Movement grows for removal of Greek Orthordox
leader
By PAMELA SCHAEFFER
NCR Staff
Two and a half years ago, the appointment of a new archbishop sent
ripples of excitement through the U.S. Greek Orthodox church. Archbishop
Spyridon, a native of Warren, Ohio, was to become the U.S. churchs first
American-born leader.
That excitement was short-lived. Soon after Spyridon took office
in September 1996, rumors began circulating about his autocratic, regressive
approach to leadership. In recent weeks, discontent has reached what many
describe as a crisis, marked by persistent calls for Spyridons removal
and even threats of schism.
In an extraordinary challenge to church authority, the five
metropolitans of the Greek Orthodox Church in America went to Istanbul and, in
a five-hour meeting Jan. 12 with the ecumenical patriarch, reportedly requested
that Spyridon -- their boss -- be reassigned. The metropolitans, whose role is
analogous to Catholic bishops in prominent sees, went to the Phanar, the
Vatican of Eastern Orthodoxy, armed with a document castigating Spyridon for
his role in tensions and divisions that seem to grow worse with each passing
month.
The metropolitans document described Spyridons
behavior as hyper-papal and paranoid, seeing
enemies at every turn, according to a report in the The Hellenic
Chronicle, an independent Boston-based weekly.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Greek
Orthodoxy worldwide, rebuffed the U.S. church leaders, according to reports,
reminding the metropolitans that Spyridon is the archbishop forever ...
until his death. In a Jan. 15 statement, John A. Catsimatidis, president
of the archdiocesan council and a staunch supporter of Spyridon, urged Orthodox
Americans to unite behind Spyridon.
Schism -- that is, a break between the U.S. church and the
patriarchate -- is a definite possibility, said Dean Popps of McLean, Va.,
spokesman for Greek Orthodox American Leaders. The organization, known as GOAL,
is composed of influential lay leaders, some generous contributors to church
coffers, who voted unanimously in December to redouble efforts to get Spyridon
to step down.
The organization had first asked for Spyridons resignation
or reassignment in March, accusing him of serious lack of understanding of the
U.S. church.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Bartholomew
is deeply concerned and has warned Spyridon in a letter, We are losing
the church in America. In the Orthodox tradition, the ecumenical
patriarch is considered first among equals, but wields considerably less power
than the Roman Catholic pope. In many countries, Greek Orthodox churches are
self-governing. The largest group that Bartholomew exercises control over is
the 1.5 million believers in the United States.
Were the biggest constituency, were unhappy, and
theyre not fixing it, Popps said, stressing that the problem is
governance, not theology. We are not about making the church more liberal
or Protestant, although we have been accused of that. Rather,
he said, the problem is an archbishop who wants to roll us back to an
immigrant, ghettoized mentality by repressing the laitys voice.
When Spyridon was appointed to succeed Archbishop Iakovos,
everyone was looking for really dynamic 21st-century leadership ... a
church that would be inclusive, Popps said, noting that 90 percent of
Greek Orthodox marriages are now to partners of a different faith.
Iakovos, a churchman renowned for his strong stands on human
rights, led the U.S. church for 37 years. He lamented recently in a speech that
under Spyridons leadership the church was in the process of being
torn apart.
Critics now note that the early enthusiasm over Spyridons
appointment failed to account for his career, spent largely in cleric-run
churches of Greece, Istanbul and, most recently, Italy. That formation has left
him ill-prepared for an American church with an active and outspoken laity, his
critics charge.
Sociologists have described the controversy as inevitable, if
highly exaggerated in the present case, in an immigrant church struggling with
pressures of inculturation in a democratic society.
GOAL was formed in 1997 after Spyridon fired the president of Holy
Cross Seminary in Brookline, Mass., and three faculty members who had served on
a disciplinary committee to review charges that a priest had sexually harassed
a young seminarian. The committee recommended that the priest be expelled -- a
recommendation that was never carried out.
Enrollment has dropped significantly at Holy Cross, prompting the
metropolitans lament in their report to Bartholomew: The most
promising students are leaving. The school is under investigation by
accrediting agencies.
Charges of financial ineptitude have also plagued the archbishop.
Earlier this year, the Archdiocesan Council reported serious cash flow
problems exacerbated by Spyridons efforts to buy a $1.4 million
home without the councils approval. Last year the archdiocesan financial
director resigned, reportedly because of concerns over the handling of church
funds.
But Spyridons most controversial action was to file suit
last year against GOAL, charging that the group had misappropriated the
churchs mailing list. The metropolitans had urged Spyridon to drop his
suit. The archdiocese lost its case.
Spyridon has not responded to his critics directly, but his
supporters have characterized the critics as a dissident minority among 1.5
million church members. At a news conference in early January, Spyridon
described the church as vigorous and healthy. He cited an $8.87 million yield
in a fund-raising campaign, an increase of $400,000 over the previous year.
GOAL leaders predict, however, that archdiocesan funds will
seriously suffer. They noted that two parishes in the Northeast have already
cut off support.
National Catholic Reporter, February 12,
1999
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