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Ελευθεροτυπία (Sunday Edition) - July 11, 1999

By JUSTINE FRANGOULI

The ministry of Archbishop Spyridon of America seems to have an expiration date before the anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. He was summoned to Constantinople today, Sunday July 12, to be briefed on the Patriarchate's resolutions concerning the future of the Church in America as well as his own ministry henceforward.

*  Greek-American circles estimate that the Patriarch's haste in calling on Spyridon to travel to the Phanar immediately is due to Bartholomew's profound concern about the Archbishop's intense efforts to advance the Cyprus issue. Such action will result in rigid demands made to President Clinton in a letter to be signed by the entire Greek-American lobby.

*   Archdiocesan Council President John Catsimatidis who has sought to play an advisory role on archdiocesan matters, was upon his own request granted an audience with the Patriarch for next Tuesday. Many regard this fact as an indication that Archbishop Spyridon may be given longer time on certain conditions.

*   But while speculation over Archbishop Spyridon's replacement rages, the scenario for a succession entails certain problems, given that the candidacy of the most likely new leader of the Church of America, Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, is being undermined by certain circles. Archbishop Stylianos has for the last two and a half years been at odds with the Phanar. Equally, he has been strongly criticized for failing -in spite of his long tenure in Australia- to bridge the gap between his Archdiocese and the local Old Calendarist communities.

*  Certain US Church circles believe that the only solution that could satisfy all groups (the Metropolitans, the environment of Fr Alex Karloutsos, Archbishop Spyridon's supporters- would be Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh. However, Maximos has been also criticized for having signed a document recognizing the validity of Catholic baptism; in fact, such theological text placed Catholic and Orthodox baptisms on an equal footing! Furthermore, Maximos proposed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate should annul (!) the patriarchal decree of 1755 that refused recognition to Catholic baptism.

[ Κυριακάτικη Ελευθεροτυπία - July 11, 1999 - p. 19 ]

[ Κυριακάτικη Ελευθεροτυπία
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  July 11, 1999 ]