Comments Posted By Geo Michalopulos

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This Is Far from Over: The Chicago Tribune Weighs in

One of the thoughts that has dominated my mind recently was the same type of injustice and evil was inflicted on St Nektarios and St John Maximovitch. In time, both of their Churches repented but the cost to both men and to the faithful was incalculable.

Jonah is in many ways like the Patriarch Joseph was was hated by his brothers and left to die in a well.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 4:45 pm

yes indeed, that’s what I mean by “scandalized.” How many missions will not form now? How many good men will not be ordained? How many people will leave their parishes for calmer waters?

As for those of us in the South, I don’t think things are as dire as they are in the other dioceses. We shall see –and watch and pray.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 4:40 pm

Harry, institutions don’t fall overnight. Byzantium retrenched to its walls and survived for a century. Nevertheless, it was obvious to all that it was over, the population had shrunk to 50,000, entire city blocks had returned to farmland, the economy was in the doldrums, etc. The only thing that held the Turks back was their inability to breach the walls. Once gunpowder was invented, it was over.

Do I see a way out for the OCA to survive and maintain its autocephaly? Yes I do but the answer would require good judgment and some well-placed backroom deals with certain parties. But the principals are so invested in their mythology that they won’t do it.

There’s a Byzantine precedence for this: weeks before the walls were finally breached, the Senate was debating serious topics like what color the Virgin Mary’s eyes were. After all, this was the city of Constantine, it would never fall, it could never fall.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 4:35 pm

Dunno. It’s possible that Moscow saw that even with a dozen Jonahs on the synod, the internal structure of the OCA as epitomized by the Syossett/MC axis is beyond repair. It’s been my realization for a few months now that the MC is superior to the Synod. And with a vicious people who relentlessly stabbed their primate in the back and threatened his pay and with sycophants invoking the name of Schmemann, Kirill just decided to just pull the plug.

If people are dead set on killing themselves, the only prudent thing to do is get out of the way.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 4:27 pm

Harry, you’re going to have stop putting words into my mouth. The only foreign church I admire (not “prefer”) is Moscow. And please, it’s silly to say to a dying man “things are worse elsewhere.” That’s trite. Yes, the Church of Christ has suffered worse than this. That’s not an excuse to justify bad behavior. Behavior that is possibly criminal and definately scandalous.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 4:20 pm

One way to find out would be through the legal process.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 4:14 pm

well you’re both wrong. but go on believing what you want. one way to get your adversary to continue hurting himself is by encouraging him in his delusions.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 4:12 pm

a silver lining in this is the education that he received, and that is that within all of us lurks evil. And yes, in the Church itself there are those who are evil.

Lord have mercy. I pray for them as I’m sure he is as well. This is not false piety, when we come to realize this truth, then we are freed because truth sets us free. Obeisance to truth makes life very easy.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 2:11 pm

Peter, you’re completely right: even though I have been a vociferous critic of colonial Orthodoxy here in America, there is absolutely no way that one can lay the blame for this on C’pole, Moscow, or Timbuktu. The Insane Clown Posse that forms the Apparat of the OCA perpetrated this atrocity all by their lonesomes. All Moscow & C’pole are going to do now is watch the OCA continue to implode.

Thanks guys; hope you like pirogi.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 1:56 pm

Dean, just because they are acting like a synod doesn’t mean they acted correctly. They clearly didn’t think this lynching through.

Let’s assume though that HB had administrative or personality quirks. You know how to solve that? Get him a chancellor who can manage his time. Make this guy live where he lives. But no, they had to undermine him every step of the way. If you knew just some of the petty things they did to him to make his life miserable, you’d puke.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 11:52 am

Harry, stop carrying water for these Judas bishops. They’ll never live this one down. They’re completely in the wrong and they know it. We know it, and the rest of the world is standing up and taking notice.

This will not end well for the OCA.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 11:46 am

Jonah the Prophet

Beck, maybe you can hold Diogenes’ when he turns out the lights for the last time at Syosset.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 11, 2012 @ 8:05 am

One can only hope Fr Yousuf.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 1:42 pm

Tahnk you for this perspective Lex.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 10, 2012 @ 1:36 pm

Again, Diogenes, I continue to ask like your namesake did in ancient Athens: what exactly is an “American Church”?

I could ask you if you see the complete incongruity of your next remark. You extoll the fact that we are “an American Church” yet you hate the very Americans who are in it. Or am I the only one who sees this?

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 1:36 pm

Ken, while I agree with your assessment about Jonah’s many talents, I am somewhat taken aback by your portrayal as ROCOR being under the thumb of the FSB. We must also ask if ROCOR is still upholding the Gospel. If the answer to both is “yes,” then does this not call for some introspection on our part? Specifically, why are the various agencies of our federal government so hell-bent on pushing an anti-Christian agenda throughout the world, up to and including allowing Christians to be slaughtered in their ancient homelands?

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 1:33 pm

Beck, I must protest. “Rod and his ilk” did nothing but try to protect HB from a brood of vipers. consider me as part of his “ilk.”

Your assessment about Jonah’s “instincts” being “good” in some areas and “terrible” in others is really too much. I have asked several of Jonah’s critics on this blog to mention which of Jonah’s actions/instincts/etc. merited such opprobrium. I still hear nothing more than nebulous nothings like “he betrayed the mission of the OCA” and yet nobody can even tell me what this “mission” is.

Therefore, it’s not clear based on such variables why “he had to go.”

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 1:22 pm

Peter, I see much wisdom in what you write.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 1:13 pm

And what decisions would those be, Harry? The hospitals that the OCA built in the last three years? Or was it the orphanages? Built a lot of monasteries during that time, didn’t we?

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 11:18 am

Fr, you are correct. The “earlier operational model” was unsustainable. In 2008 at Pittsburgh, when the bishops walked into the hall, they were roundly booed. They were so scared that they were soiling themself. They threw the newly-consecrated Jonah to the wolves. He saved their heinies. Jonah’s critics cand repeat their tired mantras of “conciliarity” or “Jonah undermined the mission of the OCA” until they’re blue in the face, it won’t change the fact that they don’t know what they’re doing.

I’ve thought that because Jonah had now back-up from Moscow that the ROC won’t play their hand. I’ve re-thought that: the Phanar is drunk with glee right (hear that, Harry?) because Syossett did what they could never do: completely delegitimize the OCA. On that point alone, to prevent the Phanar from picking up the pieces, Moscow might –just might–act.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 11:15 am

Ah, but I’m sure he did!

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 9:02 am

Carl, please take off the rose-colored glasses. Antioch reached its peak two years ago when they had their internal blood-letting at Palm Desert. As for the DOS, it is an open question whether it can flourish. With inspired leadership it can. Hence, don’t expect inspired leadership.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 9:01 am

Not really. i for one don’t think it was a waste. If Orthodoxy is to grow in this country, these battles must be fought, otherwise we will be stuck with more lethargy than we have now. Jonah was that one bright spot which brought Orthodoxy into the limelight, much like Iakovos did in 1964 by joining MLK. Of course things regressed to the mean but Ligonier 1994 lit another (internal) spark at least but it was stamped out.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 5:46 am

Doubtful, very doubtful. I give us 5 years, tops. Maybe if Jonah is given another assignment (like Dallas) the OCA can have the opportunity to not appear vengeful and so would appear to have another chance. Without this however, and Jonah and his family on the street though, the OCA will have far fewer attendees and donors in 2014. It’ll look embarrassing and they’ll just pull the plug on the next AAC.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 5:41 am

I believe it’s James Paffhausen, Jr. But that’s a great idea.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 5:37 am

It’s funny, we “don’t know what’s going on” within the inner workings of the Synod. Therefore we’re just supposed to acquiesce to whatever they say without any accountability or transparency.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 9, 2012 @ 5:36 am

Yes indeed.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 8, 2012 @ 10:08 pm

Andrew, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Eighteen years ago (during Ligonier) I was in my mid-30s. Thanks to the Phanar we lost a little over half a generation. But in reality we lost a generation given the fact that the new “metropolitans” (who are underwhelming) have another 20 years or more. But with Jonah at least America had a fighting chance that the Phanar would have to loosen the apron strings somehow. Now, thanks to this coup, we can definately look forward to 20 years of “more of the same.” Ennui, lethargy, inertia, and stagnation.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 8, 2012 @ 8:42 pm

Ineptocracy

Harry, then why don’t you ask the Synod to do so? And while you’re at it, ask them why they shut it down in the first place?

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 17, 2012 @ 1:51 pm

Diogenes, your tired song about the “corruption” of the ROC is weating thin. Would that we were 1/10th as “corrupt.” Tell me how many of their bishops they’ve consigned to loony bins.

» Posted By Geo Michalopulos On July 12, 2012 @ 7:35 pm