Spyridon resigns as head of Greek Orthodox Church in U.S.

Episcopal News Service - September 14, 1999

(ENI) Archbishop Spyridon, of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, who has been facing growing criticism of his leadership for more than a year, has resigned.

Spyridon made his announcement August 19, saying that he had submitted his resignation "effective August 30" to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I, based in Istanbul, under whose jurisdiction the Greek Orthodox Church of America falls.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate moved swiftly to appoint Metropolitan Demetrios of Vresthena, Greece, as new leader of the U.S. church.

In his announcement, Spyridon said that he was resigning "for reasons totally independent of and unrelated to my personal intentions," a sign, according to some observers, that the archbishop did not step down voluntarily.

When he was appointed in 1996 to succeed Archbishop Iakovos, who had been primate for 37 years, Spyridon's appointment was generally welcomed in the United States as he was the first American-born leader of the Greek Orthodox Church. However, within a short period of time, criticisms were made that he had spent too much time in Europe and not enough on developing his pastoral skills in the U.S.

There has been media speculation in Greece that the Ecumenical Patriarch might name Spyridon as his representative to the World Council of Churches in Geneva.

But the Ecumenical Patriarchate has only said that Spyridon had been transferred to other church duties and would be "appointed to another service in the future by the Ecumenical Patriarchate."

In his resignation statement, Archbishop Spyridon strongly defended his leadership of the church, saying that he had opened "the windows of the financial operations of the archdiocese with unparalleled accountability and candor" and had strengthened the communication of the church through the Internet, an expanded press office and a "revitalized" publications effort.

He said that he was extending his "heartfelt archpastoral forgiveness" to "those few of every grade who during these past three years have opposed this vital mission of the church and have spared little ordnance in an attack of words that has done far more damage to our Greek Orthodox family than it has to those entrusted with its leadership."

He said that he hoped his critics would be able to imagine a future in which "words will cease to be weapons and become icons of the living word of God."

[ Episcopal News Service
http://arc.episcopalchurch.org/ens/archives/99-135.html
September 14, 1999 ]