OCA scandal

[ioannis]

I once heard that the OCA's Theodosius was involved in some blackmail scandal of the "Brokeback Mountian" type, but this seems to lend some credibility to it.

http://ocanews.org/DOCS/37_OldScandalRe ... -05-05.pdf
http://ocanews.org

[Kollyvas]

While I am the least fan of +theodosius--this villain's hatef\ul deeds drove my family out of the OCA, AND THEY WEREN'T ALONE--I would say that rehashing old scandals does nothing to improve Orthodoxy in America. This disgrace stepped down. +Metropolitan Herman is salt of the earth and a good Metropolitan. Let's move forward and work to undo the damage done by +theodosius to the OCA and the Russian American mission...Pokrov stuff is always disgusting, a would be "moral" organization without a conscience.
R

[Kollyvas]

Bishop Tikhon's Letter

February 3, 2006
Righteous Elder Simeon and Anna

Your Grace, dear Despota, and Brother in Christ!

I pray that the All-Highest blesses and strengthens Your Grace in Your Grace's Archpastoral labors!

I am enclosing for Your Grace's reading a copy of a letter I mailed last December to his Eminence, Archbishop Job, of Chicago and the Midwest, with a copy to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman. At that time, I did not include as addressees Your Grace, the rest of the Holy Synod and/or active vicarial Bishops. Since that time, it seems that there has appeared no reaction to my complaints of egregious behavior and recommendations for one of several possible solutions. Not only has there been no reaction; on the contrary, it has been demonstrated by the actions of His Eminence after he returned to his Diocese after a recent Lesser Synod meeting – a meeting which had opened by His Beatitude with a clear, stern written admonition relative to such behavior – that His Eminence could not refrain from expressing rebellious principle through indicating that a document issued in his name and the rest of the Less Synod was accepted only grudgingly by him!

Therefore, I want to be sure that Your Grace and the rest of the Very Most Reverend Hierarchs are aware of my own convictions relative to church discipline as that topics applies to His Eminence and make no recommendation relative to any actions whatsoever by Clergy or Laity of the Diocese of the Midwest, for whom Archbishop Job is directly responsible to the Holy Synod and, of course, to God. Such actions reprehensible as they may seem, could only have carried out with the implicit or explicit blessing of His Eminence, (I refer, e.g. to the gossipy website (ocanews.org) of Mark Stokoe, and the lofty moralizing of such sacerdotal luminaries as Archpriests Michael Simerick and Jason Kappanadze.) These, if not addressed by His Eminence, could be addressed by another Hierarch succeeding to that See.

Prior to writing this, I rejected the idea of asking a couple of other Hierarchs to join me in calling for a special session of the Holy Synod, as I did once before. Nevertheless, I believe I have to act in accordance with my third confession of Faith an my episcopal consecration as it relates to your Grace and our Brothers, and especially to His Beatitude, (just as I felt, as Your Grace my recall, in the case of .........

(deleted by editor)........... not belying my conduct in any way a decision of the Holy Synod which had disturbed me most deeply.)

With sadness, but with trust in our Lord, I beg Your Grace to tolerate my importuning Your Grace with this painful, anti-church matter, and very seriously to consider the implication of the unconscionable conduct I have characterized in my letter.

Your Grace's worst intercessor,

/s/ Tikhon

cc: Active episcopate of The Orthodox Church in America
Encl: December letter to Archbishop Job

[Kollyvas]

Speaking as someone with roots which date back before the "tomos" and who is WELL AWARE of the maneuvering/improprieties of the +theodosius' era, who fondly calls for the serene and loving climate of the era of blessed +Metropolitan Leonty, I will in moderation state that a man who takes a jurisdiction with a verified membership of 1000000+ WITH FINANCIAL VIBRANCY AND PROSPEROUS MISSIONS upon his curious accession to the Metropolitan's throne (viz. the the beautiful commemorative book ORTHODOX AMERICA, c. 1976) and leaves it at hovering over 100000 and financial ruin with missions which have no real support from the Metropolia at the time of his curious retirement speaks for his own villainy and incompetence. I am NOT a pokrov scandal-monger, but brokeback mountain might be an accurate if not restrained description--has +theodosius visited Alaska since the first Nixon administration. Some people have to understand that the churches they pray in were built by people WHO LEFT--THE MAJORITY AND BASE OF THAT JURISDICTION, WHO'S CHILDREN TO THIS DAY ESCHEW ALL CONTACT with the Metropolia because of this embarassment, +theodosius. The only good thing I can say about him is that he is gone. GOOD RIDDANCE TO OLD RUBBISH!!! +Archbishop Dmitri should have been Metropolitan and would have been a GREAT Metropolitan. +Metropolitan Herman deserves all of our support. +Bishop Tikhon is RIGHT in his defence of the OCA--he is a hero in this.
In the LOVE of Christ,
Rostislav

[Kollyvas]

Not wishing to dwell on that embarassment. +theodosius (who still hasn't visited Alaska since Agnew was Vice President), I will conclude by saying that the scandals and enemies arrayed against you are because of HIS malfeissance. It is best for YOU to come to terms with the harm that was done so as to exorcise it for the future. I DO NOT WISH a repeat of +theodosius on you. I am not an enemy of the OCA, rather I wish the best for it. I would love to see it as it should be--the basis for North American Orthodox unity in the Holy Tradition, rejecting ecumenism, renovationism and the schismatic calendar reform.
R

[Tessa]

Bishop Nikolai of Alaska is another God-oriented pastor

Someone told me he is a Serb. Is this true?

-tessa

[尼古拉前执事]

Here's Alan Cooperman's Washington Post update on the OCA Synod special Synod meeting in Syosset.

Leaders of the Orthodox Church in America, facing allegations that they mismanaged millions of dollars, rejected calls for an immediate investigation but promised to follow better accounting procedures in the future.

The 400,000-member denomination has been reeling since October from accusations by its former treasurer, Deacon Eric A. Wheeler. He says that during the late 1990s, its top officials diverted donations from agribusiness magnate Dwayne Andreas, U.S. military chaplains and ordinary parishioners, using some of the money to cover credit card debts and pay sexual blackmail.

See http://www.ocanews.org for more