Author: Mark Stokoe
June 2, 2009
Romanian Unity Proposal Continues to Raise Concerns, Questions
(Excerpts of the article found on ocanews.org)
On April 10, 2009, a newspaper article appeared in the Canadian- Romanian newspaper Zig- Zag, published in Quebec, which stated that the Unity Proposal will be presented at the next Church Congresses of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate (ROEA-OCA) and the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Americans ( ROAA-Patriarchal) for debate – and ratification. The article continued to say that it will be “thereafter presented to the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which would then approve the new Metropolitanate.”
The fact the newspaper presented the Unity proposal as a “done deal”, in which the process, timeline and outcome all seem pre-determined has raised questions throughout Romanian America & Canada, as the information came from a unity meeting held in an Episcopate parish, led by a priest of the Episcopate and a Bishop of the Patriarchal jurisdiction. Writing on ROEANews.info, the administrator asks:
“If this is not the correct ‘Plan’, then why did the clerics present, not intervene?”“While these grandiose plans are being made about our future, what about the rights of our Parishes and members? Are they to be ignored? … “Due Diligence”, as required by ROEA Episcopate Council and Congress, must first be approved…-Nothing is said about legal time limitations and allotted time for delegates to take any proposals for unity back to their respective parishes for discussion. -Nothing is said about individual parish/ mission members and their possible rights to vote on the unity issue. -Nothing is said about the required OCA canonical release process. -Nothing is said about opt-out clauses regarding monasteries, parishes/ missions who prefer to stay with the OCA…”In conclusion he asks:“…It seems that something should be done with the JDC. What say you?”