Originally posted by Diak:
I personally think we should return to examining the historical situation of Fr. Nicholas Tolstoy in working under the patriarchal omphorion of the Melkites.
Diak,
My theory on that is that either a Melkite hierarch was the sole Byzantine bishop in Rome at the time Father Nicholas made his profession of faith there or that Rome used the "logic" that, since the Melkites were the only patriarchal Byzantines, it made sense
to incardinate him to that "Rite". Alternatively, someone (maybe you?) once suggested that we won him over with our cuisine and liquer
There are already two parishes (Melbourne, Aus. and St. Andrew's in the US) working closely with the Melkites, who ordained their priests.
The situation at St. Andrew's is a bit unique in that Father Alexis was a parishoner of St. Andrew's when he was accepted to our seminary. I don't recollect that the original intent was to ordain him other than for our own Eparchy. I think the idea of ordaining him to the service of the Russians may have been formulated subsequently (wish I had thought to ask him at the enthronement). He is certainly fully integrated into our Eparchy, being one of our Protopresbyters. Of course, he and the temple also serve St. Paul's Melkite Mission and I don't doubt that the dual identity was the principal precipitating factor in the agreement between Cardinal Mahoney and Bishop John to place it under Newton's omophor.
We have had additional ties. As Steve/Three Cents mentioned, Archbishop Joseph, of blessed memory, took an episcopal interest in the now-suppressed Our Lady of Kazan Russian chapel in South Boston (an interest that was likely fostered by the friendship between our Cathedral Rector, Archimandrite Lucien Malouf, and Mitred Archpriest John Mowatt, both of blessed memory, as well as by the close bonds that Cardinal Cushing, also of blessed memory, had to both communities). Archbishop Joseph conferred the office of Archimandrite of the Melkite Church on Father Mowatt and his Funeral Liturgy was served at our Cathedral. Some of our clergy, most notably Father Romanos Russo, have also been actively involved with St. Michael's in the past.
As to Australia, I'm not certain how we came to be involved there although, from what I've read, the climate between the Latin hierarchs Down Under and the Eastern Churches has not always been all that it could be.
We would, of course, have the same problems as the UGCC in appointing an Exarch to the existing vacant jurisdiction or erecting another, as it's just a bit outside of our historical patriarchal terrtories. Yet, there was a Polish-born
Melkite priest, Father Yan Leon Franckewicz, memory eternal, killed in Yartsevo in Krasoyarsk, Siberia, about 3 years ago- how he came to be there, I haven't a clue.
Is there an advantage to us over the UGCC? Maybe. Maybe we have enough history with Rome as rabble-rousers to get away with it (we did get our hand slapped though, a couple years back, for unilaterally erecting a jurisdiction for Western Europe and had to fold that tent).
Many years,
Neil