Marudas: National Herald Helps Community Evolve

The National Herald - October 27, 2007

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By Evan Lambrou
Special to The National Herald

NEW YORK – As the National Herald celebrates its tenth anniversary, its readers should be grateful for its role in helping the Greek American community evolve and become part of America’s rich multi-cultural fabric, according to Peter Marudas, who served as Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland’s chief of staff for 23 years (1971-1987 and 1995-2001) before retiring six years ago.

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“I think the Herald’s emergence is closely linked to particular changes in our community: | the life of the Church in America: the retirement of Archbishop Iakovos; Archbishop Spyridon and his eventual resignation; Archbishop Demetrios and his Church administration; ups and downs in U.S.-Greece relations. All of that has been recorded by the Herald and etched into the fabric of our community’s history, providing a steady stream of information for people to form informed opinions – not just for policymakers, but also for average citizens. So the Herald has provided a very important function at a very important time,” he said.

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One of the most important developments in the community’s life has been the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision to divide the now former Archdiocese of North & South America into smaller sets of eparchies, Mr. Marudas told the Herald, arguing that a stronger Archdiocese with more central authority stands a much better chance of holding the community together.

“Most everyone is well-intentioned. I don’t want to ascribe bad motives to anyone. But the devolution –or the cardinalization, I should say– of our Archdiocese was a big mistake. If the Archdiocese is going to be a vital institution spiritually, it has to be able to tap into what is vital about it: its laity. Our strength is in our laity. Our Church is not like the Roman Catholic Church, which has a very austere hierarchical structure, and we have to remember it’s our laity that established our churches here,” he said.

Mr. Marudas refers to the decentralization of the Archdiocese –through the establishment of individual metropolises, with metropolitans who answer directly to the Patriarch, rather than to the Archbishop of America– as a “cardinalization,” he explained, because the metropolitans now have “their own little fiefdoms” and can do as they please, which inherently diminishes the Archdiocese’s role as a central conduit for Church affairs.

And the fact that the Church now appoints, rather than elects, officers to its national ministries and organizations shows that the Archdiocese is no longer plugging into the American reality, he added.

“Years ago, GOYA used to elect its national officers at their own national conferences. Philoptochos did the same. We used to elect those who served on the Archdiocesan Council. Now, they’re all appointed. But no matter how good or wise a bishop or archbishop is, in America, there’s no substitute for self-selection. That’s how we operate here. It’s a big part of how and why Americans do so well,” he said.

“This tendency toward decentralization ends up cutting people off and creates further dissolution. Central and South America used to be part of us. Now they’re cut off, and the problems they had before are worse now. When the metropolitans have to report directly to the Phanar, instead of the Archdiocese, it undermines the Archdiocese,” he said.

The Patriarchate can not manage Church operations in the Americas effectively, Mr. Marudas said, because it is under duress. And the Patriarchate’s attempts to “micromanage” the Archdiocese have actually undermined its own efforts to survive in Turkey, he said.

“How can the Patriarchate manage affairs here, particularly under such oppressive conditions? It’s just not practical. Even under the best of circumstances, it’s difficult. And the attempt to do so has actually contributed to apathy and an inability to focus on key issues. If the Archdiocese were to remain more centralized, there would be greater unity, and greater unity here is what the Patriarchate needs from us in order to continue to survive,” he said.

“But it looks like the Patriarchate would prefer to have an Archdiocese that’s weak and ineffective, rather than one that’s united and vibrant. Whether that’s what they intended or not, that has sadly been the outcome,” he added.

The Patriarchate has made more active efforts to interact with its American flock, but the Church in America underwent a turbulent period after Archbishop Iakovos retired in 1996.
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“After a leader of such long tenure steps aside, there’s bound to be a period of reconsolidation. Archbishop Spyridon came in at a very difficult time. It would’ve been difficult for anyone to step in and succeed a leader who had been so dominant. The void Archbishop Iakovos left after he was unceremoniously ousted destabilized the Church here. I really feel that way, even though I had many disagreements with him. Mistakes were made by all parties after that,” he said.

“But in light of his unceremonious departure and the hasty metropolitanization of the Archdiocese, we experienced tremendous upheaval. The institutional continuity of the Archdiocese was disrupted. People whose whole lives were tied to Archbishop Iakovos felt powerfully affected. His death two years ago was anti-climactic, but it signified the end of an era,” he added.
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Since Iakovos retired and Spyridon resigned, the Church in America has unfortunately become more “exclusionist,” Mr. Marudas said.

“Many of us think we’re the fount of all wisdom, but ultimately, the Archdiocese is not drawing from the wider reservoir of our community’s resources. Rather than involving a broader group of people, you have a small group of people running the show at the Archdiocese now. But a handful of people can’t manage the Church’s affairs, and it’s harmful to the Church’s pursuit of spiritual and cultural mission. Here, again, one of the functions of the National Herald has been to act as an important forum – to say, ‘Maybe we ought to try doing things another way,’ ” he said.

Mr. Marudas, who is a member of Orthodox Christian Laity, said the answer to the problem is to recentralize the Archdiocese, at least by putting insurance mechanisms in place, and for the Patriarchate to convene a Pan-Orthodox council.

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“The Mother Church in Constantinople is under siege. The best way for the Patriarchate to ensure its own survival is to ensure greater unity for the Church in America, and the best way for the Patriarch to interact with our community is through his exarch, the Archbishop of America, who must be accountable to both sides. A strong, vital Church here helps the Patriarchate. But to think the Church here, in its present state of division, can help the Patriarchate is unrealistic,” he added.

[ The National Herald
{Special Insert:} "The First Decade - 1997-2007 - 10 Years - 'The National Herald'"
October 27, 2007 - pp. 4 & 16 ]