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(GOA) New York, NY - After a long process that began in 1993 related to the ecclesiastical status of a portion of the Palestinian and Jordanian communities in the USA, the portion connected to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, there has been a final agreed decision by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem concerning these communities. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Jerusalem Patriarchate have agreed that the canonical and pastoral supervision of these communities and their clergy should belong to the canonically established jurisdiction in the United States which is the Eparchy of the Ecumenical Throne in America, that is, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Henceforth, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem no longer asserts any jurisdiction in the Western Hemisphere.
On Tuesday, April 1, 2008, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, together with the senior member of the Holy Synod of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, Metropolitan Vasilios of Caesaria (Palestine) and other clergy. Final details for the implementation of the agreements were completed, with a mutual decision that these communities come under the canonical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of America. Following the meeting at the Phanar, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America was directed to proceed with the implementation of the agreements by the creation of a Vicariate for the inclusion of the clergy and communities within the Archdiocese of America. The official name of the Vicariate is: “Vicariate for Palestinian/Jordanian Communities in the USA.”
The clergy and communities of the Vicariate will be directly under the Archbishop of America and will report to the Archdiocese through the Vicar. Through the Archdiocese, all of these clergy and communities will be able to participate in the programs and agencies of SCOBA.
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Several years ago, a group of Palestinians began attending our Russian Church Abroad parish after becoming very disgusted with the Greek Archdiocese parish they had been attending. The Greek priest refused to even attempt to perform any services according to the traditions of the Palestinians, and the Palestinians were also not thrilled with the clean-shaven Roman collar wearing Greek "priests"-they told us, "They do not look like priests, they do not act like priests."
ReplyDeleteSo, I am wondering if there will be any "collisions" like this when the Greek Archdiocese takes over the parishes now under the Jerusalem Patriarchate. And-what can be expected? Theophilos was forced into office in Jerusalem by bullying Constantinople in the first place, when Constantinople and the Greek Government saw to it that Pat. Irineios was thrown out. Is it any wonder, then, that Constantinople's choice for Patriarch of Jerusalem would not stand up to Constantinople on behalf of Jerusalem's parishes in North America? The Patriarch of Constantinople, no matter how much he wants to be, is NOT the Pope of Orthodoxy! Perhaps when they learn this in Constantinople, things will get better all over in the Orthodox world...I guess until then we will have to listen to Constantinople's novel and eccentric views thatits jurisdiction extends to both the known and unknown Universe!
This depends on your perspective as respects the future of the Orthodox hierarchy in the New World. SCOBA itself acknowledges the violation of canons by having overlapping jurisdictions along ethnic lines. What then is the solution? Will consolidation like this occur? If so, is the eventual end an autocephalous North American patriarchate? Will that cause more problems?
ReplyDeleteThere is agreement (based on what I've read and heard in talks given by hierarchs) that Orthodoxy needs to speak with one voice for the good of their people and to have a salutary effect on the morality and political direction of the country. How that one voice is created is the question.