Parish Cultism and Hierarchical indiference

Priests who turn their parishes into "personality cults" and bishops who do nothing about it.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Russian Orthodox
• Serbian Orthodox
• Greek Orthodox
• Canadian Orthodox
• Ecumenical Patriarch
• Romanian Orthodox
• Ostrog
• Ecumenical Patriarchate
• Hierarchy
• Orthodoxy
• Orthodox theology

[GeonusKaikun]

Your Grace,

Master, bless. I find what you say to be so true. Have you heard the situation in Boston? The OCA and the GOA are sort of in unofficial schism--the faithful can still receive the sacraments in either church, but the clergy cannot celebrate together. Why? Because both bishops believe themselves to be the rightful overseers of New England, so they had a falling out with one another and now the clergy have to suffer for it. It's absolutely pathetic!

In ICXC,

John

[allsaintsmonastery]

@GeonusKaikun Pathetic and infantile, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the mission of the Christ's Church or His Gospel.

[pablononescobar]

Vladika, would you say this phenomenon of "parish cultism" is restricted to the OCA, or do you find it in other jurisdictions, like the Greek Archdiocese?

[allsaintsmonastery]

@pablononescobar It appears to be more common in the OCA, but occurs among the Antiochian English speaking parishes as well.

[ioannismiami]

"Political chicanery amongst the hierarchs of the Church" is a phrase with an excellent context in this talk. "Arcane secrets" occur all too often because there exists systemic error. I am addressing the specific problem of how bishops conduct business in Holy Synods without permitting reports to emerge afterward of specified documents considered & something more than a cursory summary of discussion about each document or source of information along with the names of bishops and their positions.

[neildingman]

Thanks, Vladika. Experienced this myself, I had to abandoned a certain jurisdiction. It was best not to go to church at all then to be in that environment.