Author: Fr. J. Jacobse
May 10, 2010
Excerpts of the article entitled: “The Changing Face of Orthodox Christianity in America”
from: ocl.org
ART. 4
BEFORE THE EPISCOPAL ASSEMBLY– UNITY OF ORTHODOX IN NA
26-28 MAY 2010 NEW YORK
INAINTE DE ADUNAREA EPISCOPALA – UNIREA ORTODOCSILOR DIN NA
(Catholic Online)
In a few weeks Orthodox bishops will meet in New York to discuss changes that may permanently transform the public face of Orthodox Christianity in America. The meeting is largely under the public radar, so low in fact that few Orthodox believers are even aware of it. How do we understand its importance? …
… We have today [in America] a very loose federation of Orthodox Churches divided along ethnic lines where each ethnicity has its own bishop. It creates all sorts of canonical anomalies including multiple bishops in one city that undermine the public witness, internal health, and cultural contributions of Orthodox Christians in America.
… No substantive theological divisions exist between the Orthodox jurisdictions even though they remain administratively divided along ethnic lines. Further, in many cities the divisions are more formal than material since the second and third generations self-identify as Americans more than they do with their grandparents’ country of origin. There the local parishes cooperate in catechesis programs, social outreach, youth and summer camp programs, and so forth even though each reports to a separate bishop.
… Recall what Roman Catholicism [in America] was a hundred years ago. There were Polish Catholics, Irish Catholics, German Catholics, Italian Catholics and others. A good Pole for example, would gravitate to the parish of his ethnic compatriots half a city away even though there was an Irish Catholic Church right down the block. Today those divisions don’t exist…
… The American Orthodox bishops made a self-directed attempt at unity about ten years ago at what is now called the “Ligonier Conference.” They decided to unify the ethnic churches into one American Orthodox Church. The Patriarch of Constantinople disagreed and forced the retirement of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop in order to derail it. Most people thought Ligonier was dead. Ten years later it looks like the train left the station anyway. Moscow is rising in authority and leads the effort to correct the American anomaly thereby completing the work they started over two centuries ago. Last year the Patriarchs of Orthodox churches the world over met in council at Chambesy, Switzerland to lay the groundwork for the New York meeting at end of this month. One reason for the reluctance of Orthodox bishops to publicize the meeting is that no one really knows what will come of it. They have no historical precedents to guide them. The Orthodox change slowly, sometimes interminably so, and no one is willing to offer any predictions or promises. If it succeeds, even incrementally, the public face of Orthodoxy in America will be much different down the road…