A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
|
|
|
| Volume 6 Number 20 - Tuesday, May 18th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
|
• Search Engine
•
OCN
Website
|
The Orthodox Christian News Service |
|
|
Power Battle Roils Greek Orthodox Church Members Join to fight for Local Autonomy By Natasha Korecki, Staff Writer Chicago Sun-Times, May 9, 2004 - If Greek Orthodox Christians hope to retain power within their church, they need to band together and demand it, church leaders said Saturday at an Oak Brook forum. About 100 Chicago area Greek Christians met to discuss an ongoing battle over the balance of power in their church. One of their resounding cries: Let’s not let what happened to the Roman Catholics happen to us. At the heart of the debate is whether a new charter issued in 2003 by the Greek Orthodox hierarchy could erode laity power. Unlike in previous years the new charter was issued without the approval or feedback of lay church members in the United States and elsewhere. Greek Orthodox Christians pride their church on the power of the lay membership. Giving too much power to the Patriarchate in Istanbul Turkey is like Catholics giving too much power to Rome they said. Greek Christians fear they would lose checks they have on the power structure. “It’s moving to a papist Roman Catholic model not an Orthodox model” said Peter Marudas an Orthodox Christian Laity council member. Marudas said the laity wants a model “centered in tradition – and that’s local autonomy.” In February, 35 church leaders from 17 states filed a lawsuit in New York, where the church’s archbishop is based, saying that charter approval without laity consent went against church rules. One of the plaintiffs, George D. Karcazes of Wilmette said he hope those who attended Saturday’s forum would urge churches to pass resolutions that challenge the new charter. “There are people who are probably not aware of what’s going on because priests don’t bring it up,” Karcazes said. “We want parish councils to bring it up.” The Oak Brook meeting was one in a series of forums around the country aimed at empowering laity. The forum drew state Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis, a Greek Orthodox Christian. “The Orthodox church in America is very important,” the Zion Republican said, “It should not be ignored by the Patriarchate.” Sam Tzakis of Vernon Hills said the church has no right to impose a charter without the approval of lay people. “Our parents built the churches themselves, not the bishop in Turkey, Tzakis said.
Editor’s Note:
Senator Geo-Karis received a standing ovation
from forum participants with her statement:
“There is no doubt in my mind that the Patriarch
has had very bad advisors, relative to the charter
revision, and I would respectfully submit that the
Patriarch recognize the importance of the
Clergy-Laity congress, and get some new advisors,
who understand that parishes in the United Sates
are just as important as Cuba. I stand ready to
help OCL in their efforts in any way that I can.” |
|
Home • Archives • Search • Submissions • Support Us |
||
|
Orthodox News, PO BOX 6954 |
