GOARCH postpones plans to make defrocked Belya a bishop

New York, July 12, 2022

slavonic.org slavonic.org     

In response to the repeated protest of leading hierarchs of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese announced the postponement of its plan to consecrate a defrocked former priest to the episcopate.

Thus, the consecration of former Archimandrite Alexander Belya, who was canonically defrocked by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, will not take place on July 30 as originally planned.

OrthoChristian sources say that Archbishop Elpidophoros was ordered by Patriarch Bartholomew to put a halt to the consecration.

On June 15, GOARCH announced that the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople had elected Belya to become a vicar bishop of GOARCH in charge of its Slavic Vicariate, which is mainly made up of suspended, defrocked, and schismatic clerics.

The decision provoked a strong protest from leading hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in America and the Antiochian, Romanian, Serbian, and Bulgarian Churches in America, all of which recognize the defrocking of Belya by ROCOR, the jurisdiction to which he belonged before he fled to GOARCH while under canonical suspension from the priesthood.

Abp. Elpidophoros responded, largely sidestepping the serious issues raised by the Assembly hierarchs, and they addressed the Archbishop again earlier this week, reiterating their position that they will quit the Assembly of Bishops if Belya becomes a member.

Today’s statement from GOARCH reads in full:

In a spirit of the careful responsibility for the preservation of Orthodox Christian unity in the United States of America, the episcopal ordination of His Grace Bishop-Elect Alexander of Nicopolis has been postponed until a consensus has been reached. His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America is committed to engaging in an open dialogue of brotherly love and understanding with the other heads of jurisdictions of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the U.S.A., while at the same time determined to prioritize constructive partnership and cooperation.   

The Assembly of Bishops is a unique venue where all the Orthodox Christian jurisdictions participate in the building of Christ’s Body in America through dialogue, joint program development, and concelebration. As Saint Paul proclaimed: “You were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6)

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7/15/2022

See also
“Abp. Elpidophoros acted uncanonically within my metropolis”—Greek hierarch about “gay baptism” “Abp. Elpidophoros acted uncanonically within my metropolis”—Greek hierarch about “gay baptism” “Abp. Elpidophoros acted uncanonically within my metropolis”—Greek hierarch about “gay baptism” “Abp. Elpidophoros acted uncanonically within my metropolis”—Greek hierarch about “gay baptism”
Abp. Elpidophoros, the head of Constantinople’s Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, created an international scandal over the weekend when he traveled to Greece especially to celebrate the Baptism of the two children from surrogate mothers of a gay celebrity couple whom the Archbishop is close to. 14 states stand with ROCOR to defend religious freedom against lawsuit from defrocked Alexander Belya 14 states stand with ROCOR to defend religious freedom against lawsuit from defrocked Alexander Belya 14 states stand with ROCOR to defend religious freedom against lawsuit from defrocked Alexander Belya 14 states stand with ROCOR to defend religious freedom against lawsuit from defrocked Alexander Belya
As the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has taken up ROCOR’s defense, explains in its appeal, Belya’s case focuses on an internal ROCOR document that contested his supposed election as Bishop of Miami and called for his investigation on a number of serious charges, which he argues constitutes defamation. Jurisdictions unite against GOARCH plans to make defrocked archimandrite a bishop Jurisdictions unite against GOARCH plans to make defrocked archimandrite a bishop Jurisdictions unite against GOARCH plans to make defrocked archimandrite a bishop Jurisdictions unite against GOARCH plans to make defrocked archimandrite a bishop
The hierarchs warn that they will quit the Assembly of Canonical Bishops if Belya becomes a member. Assembly of Canonical Bishops: On the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination Assembly of Canonical Bishops: On the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination Assembly of Canonical Bishops: On the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination Assembly of Canonical Bishops: On the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination
This statement seeks to succinctly articulate Orthodox Christian teaching for the faithful and to continue the Church’s tradition as a beacon and witness to life as freely given by our good and loving Creator. GOARCH elects letter-forging defrocked archimandrite to episcopate GOARCH elects letter-forging defrocked archimandrite to episcopate GOARCH elects letter-forging defrocked archimandrite to episcopate GOARCH elects letter-forging defrocked archimandrite to episcopate
Belya is, in fact, a defrocked former archimandrite, and the Slavic Vicariate is largely composed of defrocked, suspended, and schismatic clergy. GOA stands with State Department against Russian Church, archbishop tells Ukrainian ambassador GOA stands with State Department against Russian Church, archbishop tells Ukrainian ambassador GOA stands with State Department against Russian Church, archbishop tells Ukrainian ambassador GOA stands with State Department against Russian Church, archbishop tells Ukrainian ambassador
Archbishop Elpidophoros and the Greek Archdiocese stand together with the U.S. State Department against the Russian Orthodox Church, which he and the State Department consider but a tool of the Russian state.
Comments
anonymous7/18/2022 10:58 pm
@Antiochene Son: Indeed it is an attempt at saving face, but I doubt the postponement will be indefinite: Either the hierarchs will quit the assembly, leading it to fall apart and lose face (best case scenario); or they will cave (as with previous non-Slavic non-vicariate non-consecrations), or be replaced by those who will, leading to the assembly becoming yet another Greek heretical non-entity (worst case scenario).
Antiochene Son7/18/2022 3:59 pm
@anonymous: "Postponing" the consecration is a face-saving technique. The other hierarchs already said they will quit the Assembly if he is ordained. No consensus will be reached.
anonymous7/16/2022 5:35 pm
It's not bad news, but is it good news? Belya's consecration is merely postponed, not cancelled, and Elpidophoros has again ignored addressing any of the issues that were raised. Unless something is done about them and their ilk at the GOARCH, the consecration will eventually be pushed through anyway, as with previous non-Slavic non-vicariate consecrations, and the ACOBUSA will either fall apart or become as heretical as the GOARCH.
Alex7/16/2022 3:41 pm
Good news, indeed!
Dragan Plenco7/15/2022 10:51 pm
Good news! However, Hegumen David Lestani served with these guys defrocked by ROCOR. They served together during last Holy Week and Pascha. Lestani is a cleric of the Serbian Orthodox Church. http://slavonic.org/en/the-sacrament-of-unction-at-the-cathedral-of-st-matrona-of-moscow-in-the-week-of-the-holy-cross/
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