A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 34 - Tuesday, August 24th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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Preposterous Indeed! To the Editor: The 2004 Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Church has ended but the Non-Christian atmosphere in which it was convened and by which it was governed leaves a blemish that our Church will forever carry as a reminder that the glorious days of the Orthodox Church in America have been replaced by dogmatic centralization that will see the Church wither rather rapidly and become just another Christian Church with built-in bias and aimless direction! The opportunity to face the serious issues with which the Church has struggled for the past 10 years. has been aborted in favor of consolidating power for the Church hierarchy, including the Patriarch, the Archbishop, the Metropolitans and other Bishops, and bestowing upon each a personal stranglehold they may use to control the flock they are “ordained” to govern! I do not limit my assessment of blame only on these “servants” of the Church but extend it with equal emphasis to the so-called lay leaders who rubber stamp everything asked of them by the hierarchs! Regardless of how they became lay leaders (whether appointed or elected) the duty of a lay leader should not change. The lay leader has an obligation to act responsibly both for the good of the Church (not the good of the hierarchs per se) and to convey the thoughts of the faithful whom they represent. In reality I fault them the most for the condition I find our Church in. It is a wonder to me how so many successful business and professional leaders fail this task of responsible lay leadership given that they could not have attained their level of success in the business and professional communities they enjoy by being either vocal or silent “Yes” leaders! The entire C.L. Congress failed most of the challenges noted in the Editorials in The National Herald issues dated July 24-25 and July 31- August 1.The gem that you used to describe one serious lost opportunity by the Archbishop as it related to dialogue and some elected delegates being barred from attending was that it was PREPOSTEROUS behavior on the part of our religious leader, his Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, was right on target. In fact the majority of the governance utilized by the officials at the infamous meeting can be classified as preposterous, and amounts to an admission that the Church leaders cannot accept accountability of their actions to be judged. In previous editorials you pointed out (without any hint of favoring the actions used by those condemned) that those individuals labeled as “undesirables” do in fact have among their numbers Archons, several members of Leadership 100–devoted church members some of whom have served as parish presidents and many as parish council members–professional and business leaders as well as a number who have served as delegates to C.L.Congresses, etc. The National Herald’s actions did amount to an appeal for some intellectual and spiritual balance to be exercised by the hierarchs. None of us are immune to judgment and for our Church hierarchy to take major steps to avoid judgment is but a significant admission on their part that they cannot succeed in such a contest. It is a reflection of weakness and for the moment they may enjoy their hollow “victory.” Eventually the truth will win. In the meantime may God forgive them for they know not what they do, having fallen into that abyss of self adulation while they abandon the mission which they were given the privilege to enhance and promote—true religious teaching and Christian brotherhood!!! May God help us to find the ways and means to save our Church from such irresponsibility!
Angelo P.
Creticos, M.D. |
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