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The National Herald - March 25-31, 2023
Update on Archbishop & the Charter
By Theodore Kalmoukos
BOSTON – Archbishop Elpidophoros of America has turned
openly against the will and directives of Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew regarding the
Charter of the Archdiocese of
America, as it appears from the
last meeting of the Eparchial
Synod of the Archdiocese in
New York on Tuesday, March
14, 2023.
We reveal today that the will
and the directives given by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
to the Commission of the Phanar for the Charter call for no
changes to come to the metropolises and their respective metropolitans. It is recalled that the
Commission of the Phanar and,
by extension, the so-called
‘mixed’ Commission on the
Charter, that is, consisting of the
representatives of both the Phanar and the Archdiocese, is
chaired by Metropolitan Emmanuel Geron of Chalcedon.
At the meeting of the
Eparchial Synod in the United
States, Elpidophoros completely
ignored the Patriarchal mandate
and directives, and in order to
make himself the sole sovereign
hierarch of all America, referred to the creation of small ‘Regions’
or ‘Districts’ (Περιφέρειες)
within the existing metropolises,
in which he will place assistant
bishops who will have to report
to him. He even mentioned at
the Synod that the Church is divided and heading towards autocephaly, which caused the hierarchs who are members of the
Eparchial Synod to become upset, compelling them to properly
deal with him through a range
of unanimous reactions and dynamic interventions.
In this way, Elpidophoros essentially aims to overthrow the
current system of the Archdiocese, abolish the metropolises,
and weaken the role of the metropolitans, aspiring to concentrate
power in his hands for the entire
territory of the United States.
He seeks to be commemorated in the services everywhere
and always, while in order to
achieve this he includes Patri-
arch Bartholomew, saying –
even publicly to at Leadership
100 gatherings – that the people
in America do not even know
his name, while everyone knows
Pope Francis of Rome.
We also reveal that Elpidophoros slandered Metropolitan Emmanuel Geron of Chalcedon by saying that he "takes
back" what he said to the Charter committee about having a
triple commemoration, namely
Bartholomew, Elpidophoros,
and the local Metropolitan. He
even mentioned that there was
also a related argument behind
closed doors in front of Patriarch
Bartholomew, before whom Emmanuel brought Elpidophoros
on the matter in question.
Elpidophoros is trying to imitate the system of the Archdiocese of Constantinople by creating Districts under which
certain communities-parishes
fall under those so-called Hierarchical Supervisors (Αρχιερατικοί Επόπτες), who are supposedly active Metropolitans. They
have to report to Bartholomew,
who visits them once or twice a
year, first having the Overseer
Hierarch bring ‘the traditional
holy bread’ accompanied by the
administrative board of the celebrating community to the Phanar, according to tradition.
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In the meantime, Elpidophoros in the Eparchial Synod
he once again slandered both
the former Archbishop of America Spyridon and the former
Metropolitan of New Jersey and
now Sardis, Evangelos. It is recalled that he had done something similar, as The National
Herald revealed, at the meeting
of Leadership 100 in Arizona in
front of laypeople, for which
there is also relevant video. At
the Clergy-Laity Congress of the
Archdiocese last July, he had invited and honored Archbishop
Spyridon by presenting him
with an icon of Christ the Sower,
but we reveal that the two clerics whom he had assigned to go
to the airport to receive Spyridon never showed up, forcing
Spyridon to take a taxi to the
Marriot Marquis hotel. Elpidophoros' emissaries claim that
they went to the airport, but did
not find Spyridon.
Elpidophoros also told the
Eparchial Synod that hierarchs
and priests should resign at the
age of 75, but that this should
not apply to those now serving,
but in the future.
Some documents he sent to
the members of the Eparchial
Synod were for reading only –
they could neither forward them
nor print them, for fear they
would end up in The National
Herald.
Information from the Phanar
states that Patriarch
Bartholomew is very concerned
with the situation that Elpidophoros has created in America, but also with the entirety of
his behavior, including the baptism in Glyfada, his gluttony for
self-promotion in any way and
by any means, and his behind-
the-scenes actions through his
paid consultants.
Bartholomew is waiting for
the Hierarchs of the Eparchial
Synod to visit the Phanar on
April 5, to hear from them what
is going on, as he realizes that
things are leading to a critical
situation with Elpidophoros,
who is trying in every way to
mislead and flatter the Patriarch, as even members of the
Patriarchal Court are claiming.
[ The National Herald - March 25-31, 2023 - pp. 1 and 10 ]
[ The National Herald - www.thenationalherald.com/archbishop-elpidophoros-turns-against-the-will -and-directives-of-patriarch-bartholomew/ - (Title: Archbishop Elpidophoros Turns Against the Will and Directives of Patriarch Bartholomew ) - March 22, 2023 ]
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