top

The National Herald - September 30-October 6, 2017

     EDITORIALS

___________________

Hope and Change

Our community is shocked by the unimaginable stories of the financial and administrative crises that have engulfed our Archdiocese.

We are in the middle of a nightmare. And yet, those responsible don't seem to particularly sweat over it. At least not until now, anyway.

Our people feel betrayed that they have worked for years at the festivals, at the candle counters, teaching Greek in the schools for peanuts, and contributing to the churches to which they belong, only now to see that the fruits of their labor and sacrifices were mismanaged.

They now understand why the monthly installments communities paid to the Archdiocese reached sky-high levels, eating away the funds that would go to parish programs, including Greek education.

Our people now understand that the Archdiocese lived in another reality, one that is far removed from the one of our community.

Our pious people now understand that to some extent their faith in God and their burning desire to maintain our culture, traditions, and ancestral language have been exploited.

Our people now realize that those who caused these crises did not respect their dedication, or the sweat of their brows.

Our people now understand that the criticism levied against the crises-causers by this newspaper and others was fact-based. That it was not because of lack of faith and love in the Church, but because the signs of looming destruction were evident.

It was just a matter of time before it got this far.

Apart from the $8 million deficit from a schizophrenic annual budget of nearly $30 million, and from generous payments to some who officially holding voluntary positions, the infestation reached even the funds raised to rebuild the St. Nicholas Church at Ground Zero.

An astounding $15 million – yes, $15 million – set aside for the rebuilding effort, is missing. That is unprecedented in the history of our community.

The only thing Archbishop Demetrios could muster to say was that there was “mismanagement.” At least that's something. But who is responsible for the “mismanagement,” your Eminence?

Even if he had entirely yielded management of the Archdiocese to others, what role was the archbishop playing? Was he not told what was going on? Had he never asked, even out of curiosity, about the state of the finances? Did he not know anything, see anything, or sense that something was wrong? Is that possible?

Of course not.

But even if we accept that was the case, the question arises: what did he do in his 18 years as archbishop? What problems did he solve? What actions did he take to bring our youth to church or to improve the level of graduates of the Theological School?

We have said many times that Archbishop Demetrios is a deeply learned man as few clergy are. He is a scholar. | And he acted as a peacemaker in the turbulent era after the expulsion of his predecessor, Archbishop Spyridon.

But now he cannot escape responsibility, no matter how hard he tries – and he is surely trying – for the tragic situation in which the Archdiocese finds itself. He is the archbishop.

But let us not lose hope.

Even as this tragic situation continues to unfold, there are some formidable individuals, adept in the art of finance, who are feverishly working to straighten things out and, from a management perspective, place the Archdiocese into the 21st century, instead of the 19th century where it has been situated.

These individuals spend time and money to perform this service because they believe that our community and our Church deserve better.

It will take time for these initiatives to bear fruit, but with the right ecclesiastical leadership, they will be able to rebuild the Archdiocese on solid foundations so that we can all be proud of it.

That will enable our Church to successfully carry out its mission in America.

If they listen to them, there is hope.

[ The National Herald - September 30-October 6, 2017 - p. 12 ]