A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 7 Number 13 - Tuesday, March 29th, 2005 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian Laity
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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By Theodore Kalmoukos “The cultural dimension of the church cannot be separated from Orthodoxy.”
(BOSTON - The National Herald, March 12, 2005) – In his first interview with The National Herald, Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos of San Francisco expressed his thoughts upon learning the news of his election, saying he felt moved by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople’s decision to make him the late Metropolitan Anthony’s successor, and concluded that the Church in America should remain under the Patriarchate’s ecclesiastical and spiritual oversight. As an educator himself, he said, he also plans to make Hellenic education in America a key aspect of his ministry. Among his priorities for the Metropolis of San Francisco, Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos said, "is the continuing education of the clergy because our priests are in the front lines, so they should be armed with new spiritual weapons constantly; ecclesiastical and cultural rejuvenation; the youth and the family unit," underscoring that he will "continue the very fine programs of my great predecessor. As Metropolitan Anthony did before me, I consider the youth, our children, as torchbearers. We are obligated to pass on to them the proper Greek Orthodox torch." The new Metropolitan-Elect said he feels very grateful that the Patriarchate agreed to elect him to the metropolitical throne of San Francisco. "I felt touched and blessed imagining the seriousness of the ministry that opens in front of me. I was really moved by the degree of honor and trust the Holy Mother Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, has shown to my humble person. My fervent prayer is to become a worthy laborer of the Church," he said. Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos also said he wished to "thank His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy & Sacred Synod of the Mother Church of Constantinople. I also wish to thank all the members of our own Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of America, along with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios for their confidence in me through their votes." The image of his late predecessor is also very vivid in his mind: "Metropolitan Anthony became to me so alive because I knew him for many years; since he was a priest. He was always a dynamic person, so full of life. He reflected the liveliness of a Greek, of a Cretan, with such vibrant faith. He was the one who planted the seeds of the many ministries in the San Francisco Metropolis," he said. "The thousands of faithful, clergy and laity alike, who comprise the Holy Metropolis of San Francisco are very pious persons who live their faith, as well as our rich Hellenic cultural heritage, on a daily basis," he said. Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos emphasized that the Greek Orthodox faithful in America should not forget the cultural dimension of the Church, which "can not be separated from our Orthodoxy," adding that he appreciates Hellenism, "and my intention is to continue all those programs that my late predecessor Anthony established for the preservation and promotion of our Hellenic ethos and tradition."
REVOLUTIONARY REVIEW
Metropolitan Gerasimos also said that, with respect to the Greek language and Hellenic education in America, he believes "a substantial and revolutionary review should take place. I am willing to search for, and to create, the proper opportunities; and of course to find the right persons to help promote the advancement of Hellenic education, and to stop the negative criticism of the Greek language’s place in our community of faith. I think it is a huge mistake when some claim that the Greek language can not survive in America. I will do everything I can at local universities and colleges, and in our schools. I am not saying that I will simply continue what we have been doing thus far, because sometimes the status quo is not good. We should to have a bolder vision about the Greek language." Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos declined to comment on Archbishop Demetrios of America’s reported attempts during both synodal meetings in New York and in Constantinople to avert his election to the Metropolis of San Francisco, or about the Archbishop’s efforts on behalf of the Archdiocesan Chancellor, His Bishop Savas of Troas: "I do not think I am in a position to do an analysis on the issue. I do not wish to comment on that, but I have been informed of many things." When asked what Archbishop Demetrios told him when he called from Constantinople on the day of his election, Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos said, "The Archbishop expressed his wishes and his congratulations, and he also assured me that he will do everything he can to make my transition from New York to San Francisco smooth." At the ceremony of Great Minima (acceptance of the election) on Friday evening, February 25, it became known that the enthronement of Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos is scheduled for Saturday, April 2. He said he will be traveling to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to personally thank the Patriarch and the members of the Holy and Sacred Synod. "My support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate is given not only now, but always, as it should by any Christian. The Mother Church was, and is, in my heart and prayers every day”, he added. Metropolitan-Elect Gerasimos also said he believes that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America should remain under the canonical, spiritual and ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. "The attempts for autonomy either by our Archdiocese or other Archdioceses have failed. I do not wish to enter into details now, but they all know the failings. The way autonomy is understood by us here in America is something foreign to our Orthodox faith and polity. How can I be in opposition to my own mother? I can not imagine any hierarch or any of our parishes not loving their own mother."
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