CONSTANTINOPLE – Tension occurred in the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on February 8, which was instigated by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, who expressed disappointment about the minutes of the Synod of the month of January.
It is reminded here that The National Herald had revealed in detail everything that WAS said and done at January’s Synod regarding the finances of the Archdiocese as well as the Saint Nicholas National Shrine, whose construction has halted due to the financial difficulties.
Immediately after the reading of the minutes of the last synodic meeting, the archbishop turned to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and told him “I don’t like these minutes,” and that they didn’t sound nice. Meanwhile, Demetrios attacked Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa, Abbot of Holy Trinity Patriarchal & Stavropegial Monastery, where the famous Theological School of Halki is housed.
Metropolitan Elpidophoros was one of the hierarchs who had brought into discussion in the Synod the pressing issues of the Archdiocese of America.
Elpidophoros asked the patriarch permission to reply to Demetrios. He started by saying that he had no intention to speak because whatever he had to say, he said the meeting, which was recorded accurately in the minutes about the situation of the Archdiocese, for which each one should assume his responsibilities in the face of history.
Elpidophoros told Demetrios that every time certain questions are raised about the Archdiocese, “you start a lengthy talk; you make references to the Holy Bible, the Saints of the Church, to St. John Chrysostom, you tell all kinds of stories and theories but you never answer the questions. You postpone the problems and then you accuse the Synod, which is the highest organ of the Church, for leaking the discussions. Are you the one that talks about leaking? The most important and the worse leaks had been made came from the Archdiocese. I remind you of all those documents that were revealed. A few minutes ago it was read in the minutes of our previous meeting the praises you had made about Jerry Dimitriou. The same Jerry Dimitriou sent you a letter recently, which was published in its entirety, and I am asking: you do you have anything to tell us about that letter? “
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Elpidophoros continued pressing Demetrios: “can you tell us how much money is missing? Where did that money go? How will that money be replaced? A while ago you were bragging that for the first time in 18 years the books are balanced and you considered it as an achievement. It took you 18 years to balance your expenses. Are you serious? Even the smallest grocery store knows how to balance its income and expenses.”
Demetrios went as far as to say that the meetings must be recorded because The National Herald writes everything in such meticulous detail. Synod Members told the archbishop that “there is probably a tape recorder in your Eparchial Synod in America, because just minutes after you did the selection of the three person ballot for the Metropolis of Chicago, The National Herald reported everything in detail on its website.”
Metropolitan Apostolos Geron of Derkon said to Demetrios that “here at the Patriarchate we have clerks who examine the income and the expenses and we know how much come in and out from our coffers, you don’t have the same thing in America; why is there money missing?
Demetrios said it was too late when the Archdiocese discovered the money was missing.
It is reminded here that in Dimitriou’s January 26 letter to Demetrios, he wrote that the archbishop knew everything and was the one making the decisions.
Metropolitan Athanasios Geron of Chalcedon also spoke and asked again about the Archdiocese’s finances.
At some point, Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh attempted to come to the defense of Demetrios, but due to his high degree of nervousness and excitement he was confusing Greek and English at the same time that ultimately no one understood what he was trying to say. Patriarch Bartholomew was observing and listening, speechless. Savas being completely out of order, began asking: “do you know how much does it costs every student at the School of Theology?
Finally, there was no consistency in Savas’ comments, and the meeting ended. Bartholomew called Demetrios into his office and they spoke privately.
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