So where do you go for that site that’s like a hot fudge sundae with all the trimmings when it comes to the GOA? One of the friends of Monomakhos designed just such a site and after months of waiting, it’s finally done! Everything from the shrine debacle to the diabolical nature of Furbies is waiting there to be consumed and boy does it “hit the spot.” Check it out.
I’ll pray for you all – your glee at bad news seems very sad to me….
Anonoca, there is no “glee” here. Just the exposure of corruption. The laity has a right to know how mismanaged their jurisdiction is.
We’re at a juncture where any wrong turn could change the course of Orthodoxy in this country and whether you know it or not, the plan is to unite us under the GOA. I hope this site will give our brothers and sisters in Christ, and most importantly our leadership, pause. Not everyone could do something like this but I’m glad someone did.
Indeed. I believe that there are 4 months left on a bet I made with somebody on this blog regarding the designs of the GOA/EP axis on the OCA. Something about a decently-priced single malt scotch.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Sorry George, but you introduce this site as a guilty pleasure. “Looking for something good” ???
No, there is no good news.
I prefer not to look at things that I cannot unsee.
Tanya, the brand new (and in my opinion, very well-done) site OxiDay presents an alternative view in contrast to the happy talk that emanates from 79th St. To be sure it is as such quite hellenocentric as opposed to Monomakhos, which covers a wide spectrum of Orthodox issues.
Of course it is quite uncomfortable to broadcast some of what this site (as well as mine choose to publish), however it is clear that within the GOA, there is definitely “something rotten”. The corruption is so rife that it is impossible to ignore any more and OxiDay has the time and resources to expose said corruption. When an institution cannot –or will not–reform itself, then further obfuscation becomes impossible. Word to the wise: better to nip things in the bud while you have a chance.
Personally, I would rather that we did not delve into salacious issues. (And to the extent that I have done so once or twice in the past, I weep bitter tears.) Having said that, the corruption within the particular patriarchate that is causing so much tumult often is of a salacious nature. For instance the issue with the two “Bulgarian stallions” and certain Cpolitan bishops in Western Europe. In other words, it’s becoming impossible to separate financial from personal scandals. Some scandals are more venial than others, think of the gold cuff-links caper, for example.
Having said that, the time is drawing nigh in which schism may very well be upon us. Thanks to instant communications, we laymen* will have no excuse if we follow corrupt hierarchs into schism. Gone are the days in Ukraine when the ordinary, illiterate peasant could plead ignorance as his bishop sold him down the river. While I do not pretend to be a theologian nor imagine that the majority of Orthodox Christians are, that doesn’t mean that we should remain silent in the face of obvious doctrinal and ecclesiological abnormalities.
*I use the suffix -man in general; i.e. spokesman, Congressman, layman. According to proper English usage it subsumes both sexes.
Too much darkness in all this. I don’t watch the news often because I trust my Guardian Angel will alert me when I need to know something.
Guess I need to get back to doing this.
May God Bless you all here at Monomakhos!
Ephesians 5:11
Thank you Tanya.
You bring up an excellent point. There are times in which I or my editors or commentators go blithefully along doing nothing in particular, minding our own, respective businesses. Then WHAM!something big comes out of nowhere and drops in our collective laps. Perhaps that’s the work of a guardian angel or two? I’m coming to think so. Believe me, I don’t have the resources (read: money) to do what we do on this blog.
Despite our own deficits (and boy, do I have deficits), I like to think that as long as our hearts are pure, the Lord will use vehicles like Monomakhos, OxiDay and orthochristian, to expose the corruption that needs to be exposed in order to better protect His Bride.
I think Tanya may be wrongly associating “glee” with the content. The “glee” comes from the fact that whoever put this site together did a phenomenal job. Visually, the site is indeed a “sundae with a cherry on top.”
If the site causes you to have a visceral reaction, it’s done its job. These aren’t new stories. They have been widely reported but there is something about seeing them all at once in living color, that makes you want to recoil. Unfortunately, it may take that to get people and make the necessary changes in the GOA.
Tanya, I think Gail speaks wise words. The “glee” is from the phenomenal job that the producers of this new website did. And yes, I got a very “visceral reaction” myself. I had no idea how bad the maladministration of the GOA has been. As a Greek-American, I’m quite concerned, merely on that level. As Orthodox Christians we should also be concerned.
George this is a delicate thing.
There are two extremes:
First, not to publish these scandals and let the situation rotten even more.
Second publish it and make a show of it, almost for pleasure..
I thing the best is somewhere in between so that:
The facts are published in a proper way so that the local Bishop and the Patriarch are shocked and take exemplary action (*) serving as a warning or deterrent for the future.
And to “facilitate” this performance from the Bishop and Patriarch, the people must do the right reaction too, and that is unlike what a local Bishop said after a recent scandal. He said:
“I hope and pray that you will not allow the actions of one of our clergy to distance you from your parish”
No Master!
This matter is too serious for such an easy way out!
The whole name of the Church is at stake!
The people should better stay away from that parish for a number of weeks or months as a STRONG PROTEST that such a thing could so easily happen in their parish. All the people who cooperated or turned the blind eye for it to happen should be replaced, precautionary measures and procedures should be put in place (with the aid of experts!) and after that the parish could carry on with new priest(s). Needless to say, such priest(s) should be de-frocked!
(*)The advantages of this strong handling will be:
(1) Their will be a good deterrent for the future.
(2) The public who have read the shocking news, will stop laughing at the Church, on the contrary they will be happy that something was done by the Bishop AND the congregation.
Unfortunately, there are people who rejoice over someone else’s downfall. If I used to many years ago, I don’t anymore, because I don’t think exposing someone else’s fall is going enable my salvation or anyone else’s. We are called upon to speak the truth in love. Sometimes the devil tempts us to the point where even when we point out error, we can do it in such a way as to alienate people. I think of Patriarch Nikon and his zeal to reform the Russian church’s liturgical practices to conform more with the Greek churches. His intentions may have been good, but he was tactless in applying his reforms. Thus, we have the Old Ritualists to this day, although some are reconciled to the Russian church.
I understand both perspectives. However, is it not imperative that people, (who may not be aware of the vast corruption), are informed so that they can use discernment as to whether or not they may need to find another jurisdiction?
The rest of the world is already seeing this. The law is involved, it’s in the secular news. It does us Orthodox Christians no good to pretend it’s not happening.
Let’s not be like the Roman Catholics who let their children go on being molested for decades, all in the name of a pious desire to cover over the sins of our fathers.
This mismanagement only goes on because the laity are silent.
Well said, AS. Well said.
For what it’s worth, I highly recommend the movie Spotlight with Michael Keaton and Rachel Adams. It’s about the Archdiocese of Boston and The Boston Globe which broke the original story.
It can’t be really really Orthodox, there’s not 57 pictures of Acbp Elpidophoros.
“After waiting for months, it’s finally done….”
really???
is that why it’s full of old news
like the cake porn priest?
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