A proposal has been submitted to the Administrative Committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Archdiocese Council that would drastically change the way things are done in the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

The proposed resolutions have been submitted by Fr. Alexander Karloutsos, a clergyman who has deep ties to the Ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople and yields significant influence with the current Archbishop.

The Pappas Post obtained a copy of the cover letter and resolutions and their authenticity was verified.

The letter and resolutions were submitted on official letterhead of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Southhampton, NY, where Fr. Alexander Karloutsos serves as one of the parish priests.

According to the letter, the said proposals were submitted to the Archdiocese Council two years ago but were rejected by the then Archbishop, Archbishop Demetrios, in the featured photo above.

Karloutsos said he was revisiting these proposals as “another opportunity to do what is right for the Church, rather than for personal agendas.”

He criticized the previous Church head, citing “the pain across the Church as former Archbishop Demetrios refused to retire, even after numerous requests from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in the face of a collapsing Archdiocese, and when he had already surpassed his ninetieth birthday!”

The resolution on the mandatory retirement includes forcing all clergymen (this includes all hierarchs, priests) to submit their retirement at the age of 75 and follows models in use in Russian Orthodox and Catholic Churches, worldwide.

The enactment of the said resolution would impact almost half the ruling Synod of bishops of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in the next few years.

Under the plan, the oldest of the Metropolitans would be forced to retire.

Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver is 89 years old and Alexios of Atlanta is 76 years old and would be given a two-year “grandfather” exemption until his retirement, if the plan is passed.

Metropolitans Gerasimos of San Francisco, who is 75 and Methodios of Boston, who is 73, would be forced to retire in the coming years, according to the resolution.

Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit is 66, Savas of Pittsburgh is 63, Evangelos of New Jersey is 59 and Nathanael of Chicago, one of the youngest Metropolitans ever elected is 42.

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, born in 1967, would be included in such a resolution. If passed, it would give him another quarter of a century to accomplish his goals in the American Church.

The same resolution suggests that lay people serving the various institutions of the Church, including Archdiocesean Council, Metropolis Councils, Hellenic College and Holy Cross Seminary Board of Trustees and the National Philoptochos Society should have term limits on boards of directors of no more than five consecutive years.