Volume 6 Number 37 - Tuesday, September 14th, 2004

A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY

 


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Submitted by Michael Casimeris (Los Angeles), Gus Fyrogenis (Chicago) and Jeff Peters (Chicago), members of the Greek Orthodox Church

Orthodox Statistics

http://www.geocities.com/orthstatistics/results-1.html

Results of the July 2004 Survey

Votes cast:  673


 

How active are you in your local parish?

Very active    18%     |     Somewhat active    21%     |     Moderately active    24%     |     Not active    37%


 

How familiar are you with the issues surrounding your Church?

Very aware    23%      |     Slighlty aware    25%     |     Moderately aware    33%     |     Not at all aware    19%


 

Have you ever visited the Archdiocese in New York?

Yes     31%       |       No     69%


 

Are you satisified with the way the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is run?

Yes     23%       |       No     77%


 

Do you have concerns about the "Patriarchal" charter imposed on the Archdiocese by the Patriarchate in 2003 without abiding by the established procedure in the 1977 Charter (Amendment provision, Article XXIV)?

Yes     43%       |       No     57%


 

Do you agree that 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?

Yes     21%       |       No     79%


 

Parishioners and priests who have raised legitimate legal questions of the proposed charter imposed by the Patriarchate have been threatened and intimidated by Church authorities. Would you define such action as constructive?

Yes     -%       |       No     81%


 

Do you think the integrity and credibility of the Patriarchate require that it abide by precedent established by it and the agreement which it had made when blessing the 1977 Charter?

Yes     67%       |       No     33%


 

Do the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarch show that he thinks he is an Eastern Pope who has usurped the conciliar nature of the Orthodox Christian Church?

Yes     58%       |       No     42%


 

Do you agree with the recent legal action filed by a broad-based group of Greek Orthodox in the New York Supreme Court seeking compliance by the Greek Archdiocese with the revision procedures set forth in the present Charter?

Yes     61%       |       No     39%


 

Do you agree that the Archdiocese should place the matter of the imposed 2003 Charter on the agenda of the Clergy-Laity Congress and permit the delegates to vote to accept or reject the same by written, secret ballot?

Yes     81%       |       No     19%


 

For decades the Clergy-Laity Congress was convened near the 4th of July so as to celebrate at the same time the independence of our nation. This year it was moved further back (July 25). Do you think this was done intentionally?

Yes     63%       |       No     37%


 

The Archdiocese has secretly drafted the new GOA Regulations relating to the governance of the Archdiocese, Dioceses/Metropolises and Parishes. The proposed Regulations drafted without input from the faithful and the parishes were mailed to the parishes only two weeks before the Clergy-Laity Congress convenes. Both the present Regulations and the proposed Regulations clearly state that the agenda (which would include these proposed Regulations) shall be sent to parishes 60 days prior to the convening of a Congress. Do you think this lack of notice was intentional?

Yes     61%       |       No     39%


 

The proposed regulations are voluminous (50 pages long) and very complex. They contain radical changes in church procedures and governance. They diminish the role of the laity and restrict the ability of parishioners and parishes to express themselves concerning matters of church governance. Do you think such regulations are useful to our Church?

Yes     43%       |       No     57%


 

Do you think every effort should be made at the upocoming Congress to postpone or defer discussion to a future congress so as to give parishes, clergy, and laity an opportunity to thoroughly review the proposed Regulations?

Yes     74%       |       No     26%


 

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. Do you agree with such action?

Yes     17%       |       No     83%


 

The Archdiocesan budjet shows currently a $6.5 million deficit. The Archdiocese explained that this is so because certain Archdiocesan Departments went over their approved budgets this year. In your judgement this situation is due to

Lack of management    13%     |     Incompetent management    62%     |     Permanent embezzlement    25%


 

Michael Jaharis Jr. began building his financial empire after his appointment to the Archdiocesan Executive Committee. Jaharis is considered the financial brain of the Archdiocese. Do you think he should be held responsible for the current state of affairs?

Yes     67%       |       No     33%


 

Do you think the fact that Fr. Alex Karloutsos leads a luxurious life ($1.500.000 home in Long Island, holidays in the Caribbean, Hawai and Europe every so often and constant high-dining in New York deluxe restaurants) is somehow to be related to the deplorable financial state of the Archdiocese?

Yes     69%       |       No     31%


 

Do you think Jerry Dimitriou, the Finance director of the Archdiocese, is the right person for the job?

Yes     31%       |       No     69%


 

The Archdiocese has spent $1.5 million in the last three years to pay the victims of sexual misconduct by some of its clergy. The monies were borrowed from banks, according to a financial report. Names of the clergy or their victims are not mentioned in the report, nor are the number of victims, or the amount each victim has received. Do you think people need more clarity as to how the moneys were distributed and who this pedophile clergy is?

Yes     74%       |       No     26%


 

Do you agree that by not revealing the names of the pedophile clergy the Archdiocese is holding firmly to secrecy, denial and cover-up?

Yes     71%       |       No     29%


 

Do you think the Archdiocese should reconsider its annual obligation of $500,000 to the Patriarchate?

Yes     53%       |       No     47%


 

Do you think Archbishop Demetrios, who seems unable to address financial issues, or the members of the Archdiocesan Council are capable of dealing with the desperate financial state of the Archdiocese?

Yes     27%       |       No     73%


 

Do you think the upcoming Clergy-Laity Congress will adhere to its rules and ensure that all, lay or clergy, enjoy their right to speak without fear of retaliation? Will the Congress be a free and fair Congress?

Yes     36%       |       No     64%


 

Are you in favor of more autonomy for the Greek Orthodox Church of America? Do you think that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese should me more self-governing (which means respecting and involving the clergy and laity in the governing process)?

Yes     77%       |       No     23%
 

 

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