Church Dissidents Claim Victory

Orlando Sentinel - July 10, 1998

Delegates At A Greek Orthodox Conference In Orlando
Voted Against Their Leader In A Bitter Dispute.

By Mark I. Pinsky of The Sentinel Staff

Dissidents in the Greek Orthodox Church of America claimed a victory Thursday in their battle with Archbishop Spyridon, head of the 1.5 million-member denomination.

On Wednesday, a coalition of dissident organizations and individuals attending the biennial Clergy-Laity Conference in Orlando won a vote to reverse Archbishop Spyridon's demotion or removal of four leading faculty members at the denomination's Massachusetts seminary.

Of the 900 delegates attending the conference, 265 voted in favor of the measure, 260 voted against it and the rest were absent.

Church officials, however, said the vote was only a recommendation, and that Archbishop Spyridon would not reinstate the faculty members.

The four academics clashed with the archbishop in 1997 over the handling of a seminarian's alleged sexual misconduct earlier that year. Details of the incident are in dispute - no criminal charges resulted - but the particulars have been eclipsed by the tumultuous power struggle that evolved at the Marriott's Orlando World Center during the six-day conference, which started Saturday. "Last night's vote exemplifies the division that exists" in the denomination, Simos Dimas, a New York attorney, said Thursday. He has sued the archdiocese, charging financial mismanagement.

Before the conference, the archbishop discounted the strength of the dissidents. But following the vote, he told delegates that he "recognized the painful aspects" of the deliberations.

"I want all of you to know that I have listened with the greatest attention to your concerns, and I shall always do so," he said. "I am honored that you have shared your deepest feelings about the Church with me. I have heard your concerns with discretion, and I assure you that they will be the basis for further loving reflection."

Even the church's communications director, the Rev. Mark Arey, acknowledged that the dissidents "sent their message. ... Greece gave democracy to the world, and Greek-Americans know how to do it better than anyone else."

In spite of those comments, the dissidents said the archbishop and church officials were trying to put the best face on a stinging defeat in the midst of several raucous sessions.

"That vote proves that the church is divided," said Stephen Angelides, a delegate from Oakland, Calif., and a member of a dissident organization that calls itself GOAL - Greek Orthodox American Leaders.

"Before you can resolve a problem, you have to admit that you have a problem," Angelides said. "That vote proves conclusively that we do have problems."

[ Orlando Sentinel
   http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1998-07-10/news/9807100273_
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   July 10, 1998 ]