Police called to troubled NY monastery

BOSTON (TNH via pokrov.org) - An incident occurred at the meeting of the corporate officials of the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery that took place last Friday Jan. 21, 2010 at the monastery's Astoria's offices requiring police intervention. Bishop Vikentios of Apameia, who was invited to attend the meeting as the secretary of the corporation, did not participate in the meeting after all, because the monastery's legal counselor did not allow the Bishop to bring along his attorney, George Razis. Bishop Vikentios was asked to sit down to the meeting alone, without his lawyer, but he refused. The police were immediately called to scene, and they took the reports of both sides, Bishop Vikentios and the other monastery officials.

Metropolitan Nikitas of the Dardanelles chaired the meeting, representing the corporate president Metropolitan Theoliptos of Iconium, while former abbot Metropolitan Paisios was represented by the acting abbot Bishop Ilia of Philomelion.

Five attorneys for the monastery were present at the meeting, wherein the decision to remove and replace Metropolitan Paisios and Bishop Vikentios as corporate officers was taken.