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Published in Letters to the Editor,
The National Herald,
August 9-10, 2003
On
the Archdiocesan Charter
I refer to your July 19-20 article
headlined “OCL Attempts to Invalidate Archdiocesan
Charter.” It might have been more accurate to say
91 parishioners of the Saints Constantine and
Helen Cathedral protest the attempt of the
Patriarch to invalidate the existing 1977
Charter. The 1977 is the only legal Charter still
in force.
The 1977 Charter is a legal
contract between the laity of America and the
Patriarch covering the governance of the Greek
Orthodox Church in the Americas (North and South).
According to the Article XXXIV, the Charter states
that it “may be revised upon the request of the
Clergy-Laity Congress” subject to Patriarchal
approval.
This purported Charter offered by
the Patriarchate constitutes a unilateral
abrogation of the existing 1977 Charter. By what
right?
When has the Clergy-Laity Congress
approved or ratified this action? Since when can
one part to a legal contract tear it up and
substitute another one-sided contract which
negates the rights of the other party?
By what right does the Patriarchate
divide Canada, Mexico, and South America from the
Archdiocese of North and South America?
Obviously this is intended to
diminish the role of the Archbishop of North and
South America, who is now only the Archbishop of
the State of New York. And what purpose does it
serve to establish Metropolises where previously
we had Dioceses with Bishops as the hierarch,
except perhaps to further diminish the authority
of the Archbishop and create more divisions?
I am amazed, surprised, and
disappointed at the tone of the article. Did Mr.
Kalmoukos, talk to any of the parishioners who
were at the General Assembly of the Saints
Constantine and Helen Cathedral?
And a correction: The members in
good standing and entitled to vote number 400 and
not 500. The quorum for a meeting is 60. The
turnout for this meeting was one of the highest
ever - 91.
We are not the only community
unhappy with this attempt by the Patriarchate to
foist the so-called Charter on the Greek Orthodox
Church of America, although we may be the first to
publish our grievances.
Perhaps you have forgotten the
Clergy-Laity Congress in Los Angeles where there
was practically unanimous agreement to many
Charter amendments for autonomy.
They were intended to preserve the
input of the clergy and laity for the governance
of the Church in America. There was certainly
more than 91 priest and delegates voting and many
more than 200 parishes represented. No one could
miss the drive for more autonomy. But what was the
response from Istanbul? Exactly zero; instead
they offered a new Charter composed entirely by
the Patriarchate.
Somehow it seems to me that the
Patriarchate has no confidence in our ability to
participate intelligently in the governance of our
Church. Perhaps the “dishwashers and shoemakers”
of America, as we are lovingly referred to at the
Phanar, are incapable of doing so. Is that your
opinion also?
This letter does not attack the
spiritual leadership of our present Patriarch,
Bartholomew. I am protesting the Patriarch’s
attempt to force an illegal Charter on our Church.
The Patriarch is receiving bad advice, and he does
not understand the culture of the Church of
America.
Alex P. Mekedis, Esq.
Gates Mills, Ohio
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