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The National Herald - October 7-13, 2017

        ANALYSIS

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The Tragicomedy Continues

By Theodore Kalmoukos

The tragicomedy in our ecclesial life not only continues but it is expanding every passing day. The revelations are astonishing. Where can someone start and where to finish?

From the $8.5 million deficit that has led the Archdiocese to the embarrassing bankruptcy? The $900,000 that “volunteer” Chairman of the Archdiocesan Finance Committee George Vourvoulias received for travel expenses? He had the audacity to use the names of two very good and honorable deceased men, Michael Jaharis and Manny Demos, to justify his actions claiming that they had authorized it. What a shame!

Really, what can someone say about the unaccountable $15 million from the St. Nicholas Ground Zero rebuilding account as stated in the September 26 meeting at the Archdiocese, which was found 48 hours later after the Herald broke the story? It seems St. Fanourios felt sorry for his fellow saint, Nicholas, and he performed his “miracle” in 48 hours and presto, the $15 million appeared. Is this a serious way to operate?

In this case, Archbishop Demetrios applied hypocritical deceitfulness, misleading notions, and spin, as if the Archdiocese is some type of paraecclesiastical organization of small-minded militants. The metropolitans are maintaining cemetery-like silence, as many of them are in a panic that they will suffer the same fate as the Archdiocese itself.

If the Archbishop was existent, things would have been different in those problematic metropolises where parishes were thriving, vibrant, and progressing in every aspect just a short while ago, and now are withering.

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is undoubtedly in a very difficult position because he sees the biggest and more prestigious Ecclesiastical Eparchy of the Ecumenical Throne fallen into decline, with its stench of death permeating.

I don’t place much credence on the Exarchy he is thinking of commissioning to the Archdiocese, because it would simply cause embarrassment to Demetrios and not much else. The Exarchy would depart and the Archdiocese’s decaying course would continue.

At this time dynamic and bold decisions are needed in order for the Archdiocese to be salvaged in what no doubt would be the post-Demetrios era. Patriarch Bartholomew should mobilize the process for the “departure” of Archbishop Demetrios without any further delay because the longer he stays the more damage is done to the Church and the Greek-American community.

We are in a state that affects the prestige of Bartholomew’s Patriarchy. He should also show the exit to some problematic metropolitans, in order to save some local churches, because the metropolitans are really destroying them with incompetence and bullying tactics. In fact, the Metropolitanate system is disruptive, weakens the Archdiocese, and should be abolished.

Demetrios should force Vourvoulias to resign, since the later lacks the consideration to do it on his own. No Archdiocesan Council meeting should take place with Vourvoulias still heading the Finance Committee, for God’s sake.

If the Archdiocese has yet to acquire all the data from the computers of Dimitriou and also George Papadakos, and to change the access codes, it should do so immediately.

A formidable independent company should be retained to conduct an audit, given the monkey business of the unaccounted-for $15 million, and Demetrios’ denial thereof.

Similar forensic audits should be conducted at the metropolises and their institutions so- called ministries, such as camps, philanthropy and hospitality centers, as well as at the Holy Cross Theological School, St. Basil’s Academy and St. Michael Home for the Aged.

The Clergy Laity Congress of 2018 should be canceled because we are in October already and no essential preparation has been done. Not even the venue has been announced yet. Boston, which is said to be the city under consideration, is not the right choice because the mainstream U.S. media will be all over the problems.

After all, this is nonsense. Making all the effort and to spending millions of dollars to convene what effectively has become, under Demetrios’ tenure, a “Sunday School conference.” To the many who ask the question: where is the Holy Eparchial Synod in all this?” The very painful answer is: “what Synod?”

[ The National Herald - October 7-13, 2017 - p. 14 ]

[ The National Herald
  www.thenationalherald.com/176889/analysis-tragicomedy-continues/
  October 2, 2017 ]