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The National Herald Report - October 14, 1995

Spectre of Division Haunts Church in America

Archdiocese in Conflict with Constantinople

BY HARILAOS DASKALOTHANASSIS

Special to the Report
NEW YORK

To Orthodox Christians and to everyone else, the eight days from October 3rd to October 11th looked like a period when the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America moved perilously close to the precipice of division.

Archbishop Iakovos was still smarting from a confrontation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the SCOBA conference at Ligonier, Pennsylvania, in November of 1994. Once again this Autumn, he shook the foundations of ecclesiastical unity when he chose to take on the Phanar by withdrawing his resignation which he had submitted less that two months earlier.

Judging from the polemics surrounding this unprecedented move, it seemed that the Greek American community was threatened by division along the fault lines of the Archbishop's ambitions, relentlessly fueled by a loyal cadre of Iakovos' followers. However, there were aspects of this impending division which were not as likely to become the reality that many had hoped.

The ties of Greek Orthodoxy in the Americas, with its historic center at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, run deep in the consciousness of the community. On the other hand, support for the heralds of division turned out to be surprisingly shallow. In the end, tradition and ecclesiastical order triumphed over the temptations of a lonely exile in the spiritual wilderness. What follows is a day-by-day account of eight days in the crisis.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

For some time now, Archbishop Iakovos had regretted his resignation as Greek Orthodox Primate of North and South America. He wishes he had not submitted his official letter of resignation to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios August 15, on the island of Imvros, where both men were born. They were making a joint pilgrimage at the time.

On this day he takes an ominous step: He faxes a letter to the Patriarchal Synod at the Phanar requesting that his resignation be withdrawn due to the "dissatisfaction" it is causing his flock and "fears" within the local Eparchy Synod of the Americas. He claimed to be fearful as well for the Archdiocesan Council (whose members are appointed by the Archbishop) who might "raise dangerous voices," presumably against the Patriarchate. Iakovos was attempting to force the Patriarch's hand.

In fact, the 85-year-old Archbishop had regretted his resignation just a few hours after it was accepted in dignified silence by Bartholomaios. The ink had not dried on his letter when he began telling all who would listen that he would like to stay on longer, past July 29, 1996 when his resignation was to take effect. In addition he actively lobbied politicians to pressure the Patriarchate to accept an extension of his term.

Greek Prime Minister Papandreou, a former Iakovos enemy, wrote the Patriarch to that effect. Opposition leader, Miltiades Evert, declared that Iakovos should remain at least until the American presidential elections in November 1996.

The Archdiocese even "leaked" the name of President Clinton as one of those that desired an extension of the Archbishop's term. (It was not lost on experienced observers that in September, Iakovos reinstated Niki Stephanopoulos, mother of presidential adviser George Stephanopoulos, to an executive position within the Archdiocese. Iakovos had fired her a few years earlier from a much lower position.)

The most public manifestation of the Archbishop's stunning change of heart, however, came in a stream of interviews to the Greek media in the weeks that followed August 15th. Everywhere one looked at Athenian kiosks, newsstands and television screens, there was Iakovos shoring up his legacy and hedging on the issue of his voluntarily submitted resignation. The apex of Iakovos' publicity campaign came when he spoke to the large circulation Athenian Eleftherotypia on October 1st. He threatened a break between the American church and the Patriarchate, in the event that the Phanar did not appoint a successor from the ranks of the American Bishops. Implicitly, he suggested that if the Patriarch did not acquiesce to Iakovos remaining in his post "for as long as God allows me" so that he can contribute to the issue of his succession, the American Church would split from the Mother Church in the Phanar.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4th

As the hierarchs of the Holy Patriarchal Synod gather for their regular 10 am Wednesday meeting at the Phanar, they are already aware of Iakovos' letter revoking his resignation and the anti-Phanar sentiments being stirred up by several media in the U.S. The hierarchs know that they have to act quickly. Some are probably regretting their reluctance to fire Iakovos back in the spring when he was caught discussing a schism from the Patriarchate and the creation, along with other Orthodox bishops in the Americas, of an autocephalous church with himself as its first head. They can't but feel bitter towards their man in America, a Phanariote, a child of Imvros, a graduate of the great Theological School of Halki.

Ever since Patriarch Bartholomaios ascended to the Ecumenical throne, he has been fervently trying to establish a new role for the Patriarchate in world affairs. He has travelled Europe, addressed the European Parliament, organized conferences, visited the Vatican and got the Pope to recite the Nicene Creed in Greek and without the Filioque. He drummed up international support for the Patriarchate and began exerting real pressure on the Turkish government to ease its onerous restrictions and reopen Halki.

He has welcomed Orthodox faithful from within the former Soviet Union who have sought out reunion within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He has also begun consolidating and expanding Orthodoxy's voice in Africa in conjunction with the Patriarch of Alexandria and settled all remaining differences with the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

His Eminence Stylianos, Archbishop of Australia, heads the special Exarchate sent from the Patriarchate.

The young Patriarch has a vision of a dynamic and expanding Orthodoxy spanning the globe from the Americas to Europe, to Africa and Australia. Bartholomaios knows that Christian unity - a meaningful dialogue with the Vatican and the rest of the Christian world - will come only when Orthodoxy feels strong and secure again, when it is recognized as a powerful voice in contemporary world affairs, when the Orthodox of Kansas City will be able to speak with same voice as the Orthodox of Kenya and Australia. Bartholomaios is waging his struggle while surrounded by Turkish mobs, ready to move against the Phanar at the merest nod from Ankara. And in the midst of this struggle, Iakovos is attempting to pull the rug from under his Patriarch's feet.

The Holy Synod cannot allow that. They know they have to act before the venom of division paralyzes the traditionalist element of the American Church. They are comforted by the fact that Greek Americans are overwhelmingly for unity. For decades they have shown their devotion to the Mother Church, spiritually and materially. Still, the situation has to be checked before the Archbishop and boosters in his inner circle - people that see their futures as tied to Iakovos' fate - do more damage. That day, the Holy Synod discusses developments in America. No one knows what went on in the ancient chamber. But the bishops retire without deciding on any particular measures. Maybe they want to think it over. Maybe by their inactivity, they are sending Iakovos another message, giving him time to think things over or letting him simmer in his own impatience. Centuries of collective experience caution the hierarchs against quick decisions.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6th

After a Thursday hiatus, Friday sees a sudden explosion of activity both in Constantinople and in New York. Early in the morning, just after midnight Eastern Standard Time, the Holy Synod sits in emergency session at the Phanar. The issue is Iakovos' letter. Instead of responding directly, the Synod faxes him its decision to send a three-member Exarchy to America, authorized to closely examine the situation. The letter, signed by the Synod's Chief Secretary, Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia, announces the Exarchy's dispatch in the immediate future and its stay for an indeterminate length of time. Its purpose is to "study and face on the spot, the situation arising from relentless and uncontrollable commentaries in certain Greek American circles and certain Greek American media, and also from irresponsible actions stemming from the voluntarily submitted recent resignation of Archbishop Iakovos, which was, as is known, accepted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and takes effect on July 29th 1996." The Exarchy, by canonical law, acting in place and in the name of the Holy Synod and the Patriarch, will be free to examine all aspects of the Church in the Americas, and must be given the "willing cooperation of the local Exarch, His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos." The Exarchy will be obliged to submit to the Holy Synod, a comprehensive report on its findings. The Exarchy is dispatched in order to "strongly and effectively protect the peace and unity" of the Greek American community. The three man delegation are: Metropolitan Stylianos of Australia, as president, Metropolitan Demetrios of Vresthena and Metropolitan Demetrios of Sevastia.

His All Holiness Bartholomaios I, Patriarch of Constantinople and leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

In being given the authority to examine all matters of the church, the Exarchy is free to investigate even the financial affairs of the Archdiocese. This is a wound that the Archbishop would rather have been left unscratched. This aspect of the Exarchy's mission will acquire significance in the coming days.

The Synod's decision landed like a nuclear weapon on the Archdiocese. Iakovos apparently did not expect the Phanar to react so forcefully. Bishops of the local Eparchy Synod in the Americas privately told The National Herald Report that "the Patriarchate's decision was wise" and recalled that the last time a similar Exarchy was sent to the Americas was in 1930 when once again the Greek American community was in the verge of division due to the great schism in Greece between the Royalists and the Venizelists. The lone Exarch then was Damaskinos, Bishop of Corinth, later Archbishop of Athens during the dark days of the German occupation. That Friday, Archbishop Iakovos came within a hair's breadth of placing himself outside the Church's fold.

Later that afternoon he faxed a letter to the Patriarchate taking the unprecedented position that he did not accept the Exarchy's dispatch and would not receive it when it arrived in the United States. This was a position tantamount to direct insubordination. Furthermore, members of the Archdiocesan Council, all appointed by Iakovos, in a desperate attempt to shield the Archbishop, faxed their own objections to the Exarchy, weirdly attempting to invoke American law against them.

It was of course nonsense. In the United States, the state does not interfere in church affairs except in cases of fraud and mismanagement of property and funds. The Vatican routinely checks its Dioceses in the United States. At the same time, at Iakovos' demand, Metropolitan Silas of New Jersey and Bishop Philotheos of Meloa contacted members of the local Eparchy Synod of the Americas and got them to state their distaste for the Exarchy's arrival. The American bishops knew nothing of Iakovos' recalling his resignation, as bishop Anthony of San Francisco was to later angrily reveal. To them, the Exarchy's mission came out of the blue.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7th

With Iakovos' refusal to receive the Exarchy, the situation develops into a dangerous standoff. As Iakovos explores the depth of his support in the Americas, at the Phanar the indecision of the last few months is quickly transforming into quiet determination. Positions have crystallized, the demarcation lines have become clear.

The Patriarch convenes the Holy Synod for the third time in four days. The issue is the American Primate's refusal to accept the Exarchy, a gross violation of church rules. The Synod summarily and unanimously dismisses the letter and fires another letter of its own across the Atlantic. In its clarity and severity it is an amazing document: "...there is no doubt whatsoever that your Eminence shall willingly cooperate in order for the Patriarchal Exarchy to complete the mission entrusted to it by the Church," it states, because "it would be outside the boundaries of any moral, logical or canonical order for any Church Bishop to whom a Patriarchal Exarchy is dispatched, to impose in advance his dispositions or preferences. That would do worse than nullify the purpose of the Exarchy, since it would transform the examined (...) into the examiner (...) which is not only illogical but also blasphemous and anti-canonical." The,Phanar is saying that refusal to receive the Exarchy is akin to causing a schism, one of the gravest sins in the Church.

Meanwhile, the three members of the Exarchy gather at the Phanar to receive their marching orders. Still hoping for a normalization of the situation, Bartholomaios makes a very important decision. Borrowing a page from Teddy Roosevelt's diplomatic primer, he orders the Exarchs to try to diffuse the situation by adopting a conciliatory attitude and avoiding a confrontation with Iakovos. While the Exarchy's presence is the stick, its attitude and the promise of an honorable exit for Iakovos will serve as the soft voice.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8th

Back in New York, the Archdiocese is in disarray. In a rush decision, the Archbishop fires off another defiant letter to the Patriarchate, trying to stall the arrival of the Exarchy. He also tells a close associate that he is to leave for Canada the next day, to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving Day with his sister there. When is he going to return? "Maybe Christmas," he retorts. Some time later he tells another associate that he might return on Wednesday. The Phanar remains silent.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 9th

The Patriarchate, choosing to ignore Iakovos' second letter, sends him the date and time of the Exarchy's arrival, implicitly directing him to arrange for their reception. They are to arrive at New York's Kennedy airport the next day, Tuesday, at 9:30pm on an American Airlines via London.

The Patriarch takes particular care to inform all the Bishops in the Americas of his actions, with a letter he directs to each and everyone of them. In his letter he calls on them to cooperate fully with the Exarchy.

That morning the Archbishop leaves for Canada.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10th

On 10:20 am Archbishop Iakovos returns from Canada, to a luminous autumn day in New York. Things are beginning to look up. He seems to have resigned himself to the inevitability of the Exarchy's arrival. He has tested the waters of opposition and found them inhospitable and lonely. Preparations are fevered, but a general sentiment of resignation has taken over in his inner circle. Even the Archdiocesan Council has began exploring ways to assist in the avoidance of a direct confrontation with the Phanar.

His Eminence Iakovos, Archbishop of North and South America and Exarch of Patriarch Bartholomaios.

That same day, Bishop Anthony of San Francisco, in an extended interview, tells the National Herald that he is unaware of any problems that might arise from the Archbishop's departure on July 29th. This was the vague reason Iakovos had claimed for withdrawing his resignation. He implies that the local Eparchy Synod remains faithful to the Patriarchate and, reacting to the Archbishop's change of stance regarding his voluntary resignation, he mentions that "one has no right, after the fact (of the resignation) to cause unease among the faithful, his colleagues and the Patriarchate, just because he changed his mind." The interview is indicative of the mood among the majority of the American Bishops.

As the three exhausted Exarchs arrive at Kennedy Airport, they are met by the second highest member of the hierarchy in the Americas, Metropolitan Silas of New Jersey. With him is Bishop Philip of Atlanta who had flown from Georgia that afternoon to pay his respects to the Exarchy. Facing the journalistic throng, the Exarchy, through the words of Archbishop Stylianos, firmly sets the public tone for its mission:

There are no "problems," just "issues" to be examined. They have no reason to worry about developments surrounding the Archbishop's departure.

They have come to demonstrate by every means available their love and admiration for the Archbishop himself, the clergy and the laity in the Americas. The same motif will be sounded repeatedly in the days that follow wherever the Exarchy goes.

That night the Exarchs take up residence at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11th

After meeting with President Clerides of Cyprus at the Archdiocese's stately formal reception rooms, Archbishop Iakovos meets with the Exarchy at 1 pm. The meeting lasts for 25 minutes. As the Archbishop and his visitors exit Iakovos' office, the tension is visibly lower. Iakovos speaks first: The Exarchy carries a message of love on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which will give the opportunity to people who doubt or maintain some reserve, to see that the relationship between the Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate is that of a small and local church with its Mother Church "to which it will belong forever, as long as Greek Orthodoxy exists in America." He believes that the Church will once more regain its tranquility and that the Exarchs will return to Constantinople carrying "a message of dedication to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Mother Church." He wishes that the Exarchy will cause the "lifting of any misunderstanding and the ending of any imaginary tension, which many times is inflated by the media." Stylianos follows: He reiterates his praise for the Archbishop's achievements and reminds all present of Iakovos' personal bonds to the Patriarchate. "We had no doubt of Archbishop Iakovos' faithfulness but we had to come officially to see what exactly is happening. Unfortunately there have been many strange comments recently right after Archbishop Iakovos' voluntary resignation. For that reason, the Patriarchate regarded as useful the dispatch of an Exarchy and not a simple representation so that this cooperation (...) and investigation will be official. It is a collaborative effort. Nobody is being judged."

Moreover, the Exarchy would not venture to examine the Archdiocese's finances, a decision that must have brought the Archbishop considerable relief.

In the days that followed, the same message was sent out again and again, as the Exarchy met with the Archdiocesan Council and the local Synod. The same message was carried to Boston this week, when the three hierarchs went to inspect the Diocese and Holy Cross Theological School.

So far the message seems to have taken hold. Archbishop Iakovos seems to have abandoned his hopes of remaining in his post past the appointed date. He has reaffirmed his loyalty to his Mother Church in the strongest possible terms. And the Exarchy seems determined not to provoke any reactions by insulting the Archbishop's dignity. What will happen as soon as the Exarchs depart in early November however, remains a mystery.

[ The National Herald Report, Vol.1 - No.13, October 14, 1995, pp. 1,9,12-13 ]