The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has removed Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey and transferred him to the once-renowned Metropolis of Sardis in Asia Minor.
Furthermore, the Patriarchate has also announced the suspension of Metropolitan Methodios of Boston until Christmas.
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America will become the temporary Patriarchal Vicar and manage the affairs of the Metropolis of Boston.
No reasons were given for the abrupt decisions.
Metropolitan Methodios had come under fire from many faithful in his Metropolis for the firing of a popular priest from a parish in Arlington, Massachusetts.
The abrupt removal of Fr. Nicholas Kastanas brought negative publicity to the Church and the Metropolis’ handling of his removal sparked widespread media coverage and a local protest movement against the Metropolitan.
Furthermore, Methodios came under fire from the New Hampshire Attorney General for his refusal to stop communion in the state’s parishes, which are under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Boston.
While Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has articulated the Church’s tradition of administering Holy Communion by the common practice of a single spoon, Bartholomew also instructed his Metropolitans to— first and foremost— abide by the laws of the local government.
Methodios insisted his parishes continue to use a single spoon, despite New Hampshire State regulations prohibiting such practices that could help spread the Coronavirus.
The reasons for Evangelos’ removal could emanate from an early-Coronavirus pandemic exchange of words he had with Archbishop Elpidophoros of America when he called the Archbishop’s actions “wrongful and uncanonical.”
The official announcement from the Ecumenical Patriarchate follows in English and Greek:
ENGLISH
Today, Thursday, October 8, 2020, on the third day of its work in this current month, the Holy and Sacred Synod extensively examined, among other items, issues of the Holy Archdiocese of America, and considered reports of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. The following decisions were taken:
a) It placed into abeyance the force of the Charter of the Holy Archdiocese of America, with the objective of constituting a joint Committee of representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Archdiocese for the composition of a new Charter.
b) It placed His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston under a penance of suspension until the Feast of Christmas, on account that he had fallen into canonical transgressions.
c) It transferred His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey to the Holy Metropolis of Sardes and appointed as Patriarchal Vicar in the vacant Eparchy of New Jersey, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
From the Chief Secretariat of The Holy and Sacred Synod
October 8, 2020
GREEK
Σήμερον, Πέμπτην, 8ην Ὀκτωβρίου 2020, τρίτην ἡμέραν τῶν ἐργασιῶν αὐτῆς τοῦ τρέχοντος μηνός, ἡ Ἁγία καί Ἱερά Σύνοδος ἠσχολήθη, μεταξύ ἄλλων, διεξοδικῶς μέ θέματα τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς Ἀμερικῆς καί ἐθεώρησεν ἐκθέσεις τοῦ οἰκείου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου Σεβ. κ. Ἐλπιδοφόρου, ἔλαβε δέ τάς ἑξῆς ἀποφάσεις:
α) ἀνέστειλε τήν ἰσχύν τοῦ Συντάγματος τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς Ἀμερικῆς μέ τήν προοπτικήν συστάσεως μικτῆς Ἐπιτροπῆς ἐξ ἀντιπροσώπων τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατριαρχείου καί τῆς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς πρός σύνταξιν νέου τοιούτου.
β) ἐπέβαλε τῷ Σεβ. Μητροπολίτῃ Βοστώνης κ. Μεθοδίῳ τήν ποινήν τῆς ἀργίας μέχρι τῆς Ἑορτῆς τῶν Χριστουγέννων διά τά εἰς ἅ ὑπέπεσε κανονικά παραπτώματα.
γ) μετέθεσε τόν Σεβ. Μητροπολίτην Νέας Ἰερσέης κ. Εὐάγγελον εἰς τήν Ἱεράν Μητρόπολιν Σάρδεων καί ὥρισε Πατριαρχικόν Ἐπίτροπον ἐν τῇ οὑτωσί χηρευσάσῃ Ἐπαρχίᾳ Νέας Ἰερσέης τόν Ἀρχιεπίσκοπον Ἀμερικῆς κ. Ἐλπιδοφόρον.
Ἐκ τῆς Ἀρχιγραμματείας
τῆς Ἁγίας καί Ἱερᾶς Συνόδου
8 Ὀκτωβρίου 2020
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19 comments
Finally, the most necessary, constructive decision has been made ! Both of those Metropolitans have been destructive, toxic individuals. The Metropolitan structure needs to be removed and Archdiocese needs to return back to taking care of Greek Orthodox Churches.
Everyone knows evangelos was a condescending and arrogant leader who didn’t belong there. Completely hated. He visited a parish with demands longer than a rock star.
You’ll be seeing many Greeks leaving for the OCA. This is yet another disappointing action from Archbishop Elpidophoros.
If you’re leaving the church because you’re not getting your way, then you were never with the church. Worshippers and parish priests have endured the political games and corruption by these metropolitans for too long. Like Jesus and the money changers, Archbishop Elpidophoros is not going to put up with it!
Finally! Those people had become more corrupt than lobbyists. Time to bring back the real church!a
There is no way significant numbers of Greek Greek Orthodox are going to the OCA. The OCA is completely different culturally made up of many Protestant converts who are very serious about culturally conservative issues. Not that Greeks are not, but the focus is completely different. The absence of Greek culture in their liturgy may attract some younger members at most
Everyone who disagrees with our new leader is WELCOME to leave (and able). I being a Boston, MA resident my entire life, have seen our horrible fearless leader Methodios do much, much, much harm and never accountable to anyone but himself. All I can say is CHARMA has a way of catching up with you big guy on your high-chair and over the years, all your wrongs will be payed in the end (don’t you worry about that). Methodios should RESIGN to save what little dignity he has, or face what’s about to happen to him in the near future unless he practices what he preaches, and apologizes for his prior sins publically. I along with many many other faithful in the new England area COULD NOT BE MORE HAPPY with this news! THANK YOU for doing the right thing, long-time coming and THANK GOD! ……… C H A R M A M Y F R I E N D W O R K S W O N D E R S
I wish him a happy lucrative thanksgiving with his rich corrupt friends.
To the to imposter George’s above, Are you fellas the AB himself or his underlings working for him??? We know!
Until the Orthodox Christians of this country put our Faith above our Ethnic background, we are demeaning the “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic” Faith that was given to us in the Great Councils, and defended by the lives of countless Martyrs.
No one is more Greek than I am. I love the language, I taught Greek school for 30 years. I love Byzantine chant, I have chanted in church occasionally as needed, and I love the highest ideals of the Greek culture. But I see inexcusable levels of ignorance among my people concerning our Orthodox Faith.
Years ago, when the Miraculous Icon of the Theotokos of Sitka, Alaska was touring the lower 48, and bus loads of people from nearby communities came to an OCA church to venerate the icon, a Greek woman asked me about the members of this church, “Are they Christian?”
Members of Greek American Orthodox communities, young, college educated people who are active members of their church and serve on the Boards, have shown incredible levels of ignorance concerning their neighboring Orthodox communities. When I try to explain to them that the OCA and Antiochean Orthodox Churches practise the same Faith as we, the Greeks, I am met with serious disbelief and derision about what I believe in. Too often the Greek communities that I am familiar with use up their energy on opposing political clicks within their walls, the Annual Food Festival preparation, etc. (Of course, much good takes place there, too), but on the issue of being knowledgeable about Orthodox Christianity as a WHOLE, there needs to be more education. Perhaps everyone does not read ffom the plethora of books available. I hold the priests responsible. They have small enough groups at their command that it would be possible to educate their parrishionners about the “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic” Church. When such a large number of our children marry non-Greek spouses, how can we continue to hold on to the fantasy that we are a “Greek Church” (or any other “Ethnic only church”.
If you are afraid that too many Greeks will leave to join the OCA or other Orthodox Christian Church, go and visit one of those churches, and see for yourself that it is the SAME FAITH. Some might even find that they comprehend the Faith more fully when they hear the WHOLE Service in English.
Bless you DAPHNE KONTANIS. Never more correct is your statements about our Church! I am one of those non-Greeks in a Greek Church where festivals take more importance than anything! I don’t that it has anything to do with this issue about Metropolitans being canned, but we do need a shake-up!
Dear Daphne,
I love your sentiments but you are barking at the moon.
20 years ago Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) raised the alarm about the new charter, tried to have it reversed at the Clergy Laity Congress in LA and ultimately took the fight all the way to the US Supreme Court. The handwriting was on the wall. Foreign control was coming.
Many ecumenical patriarchate supporters, particularly from Greeks from Chicago, told us we were crazy. “All decisions are made here,” and “We are not controlled by the Patriarchate,” were the most popular responses. The reality was that NO ELECTION OF ANY SORT takes place in this country for hierarchs of the GOA. Just look at the charter (which was just ripped up)!
And, unfortunately, the metropolitans (Met. Isaiah excepted) all resorted to the “race card” (ie appeal to Greek ethnicity) in an attempt to combat common sense.
Fast forward to today: the GOA has an archbishop directly from Istanbul, clearly under strict orders. Some may WANT to believe that he is exposing corruption etc. Unfortunately they are modern day “useful idiots.”
The Assembly of Bishops offered some hope to move in the direction you describe, but it has been compromised by the same old Greek instransigence.
The truth is that Orthodoxy will continue to wither and die on this continent until it returns to the historical method of governance – i.e. locally elected bishops, sitting in synod. Only then will we have decisions made which will benefit the Orthodox Church of THIS country, instead of serving Old World agendas.
I do not know the circumstances behind the action against Metropolitan Methodios. You in the Northeast would know better.
However, the naming of Metropolitan Evangelos as the Metropolitan of Sardes (in Asia Minor) is just one more example of Old World nonsense. Someone should ask, “When was the last liturgy served in Sardes? The 1300’s?” There are ancient canons against bishops with no flock. But those are set aside at will. It’s preposterous.
Whether Greeks join the OCA or Antiochians (as I did following the 2000 Clergy Laity Congress) or simply leave the church, it’s a shame either way. Like you, I have, and always will, love my Greek heritage. Two years ago, I took my son to Constantinople and spent an entire day climbing the Theodosian Walls.
However the Church is not for furthering our “Greekness.” It is for worship and salvation. St. Gregory Palamas goes further, in his Triads, and says that you sin whenever you replace Christ as the Center of the Church (say, for example, with “Hellenism”).
This “worshipping of ethnicity” is killing the church. And you know it is happening by looking at the membership data. GOA membership from the entire Archdiocese was already down 40% in the mid 90’s (from the 1970s) before they stopped reporting consolidated data.
As an Antiochian bishop told me many years ago, “You would THINK they (the offending Greek hierarchs) would be worried about judgement.”
Apparently not.
I will leave you with something I told the OCL over 20 years ago – We Greeks have been Orthodox for at least 1800 years. Dividing that number by 55 (average lifespan over that time) gives you 33 generations of Orthodox Christians – that is the number of generations, yiayias and pappous who are looking down on us, watching what we do.
Do whatever you need to do for the survival of Orthodox Christianity in your own family and parish. If that means joining an ALL English OCA or Antiochian parish, DO IT!
As Archbishop Nathaniel (OCA) has so often said, “It’s God’s church and He will take care of it!”
…and may the good Lord have mercy on us for what we have done with His church!
Daphne. I totally agree with your statement. Thank you!I’m so grateful to God that change is coming.
@John and those who defend the AB decisions. LIBERALISM IS A MENTAL DISORDER. Sergianism is a mental, communist disorder!!!You all cannot figure out what is going on? Or are you friends of the AB!! We know.
I have witnessed the toxic and negligent actions of Metropolitan Evangelos with respect to St. Katherine’s Parish in Falls Church Virginia. It was the proper move, I feel very relieved.
Please correct the spelling of my name. It should be Christou.
Evangelos is corrupt and takes money from the church for his own selfish reasons. He has drivers on payroll that the church pays for. Hires his friends to do jobs at the church which they overcharge for and makes a lot of money.
Evangelos’ Mercedes was a gift from the pan Gregorian to do all the church parties and such at their restaurants. Evangelos used his position to put money in his pockets and his friends pockets. Not a good man. Get him out completely and look into this man.
Metropolitan Evangelos did our church great harm by dismissing Rev. Dr. Gus Christou from our Diocese. This is a well educated. God fearing priest that was yanked from Holy Trinity in Wilmington, DE and sent to Philadelphia’s St. George Cathedral. Then, after a very successful Clergy Laity Conference, he moved Fr. Christou to the Metropolis. Finally, he found the opportunity to (I believe he was jealous or afraid of his wisdom and knowledge) he banned him from our Diocese thus preventing him from connecting with another parish. We had personally witnessed his cruel treatment of our Orthodox clergy as well as his strange personal demands when coming to our parish.
Father Evangelos never got suspended; it was all for show to get ppl to back off from making the church look bad. He is not a good person. He steals from the church and gives the food for clergy to his friends (hundreds of dollars worth of food) he uses the churches money to pay for all his friends to go on vacation to Greece along with his driver to bring everyone on joy rides (which your cash donations basically pay for) he takes bribes from businesses in return for referalls; he tried to ruin a priests career for not catering to his girlfriends needs. Get him out.