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The National Herald - November 7-8, 1998

editorial

The beginning of the end

Since the beginning of October, when the five Metropolitans-members of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America expressed jointly and publicly their discontent with the leadership of Archbishop Spyridon and the course of our Church, the drumbeat of gloom over our Church affairs has been accelerating. Underneath the superficial inactivity there is great fermentation and anxiety at the highest levels of both the clergy and the laity as to what should be done. Last Tuesday's letter by 73 priests in support of the Metropolitans' stance (see article on page 1), signed by some of the most prominent, respected and beloved members of our clergy, adds tremendous weight to the hierarchs' voice.

The parish priest is the backbone of the Church, its pointman and soldier in the trenches. He carries the weight of his flock's problems and concerns, while trying to maintain unity and implement the church leadership's policies. At the same time the priest's is the most precarious position in the church. In every clash with either the laymen of his flock or the hierarchs above him, it is he who has the most to lose. He literally serves at the pleasure and mercy of his superiors —observe what happened to the fired priests/professors of the Theological School. So it must have taken a ton of courage for the 73 to sign the statement which condemns in the strongest possible terms the mismanagement of the Church's spiritual and temporal affairs by the Archbishop. Moreover, since clergymen are not known to be revolutionaries by temperament or instinct, the statement reflects the prevailing mood among the laity that the signers minister to. Nevertheless, with their courageous stance the signers are taking a tremendous risk, with some putting their careers on the line in order to serve their Church and the truth. Inevitably they will face opposition, open or veiled, both from the ranks of the clergy and from some lay people that remain misguidedly loyal to Archbishop Spyridon.

For taking such a risk, the signers deserve our gratitude and support. We only hope that more of their colleagues, who agree with the statement but chose to remain silent out of fear or misguided loyalty, will come out openly in favor of what is right.

It is our opinion that things are quickly coming to a head in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. An increasingly isolated prelate, Archbishop Spyridon, along with a small clique mostly bound to him through hierarchal favors, is circling the wagons for a last stand. That the Archbishop prefers to sacrifice the Church and its hard earned unity rather than graciously depart is probably the best argument for his removal. In the end, Spyridon will go —his tenure a sorry and relatively brief chapter in our church history. The question is what will be left for his successor to work with and how lasting the damage will have been.

[ The National Herald  -  November 7-8, 1998  -  p. 2 ]