www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Continuing Turmoil in OCA

Back on topic: Please pray for the Alaskan Orthodox who have many problems, especially alcoholism. Bishop Nicolai was attempting to address this problem and there are a lot of unhappy campers as a result.

OCA leader calls for April meeting to discuss
Alaska diocese
Article published on Tuesday, April 8th, 2008, in the Kodiak Daily Mirror


By RALPH GIBBS
Mirror Writer

The Most Rev. Nathaniel, archbishop of Detroit and the Romanian
Episcopate, and the Right Rev. Tikhon, bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, returned to Anchorage over the weekend.


Both visited Kodiak over the weekend continuing their investigation into allegations that Alaska diocese leader Bishop Nikolai Soraich has ruled in Alaska for the last seven years under a blanket of intimidations and abuse.


Bishop Nikolai denies the charge, although he does acknowledge on his diocese Web site that he needs to become a better leader.


"Believe me, I have shortcomings and one of them is that (it is)
necessary for me to improve how I'm perceived as (being) too strict," he said in answer to a question from a supporter.

Whether he will be allowed to overcome those shortcomings in Alaska may be answered sooner rather than later.

Orthodox Church in America leader Metropolitan Herman, under
increasing pressure from within, moved up the Holy Synod of Bishop meeting in order to discuss the situation in Alaska. The meeting will now take place at the end of April instead of the end of May.


Last week, the OCA Metropolitan Council, the permanent executive body of the church, voted unanimously to ask the Holy Synod of Bishops to reverse its decision to lift Bishop Nikolai's suspension.


"Taking account of the anxieties, fears and pain of the Orthodox
faithful of Alaska, and the deep concern expressed by all the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, the Metropolitan Council is profoundly disappointed by the Holy Synod's decision to lift the leave of absence of His Grace, Bishop Nikolai before a proper solution has been determined, and respectfully asks our hierarchs -- in faith, hope and love -- to immediately reverse this decision," the council's statement read.

Demands to resolve the matter have come from other corners of the church.

The faculty of St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York issued a statement in support of addressing the situation in Alaska, marking the first time the school has issued a public statement.

"Until now we have not spoken out, hoping that the regular ecclesial structures of the church would be able to restore peace and stability," the statement read. "The continued suffering of our church, however, and now the plight of the Alaskan faithful, our brothers and sisters in Christ, have both alarmed us and deeply pained us to the point where we feel compelled to speak."

They concluded by saying they were anxiously waiting the outcome of the next synod meeting.

However, they were not the ones who convinced the OCA leader to move up the meeting time.

The strongest appeal came from the Most Rev. Job, archbishop of
Chicago and the Midwest, who took exception to the recent statements by Bishop Nikolai in an interview with KTUU television in Anchorage comparing his ordeal with that of Jesus.

"I felt very much like Christ; going to the cross and being abandoned and pushed aside and no one there for him," the bishop said in that interview.


It's not the only thing that the bishop has done since returning to Alaska that has angered many Orthodox clergy, including Archbishop Job.

One of the first actions taken by Bishop Nikolai upon his return to Alaska after meeting with the synod, which lifted his mandatory leave of absence, was dismiss Archpriest Michael Oleksa and Mother Capitolina from the Metropolitan Council.

Both were elected by a unanimous vote during a gathering of clergy in Anchorage two weeks ago. Archpriest Alexander Garklavs, who was then the administrator of the Alaska diocese while Bishop Nikolai defied a mandatory leave of absence, called the meeting to talk about the situation in Alaska.

During his time in Alaska, Fr. Alexander, under the direction of
Metropolitan Herman, gathered testimony to present to the Holy Synod of Bishops.

However, upon his return he was not allowed by the metropolitan to present his testimony, prompting an e-mail of support to the Alaska clergy.

"I will not abandon your cause nor forget your noble courage," Fr. Alexander wrote. "I assure you that almost all of your clergy brothers here in the 'lower 48' stand behind you completely. And, if necessary, we will come to Alaska on our own resources to stand next to you during your times of trail."

The e-mail angered Bishop Nikolai, who has demanded that Archpriest Alexander be fired from his position of leadership in the OCA. That prompted an angry retort from long-time opponent of Bishop Nikolai, Archbishop Job.

"Since his return to Alaska, he has humiliated the church by his
atrocious comparison of himself to the suffering (of the) King of Glory and his shameful vilifications of his brother bishops," Job wrote. "He immediately launched a persecution of Archpriest Alexander Garklavs and Archpriest Michael Oleksa, disregarding the will and convictions of the Alaskan clergy regarding their chosen representative to the Metropolitan Council."

Archbishop Job requested that the Holy Synod take up the issue of Alaska as soon as possible and the metropolitan agreed.

The Holy Synod of Bishops will meet at the end of April, when many hope the situation in Alaska will be resolved.

Mirror writer Ralph Gibbs can be reached by e-mail at
rgi...@kodiakdailymirror.com.

I trust this question is "on topic": Does anyone know how large the OCA is these days membership-wise? For years, the OCA had a claimed membership of 1,000,000 souls. The fact that many of its parishes are located in the same economically depressed areas as GC ones makes one wonder whether that claim is still valid.