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The Orthodox Christian News Service

Published by the Orthodox Christian Laity, July 2, 2004

Resolution adopted by the Board of the Orthodox Christian Laity June 26, 2004, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Orthodox Christian Laity expresses its concern and disappointment with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (Archdiocese) as follows:

• The Archdiocese continues to violate its own (1977) Charter by ignoring the Amendment provision (Article XXIV) and attempting to implement the 2003 “Patriarchal” Charter without Clergy-Laity Congress approval.
   
• The Archdiocese has continued the flawed Charter Amendment process by secretly drafting proposed Regulations relating to the Archdiocese, Dioceses/Metropolises and Parishes without input from the faithful and the parishes.
   
• The Archdiocese continues to violate its own Rules and Regulations by failing to inform the parishes and parish delegates to the upcoming Clergy-Laity   Congress scheduled to begin in New York City on July 26, 2004 of the agenda and especially of the proposed new regulations not later than sixty days prior to the convening of the congress” (Chapter 1, Article 1, Section 7 of the current Special Regulations).
   
• The Archdiocese has issued a sworn statement asserting that it has NO MEMBERS and that the members of the parishes are NO LONGER MEMBERS of the Archdiocese without any supporting documentation of when and how members of parishes ceased to be members of the Archdiocese.
   
• The propriety of any action to be taken by the  Clergy-Laity Congress   based upon a presumed validity of the imposed 2003 “Patriarchal”  Charter  while the legality of the purported amendment of the 1977 Charter is pending before and undecided by the Supreme Court of the State of New York.  Any such action by the Clergy-Laity Congress  may be rendered null and void by the Court ruling that  the 1977 Charter remains in effect until it is amended in accordance with its own provisions and the governing provisions of New York State Law.
   
• A cursory review of the proposed “Archdiocesan Regulations, Uniform Metropolis Regulations and Uniform Parish Regulations” which as of June 26, 2004 still were not available to the parishes, the Congress delegates or to the faithful reveals:
   
• that in both tone and intent the regulations are lacking in pastoral concern, Christian love and conciliarity.
   
• that the regulations are punitive and restrict the ability of parishioners and parishes to express themselves concerning matters of governance.
   
• that by using terms “canonical” and “canonical disorder” [without in any instance referring to a specific canon or canons] the proposed Regulations express the intent and will result in the suppression of input from the Clergy and Laity and establish a roadmap for the appropriation of parish properties by the Archdiocese/Metropolises.
   
• that the Regulations further diminish the age old Orthodox balance of governance through the conciliarity of clergy, laity and hierarchs begun by the imposed “Patriarchal” Charter of 2003.   

Accordingly, OCL calls upon the Archdiocese to place the matter of the imposed  2003 Charter on the agenda of the Clergy-Laity Congress and to permit the delegates to vote to accept or reject the same by written, secret ballot and to postpone any consideration of the proposed Regulations until the next Congress to afford the parishes an opportunity to study them and come prepared to discuss, amend and vote intelligently.

In addition, OCL urges all delegates to the 2004 Clergy-Laity Congress to become informed about the Charter issue and as yet undistributed proposed new Regulations and come to the Congress prepared to address these matters, insist upon proper process and demand that the Archdiocese abide by its own rules and regulations.
 

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