(OCA) - On Tuesday evening, September 3, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church met via teleconference in Special Session under the presidency of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon. At this meeting, the Holy Synod declared vacant the sees of the Diocese of New England and the Albanian Archdiocese following the death of His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon.
At this same meeting, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon informed the members of the Holy Synod that he would be the locum tenens for these two dioceses. It is to be remembered that under Met. Jonah the synod said that the metropolitan should not be put into this position because of the strain it places on the primate - this edict was immediately abandoned following his stepping down.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Met. Tikhon is locum tenens of Nikonian dioceses
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We must remember that Metropolitan Jonah was subjected to bigoted attacks by the pro gay element in the OCA. Some of them seem to have spouted off their rhetoric on this blog.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing; why does every OCA bishop automatically become an archbishop after five years of service? I believe that was something Metropolitan Jonah proposed. Metropolitan Jonah is not the primate anymore, but his proposal still stands?
ReplyDeleteEvery bishop becomes an archbishop after five years in the OCA due to matters of rank (presbeia) relative to the other jurisdictions. It's dumb, but there you go.
ReplyDeleteAs for the locum tenens rule, it's certainly a double-standard they should consider revoking. However, Metropolitan Jonah was certainly a loose cannon at the time they put that into force.
It does cheapen the title or award
DeleteLots of companies issue a five year pin. Like the Oxford MA? Earn a BA, stay out of jail 5 or so years and the MA arrives in the mail?
DeleteMaybe he was, maybe he wasn't. He probably ought to have been a hierarch longer before becoming Metropolitan. I've heard both pro and con. I've only met him in the capacity of a ROCOR bishop without a diocese. Perhaps, he wishes now he had remained Abbott of a monastery.
ReplyDeleteIrregardless, making every bishop an archbishop after 5 years no matter what, sounds stupid. Does every priest become Archpriest after 5 years? Does every deacon become Protodeacon? I understand in Ukraine that almost every priest ends up with a miter, Orthodox, Uniate, or schismatic.
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DeleteNot quite true I can think of at least a half dozen permanent/long term deacons, though definitely most jurisdictions seem to see the lower orders as stepping stones. (Greeks have almost no deacons)
DeleteIn Canada OCA
DeleteThe wording of the announcement on the OCA website says that," Metropolitan Tikhon INFORMED the bishops that he would be locum tenens for the two widowed dioceses." It doesn't sound like the Synod of Bishops assigned him in such a capacity. Yet, they sure went after Metropolitan Jonah for acting unilaterally. Why, he wasn't even allowed to visit the monastery where he had been Abbott.
ReplyDeleteMet Jonah had (has) his limitations, eccentricities, etc. He made mistakes. That said he was summarily dismissed whereas others were not/are not for similar sins. Why?
DeletePerhaps someday this story will be told in the honest and forthright way that it should. For now, what we do know is that Met. Jonah did not have a "hear no evil, see no evil" disposition toward the lavender mafia and their supporters among the bishops and hierarchy that was the norm before him, and is now the norm after him. This and a somewhat "progressive" norm is *the* culture of the inner circle in the OCA, and if you are to be Metropolitan then you have to be part of this inner circle. Don't believe me, look at what happen to Met. Jonah and look at what Met. Tikhon is able to do as part of that inner circle. Met. Tikhon proved his status/loyalty I think when he scolded the "traditionalist" clergy and laity for understanding what the priest Robert Arida was arguing for on the "Wonder" youth blog - he then swept it under the rug thereby solidifying his place in the inner circle.
Some want to glorify Dmitri Royster a saint, but the fact is he too played the "hear no evil, see no evil" game in the OCA like he was supposed to - Met. Jonah did not, though he did not clumsily and to no good effect as far as I can tell. As a bishop who is not part of the OCA but is part of SCOBA and is closer to this inner circle culture than anyone else I know said to me when I asked him about Met. Jonah "you don't do that to your brother bishops!" You don't buck the culture, you protect the culture - you are a company man.
The OCA and other parts of American Orthodoxy looks forward to the passing away of these 1960-70's characters who are such a reflection of their era...
Interestingly enough, the gay clergyman in the OCA DOS in south Florida had been suspended for years. Who unsuspended him? Metropolitan Jonah while locum tenens of the DOS.
DeleteSad, if true. What is sadder is that after having married a male in California, he was allowed to return to serving. I was under the impression that the aged Archbishop Dimitri was browbeaten into taking him back. Interestingly enough, after the recent death of retired Bishop Mark, said deacon was deposed.
ReplyDeleteYep, what you and BB point to is that the story of Met. Jonah and the OCA is "it's complicated" and likely to have more than one chapter.
DeleteCompany cultures can be darn difficult to navigate...
Then you have the other extreme, like the late Metropolitan Philip Saliba. He "demoted" his bishops from ruling bishops to vicar bishops. Something that sounds very papal. May God have mercy on his soul!
DeleteAs for Metropolitan Jonah, whatever his faults, we need fewer company men.Actually, a well educated Serbian cleric I know, who has degrees both from St. Vladimir's and Belgrade, said that Metropolitan Jonah had a good case against his bishops, in that they conspired against him. It's a moot point now, since he resigned as primate and has been accepted into ROCOR.
As to the SCOBA bishop who spoke to you, I suspect you are referring to Archbishop Daniel of the Ukrainian church. I admire the man for the good he has done, but I cannot approve of his participation in the EP Ukrainian caper. Sorry,but when you put Ukraine ahead of the faith, there is a problem.