Comments Posted By Disgusted With It
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Of course it was “skipped over”. People with such selective moral outrage can never be assumed to be honest. The hypocrisy is sickening.
» Posted By Disgusted With it On May 22, 2013 @ 2:24 pm
Were you also “shocked & scandalized” when an alcoholic archimandrite was elected and consecrated to be an OCA bishop?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On May 21, 2013 @ 9:38 am
Bp. Matthias “Voluntarily” Retires
As shamefully as the OCA synod and administration have acted and continue to act, I think that would be an insult to the word “Byzantine”.
When the intrigues are bad they are referred to as “Byzantine”. When they’re even worse, they can now refer to it as “OCA”.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On April 19, 2013 @ 1:20 pm
HEADLINE: OCA reaches milestone on April 15, 2013
Syosset, NY – For the first time in history, the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) now has as many “former and retired” hierarchs (10) as they do “active” hierarchs (10). The synod may be perfectly comfortable and even happy with this odd scenario, but the pension fund actuaries may not be so enthused. Some, however, are pointing out that the OCA has obviously become a role model for other Orthodox Churches throughout the world in light of the recent events in the Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia, a close ally of the OCA, where former Metropolitan Christopher has also signed up for an early retirement. Meanwhile, back here in Syosset, everything is doing just fine as the deck chairs of the Titanic are undergoing their 5th reorganization.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On April 15, 2013 @ 2:04 pm
Fr Paul is a good, humble, upright and ethical man. There is no way the OCA administration/synod will allow him to become bishop easily, regardless of what the diocese wants. Syosset already has their short list of candidates in mind, and they are all “company men”.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On April 15, 2013 @ 1:55 pm
In fairness to Bishop Matthias, he wasn’t the mastermind of the stinkbomb. It was put together by the Syosset group-think experts — lawyers, bishops who think they know something, and simpleton priests in authority. Bishop Matthias jumped the gun on publishing it before the others, some say before the document was finished to their liking. (Imagine what other lies they could have included if they had more time to think of them!) So let’s be sure to give credit for the stinkbomb to the entire OCA synod and administration who own this mess they’ve created.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On April 11, 2013 @ 11:29 am
How Did We Get Here? Part I: Syosset and the Dearth of Vision
My Mother Theresa observation was tongue-in-cheek. No need to analyze it so seriously.
I do agree that what the Serbian bishop did was disgusting and he should receive the harshest form of punishment allowed. But at the same time, I think anyone would be foolish to think that disgusting things only happen in what you call the “old country churches” and not at all in the OCA. If you ask the women who run the Pokrov website, for example, I am sure they can attest to the fact that there are many disgusting things that have taken place in the OCA that have been covered up. If you want to live in a dream world where it’s all simply dismissed as gossip then live there by yourself, but don’t be so quick to throw stones at others.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On April 25, 2013 @ 11:48 am
“The OCA looks like Mother Theresa in comparison.”
I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone insult Mother Theresa. So when is the OCA going to come clean about its perverts? Or will they just keep transferring them, covering them up, and promoting them?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On April 24, 2013 @ 12:18 pm
The truth is that, in the greater scheme of things at the events in Rome, the OCA representatives were a couple of “nobodies” who were only there because a couple high-ranking OCA priests with contacts in the Catholic church pulled whatever strings they could to arrange an “invite” and photo-op. Big deal.
The OCA is starting to remind me of those so-called “Orthodox Churches” one occasionally comes across online, usually something like “True American Orthodox Greek Russian Old-Calendar Believer Church”, who spend their entire home page trying to convince the world that they’re legitimate. It’s quite sad really.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 26, 2013 @ 12:28 pm
Um,
Remember, this is the OCA where the definition of “sin” is relative to who you are and who you know.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 27, 2013 @ 2:35 pm
“…it can’t be accepted as such because the consenting person is not at the age of consent.”
What exactly is the “age of consent” when it comes to paedophilia? In some cultures in the world it’s considered 13-14 years old, and others 18 years old. In some states of the Union it’s 16, others 17, and others 18. It’s all so confusing that I just don’t understand it and perhaps I should reserve judgment. OR, maybe I should be honest enough to call a sin a sin when I see it, and not try to make ridiculous excuses. Even the little kids in Church School learn the basics about morals.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 25, 2013 @ 11:58 am
“But, because I find it incomprehensible, I have decided it isn’t my place to judge that which I don’t understand.”
So do you reserve judgment on paedophiles too? Should they just be allowed to continue doing what they do because you don’t “understand” it?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 22, 2013 @ 11:37 am
Mitrich,
I sympathize with your feelings. However, the reality is that the good people are being used and taken advantage of by certain bishops and clergy. They enjoy this control — whether it’s emotional ties, or people hoping to do the “Christian” thing, or people who are just flat out duped in the matter wanting to believe that the bishops and clergy really are honest and that the scandal is really the fault of “those other people”. These so called religious leaders willingly and knowingly take full advantage of that. So either the good clergy and faithful who remain need to play hardball and fight for what is right by exposing and fighting the evil, or know when it’s finally too much and follow the example of Lot. Either way, God will not be mocked!
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 22, 2013 @ 11:21 am
DC,
So then maybe the last good people should leave St. Nicholas, not look back, and let Sodom be destroyed according to its own sinfulness.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 21, 2013 @ 12:17 pm
So were these Bulgarians who left for ROCOR and then landed in the OCA ever granted a canonical release from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 14, 2013 @ 11:43 am
I think this is what many people have been saying all along. Even those few Churches in the world who say they recognize the OCA autocephaly, including Russia, don’t truly recognize it because of things like this. It appears that it is not worth any more than the paper it’s printed on. So if I were a Greek or Antiochian Orthodox bishop, for example, why would I worry about an alleged autocephaly that the grantor of the document doesn’t even take seriously?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 14, 2013 @ 11:40 am
In my opinion, it is totally necessary in every community throughout our country today. It is clear and correct teaching on Orthodox Christian truths. Did the synod publish their 1992 document to merely say they “did something” about it and then bury it in a file for eternity? Those who do not agree with the teachings of the Church are free to find some denomination that teaches otherwise where they can be happier and perhaps more “spiritual”.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 11, 2013 @ 11:14 am
Perhaps make him rector of one of the seminaries? That way he’s under the guidance/supervision of the Metropolitan (as well as other seminary leadership) and can still contribute positively to the work of the Church. Just a thought.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 1, 2013 @ 2:31 pm
In regard to Fr Alexey’s comment about forcing a bishop out of his diocese –
Maybe +Matthias will get a visit from Fr. Chancellor with resignation papers in hand for the bishop to sign with him standing over his shoulder. A unanimous request perhaps? (Maybe that’s why they would be looking for leverage to pressure +Michael? Just a crazy, random thought.)
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 1, 2013 @ 2:23 pm
Maybe +Matthias will get a visit from Fr. Chancellor with resignation papers in hand for the bishop to sign with him standing over his shoulder. A unanimous request perhaps? (Maybe that’s why they would be looking for leverage to pressure +Michael? Just a crazy, random thought.)
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 1, 2013 @ 2:21 pm
There’s serious reason to believe there’s moral corruption in the OCA, but we’re supposed to focus our attention on others being ethnic? I don’t get it.
What does Russian Church-State relations have to do with allegations of sexual and other improprieties among OCA bishops? What does St. Vladimir’s offering doctorates have to do with an OCA administration that ignores, or even possibly accepts, immorality among it’s clergy? To me that’s like a drunk driver telling the judge in his defense that his neighbor swears too much.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 1, 2013 @ 2:06 pm
There’s a question about this because only 2 people have first-hand knowledge of the truth of what happened. Thus, there needs to be a thorough investigation and a decision based on the testimony of the people directly involved.
What I DID find helpful to understanding the situation was when “The Sons of Job are right” commented above that the dean reported on the woman’s status. That’s what matters to me. I don’t care what a bunch of matushki assume, or a bunch of bloggers, or anything other than what the woman herself believes when it comes to this incident. She knows best the dynamics of what transpired and the investigation should rely heavily on her testimony, as well as the responses of the bishop. And the people of the diocese should respect that too.
“Zero tolerance” can be a bunch of baloney if it is applied in a way that ignores the truth of a situation as related by the people directly involved and affected. I’ve overheard bishops tell off-color jokes — should they be removed for that? Nobody there seemed to think it was a big deal (even though I think it’s in poor taste, especially for a bishop), but under “zero tolerance” they should be fired immediately, right? I’ve known people fired in the corporate world for that very thing, simply because they were overheard by a third party.
I’m not saying the bishop is innocent. In the very least, he should not have sent such texts regardless of what he believed his intentions to be. If the young woman believes and shows that this was intentional harassment and is not anything else, and the bishop has no reasonable response, then I believe the bishop should be removed immediately. But it all goes back to a good, clean and honest investigation — something the current OCA administration is not trusted by many people to do.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On March 1, 2013 @ 1:28 pm
If the OCA could be weakened by some anonymous poster on Monomakhos, then the OCA is in much worse shape than we all thought.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 28, 2013 @ 9:40 am
I wonder, what does the young woman in question think? Does she think +Matthias is a threat to the diocese? Since the incident happened, I have read a lot of other people talking about her and using her as an example for larger theories of what could happen, but nothing has really been reported about whether or not she thinks he could be trusted as a diocesan bishop. None of us were there to observe their interactions — just +Matthias and the woman. (Text messages on their own lack context.) For my part, if she told investigators “look, he’s crazy and can’t be trusted”, then I would strongly consider that testimony because she experienced this situation first-hand. On the other hand, if she says “he said some inappropriate things, but here’s why I think he can be trusted”, then I would consider that too. I hope that someone, anyone, is taking her opinion into account here.
Certainly there are those people who have their agendas against the bishop and are using this situation as a weapon against him, while others mean well and could be getting caught up in the battle, and others who simply put their trust in those who are charged with evaluating the situation. Unfortunately, at this time it seems the OCA administration has zero credibility when it comes to dealing with clergy issues. So I am afraid that chaos will remain in the Midwest for a long time, regardless of what happens, thanks to our lack of trustworthy leadership at the top. As the old saying goes, this synod and administration have made their bed, and now they must sleep in it.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 27, 2013 @ 12:16 pm
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
While I think Photius’ language is a bit harsh, I agree with the content of his message. They need new people leading the OCA administration who are not tied to any of the previous “players” in any way. Perhaps they should bring in leadership from the DOS, the best-run diocese in the OCA.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 20, 2013 @ 10:50 am
And the Hits Just Keep on Comin’
And who is running the whole thing? I think it’s important to know the credentials of those responsible for educating our clergy, and as much as I’ve tried researching it online, I cannot find anywhere any indication that the new CE Department Director, a priest, actually graduated from a seminary. I find this disturbing. Am I wrong?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 15, 2013 @ 10:17 am
“I, for One, Welcome Our New Syosset Overlords”
Thanks. But what seminary did he graduate from? I can’t find it. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be mentioned in the biography, but it isn’t there. Any leads?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 13, 2013 @ 10:23 am
That’s an excellent idea too. But if the OCA is stuck with this, I’m curious about who’s running it. It’s good to know where they received their training if they are supposed to train our priests today.
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 12, 2013 @ 12:17 pm
I think some refresher course for clergy could be a good thing if executed with proper direction and guidance. I saw the press release on the OCA website and read that the Department Director is Archpriest Ian G. Pac-Urar. Does anyone know, is he a graduate of St. Vladimir’s or St. Tikhon’s?
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 12, 2013 @ 10:21 am
«« Back To Stats PageIt’s the sad reality of the OCA best expressed in one sentence — “It’s not what you know (or do, as the case may be), but who you know.”
» Posted By Disgusted With It On February 14, 2013 @ 10:03 am
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