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The National Herald - March 21-22, 1998
editorial
The Chicago Conference
The GOAL national conference
scheduled to begin yesterday,
March 20, in Chicago, is a unique
event in Greek-American history.
Never before has there been a
movement comparable in size and
depth. Why has this happened
now?
The answer begins with the
realization that hundreds of
Greek Americans, serious men
and women, family people with
busy lives and many obligations,
who are interested in the Greek
Orthodox Church and its future in
America, have put their daily
concerns aside and traveled to the
Windy City at their own expense
in order to examine Church affairs
and exchange thoughts about the
crisis that confronts us.
Long-departed Archbishops
Damaskinos, Athenagoras and
Michael would see with satisfaction the love and concern of
their flock for the Church. And
former Archbishop Iakovos must
be happy to realize that the seed
planted in the souls of Greek
Americans has taken root and
grown to provide fruit in this present generation of the faithful.
The Mother Church too, the
Ecumenical Patriarchate, must
surely feel proud of its American
flock, who put their Church and
their holy faith in the forefront of
their lives.
What has moved these
men and women to set aside their
mundane concerns and fly to
Chicago? Our readers and the
Patriarchate are aware of the
complete failure of our current
ecclesiastical leadership in
America. There is a heavy climate
of disillusionment and desperation throughout the Archdiocese.
There is deep concern for the
future of the Church in America if
this situation cannot be resolved,
and every good Greek Orthodox
is conscious of his or her obligation to protect the Church from
the current danger.
The Phanar,
which we know loves and cares
deeply for its people in America,
would do well to pay special
attention to what is happening in
Chicago this weekend. The
Mother Church should show her
love and care for the Omogenia,
which has proven its dedication to
the Patriarchate.
It is time to
salvage our Church from the fatal
decline brought on by the inappropriate, ill-considered, vindictive and ineffectual initiatives of
the present leadership. We have
asked for a show of concern many
times as the Church has rapidly
slipped into a state of crisis. We
toll a knell of danger as we worry
about the consequences.
We urge
the Patriarch and his Holy Synod
to show their love for and interest
in their flock in America with
action. Our community is not
threatened by division, as Spyridon claims. It has already been
split into unequal parts; the great
majority which believes the Church
is in danger and those few, who as
the result of self interest or
misguided optimism, refuse to see
reality.
It doesn't really matter
how many are participating in the
GOAL conference. It doesn't
matter what Spyridon says in his
report to the Phanar. What
matters is that the conference is
taking place with the participation
of serious and important people
and that outrage against the
current Church leadership is being
expressed generally and openly.
This must come as a shock to the Patriarchate, but everyone there must understand that the Phanar is not the target here. On the contrary, it is in order to protect the Patriarchate, its prestige and authority, that these people are gathering in Chicago. Because the complete failure of leadership in the Archdiocese of America today reflects directly on the Phanar, the only institution with the power to eliminate the present danger.
[ The National Herald - March 21-22, 1998 - p. 2 ]
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