Author: Alex. Nemoianu
September 2, 2010
When the Going gets Tough, the Tough get Going!
It is by now obvious that Orthodoxy in the New World is at a crossroads. The options are but two. The Orthodox faithful of the New World have to choose between being an obedient appendix of the Old World or to assume the status of an equal among equals and demand canonical independence. At this point a few basics should be repeated.
The New World, that is the United States and Canada, is a continent, the most developed part of the World and the leader of the World. This reality cannot be argued, it is a fact.
The American and the Canadian nations are a few centuries old and their contribution to modern culture and civilization is overwhelming. In all areas of development the New World leads and is mostly, head and shoulders above the rest. Under these circumstances it is absolutely stunning why this is not recognized by the Orthodox bodies of the Old World. This situation has an explanation and it has a cause, and the blame for this aberration lays squarely with the Old World.
The Orthodox bodies of the New World act, in regard to the New World Orthodoxy, in a selfish and misguided way. Out of inertia, fear of change, and for petty materialistic interests as well, those bodies continue to consider the North American Orthodox a “diaspora” and part of the ethnic realities of the Old World. It is an obstinate denial of reality and of crystal clear facts. It is also an offensive refusal to acknowledge the very existence of the American and Canadian nations. Up to a point the bodies of the Old World act in ignorance, but beyond that point, they act in unforgiveable bad faith. In the Old World, it is a fact that Orthodox canonical bodies consider that all nations are entitled to autocephaly, but not the New World; and this simply represents an aberration and a gross offense.
This unholy mixture of ignorance and bad faith is draped in all kinds of dubious canonical interpretations, sheer sophistry and uncalled for presumptuousness. Let us make no mistake. The canonical bodies of the Old World, or at least, too many of them, ganged up not against OCA, they ganged up against the very idea of North American autocephaly. This machination should not tolerated! But paradoxically, the responsibility to change and reject that approach, and the responsibility to assert North American Orthodoxy, do not reside with the bodies of the Old World, they are the domain of the North American Orthodox faithful.
The personal humbleness of His Eminence Metropolitan Jonah is very commendable. I have previously shown that this is a quality that has become “rara avis” among Orthodox hierarchs. But the Metropolitan is wrong when he tolerates to be pushed around as Metropolitan of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of America. The Metropolitan should hold the line. He should fight back. He should reject any suggestion that the American Orthodox Autocephaly is anything but full autocephaly. It should be remembered that when faced with the arrogance of heretics, Saint Nicholas, the very symbol of gentleness, was not shy to literally hit back hard. That act was not just an occurrence; it set an example to follow. For the Orthodox faithful of the New World, now is the time to prove the unyielding mettle of North Americans. No matter how many would gang up against it, North America will not cave.
North American Orthodox autocephaly is a cause worthy to fight for, and a cause that will prevail.