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.
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4 comments
The following statement is inconsistent with with reality…
“the pain across the Church as former Archbishop Demetrios refused to retire,…”
If my math is correct, wasn’t Archbishop Demetrios already 72 years old when they first brought him over? Did anyone ask him to retire after 3 years, at the age of 75, or did they wait until he was 90?
Also, isn’t the “hierarch of Constantinople” also over 75 right now? Why wouldn’t the same rule apply to him, too? Why only the hierarchs of GOARCH?
Is there perhaps concern that the sitting hierarchs are not fully aligned with the Archbishop’s vision for the next 25 years, so imposing term limits would conveniently “solve” the problem?
“another opportunity to do what is right for the Church, rather than for personal agendas.” Right, suggests the priest with his own personal agendas!
Dear Mariam : you’ve no idea how accurate you are! If more ppl in GOA knew corruption of so called fake phony, priest Alex Karloutsos is, he’d be kicked out real fast. Imagine the hubris, he’s the one leading with “Agendas” for years but Truth is coming out and fake religious heads will roll –
I’m sure Karloutsos’ collection of homosexual boyfriends have lots to tell someday. Feel sorry for his wife, how he milks her wifey image yet he’s a dark & dirty homosexual disgrace. God help us from wolves in sheep’s clothing!!!
What does it say about this Fr. Alex, a married priest who spends so much time with Sodomites like Met. Emanuel of France and is alleged by certain Archons to have been in homosexual relations with Emanuel and also gay billionaire Michael Huffington?
Karloutsos I’m finding out also trashed late AB Iakovos and was instrumental in taking him out of office when he worked for him because AB Iakovos was against homosexual agenda infiltrating Orthodox Church.
If you read articles from 1983 Fr. Karloutsos sounds like a gay activist more than an Orthodox priest. Seriously, he needs to Resign