a united witness of Orthodoxy on this continent.
George Matsoukas
West Palm Beach, Fla.
Responses:
