I would like to read the approved charter and for my own opinion. (Location Not Given)



I believe we have to support the patriarchate and let him do his job in Constantinople. The Catholics would never ask that their Pope not rule them from Rome. (South)



I have always felt that we must maintain our Greek Heritage through the church but we have a great faith to share. (Western States)



We need one Autocephalous North American Orthodox Church with its own Patriarch which would include and unite all jurisdictions. (West)



The GOA of America is the only effective guarantee for the survival and eventual revival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate...It will be a tragic mistake for Orthodoxy to brake the historic ties with the Holy See. (New England)



I guess part of our new American identity is embracing the impatience and instant gratification mentality of Americans...I wish OCL and others would spend one-tenth the time on evangelization and philanthropic ministries as they do on trying to consolidate political power. (Western States)



We must have faith and confidence in our Archbishop, end of discussion.  I don't like the idea of our Church becoming a "Baptist" Orthodox Church.  



As with the American Revolution, it is time to become independent. The Patriarch is out of touch with the church in America.


Related Stories

Archdiocese, Phanar Agree To Disagree On Church Autonomy

Four rounds of negotiations between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople have concluded with both sides releasing a joint statement announcing "agreement...on all points." But the agreement throws out or waters down key measures proposed by the GOA, which was seeking more autonomy.

Which Way Orthodoxy?

The Ecumenical Patriarchate and a committee representing the Archdiocese of America have announced an agreement concerning the American church's new Charter. But sources from around the Orthodox community say that in fact the Patriarchate rejected key provisions of the proposed Charter, indicating it is not ready to allow more autonomy for the Church of America.

Where Do You Stand?

Participate in our online survey on issues relating to autonomy and the future of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

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for Greek Orthodox Couples?

During a period of 23 years over which figures were compiled by the Archdiocese, there were 121,587 marriages and 16,981 divorces. Using these figures alone, the divorce rate would be 14% of the total Orthodox marriages, falling far below the US national average of approximately 43%.

Location Unknown, Female: I would like to read the approved charter and for my own opinion and not trust those of the media. Also, do we trust the Holy Spirit to guide our hierarchs just as it has over the centuries?

South, Female: I believe we have to support the patriarchate and let him do his job in Constantinople. The Catholics would never ask that their Pope not rule them from Rome. Why do the Greek people have to create waves and problems all the time. I have to say that I was very disappointed of the way the Patriarch handled the problem with Archbishop Spiridon, he should have stuck by his chosen Archbishop no matter what, and not feed him to the wolves. This handling of affairs has caused him to lose a lot of respect from a lot of people that were very close to him before. I hope in the future he handles things differently.

Western States, Male: I am not exactly sure that becoming autocephalous is a good response. I have always felt that we must maintain our Greek Heritage through the church but we have a great faith to share. The Antiochian churches are growing at a rapid rate. Although we are baptizing many converts others are not joining because they feel they need to be Greek to join our church. I really don't want to sever ties with the first Christian center which is Constantinople (Istanbul) but we need to grow in the United States.

West Coast, Female: We need one Autocephalous North American Orthodox Church with its own Patriarch which would include and unite all jurisdictions.

New England, Male: I like the ties with Constantinople. Golgotha cannot be moved from Palestine and the Ecumenical Patriarchate cannot and should not be moved from Constantinople. The GOA of America is the only effective guarantee for the survival and eventual revival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. I understand the need for some adjustments in the relationship. It will be a tragic mistake for Orthodoxy to brake the historic ties with the Holy See.

Western States, Male: Autonomy and autocephaly is a process. I guess part of our new American identity is embracing the impatience and instant gratification mentality of Americans. The Church in America will eventually become autocephalous, but we still have to work on more important issues such as pan-Orthodox unity in America. The American and Protestant-like rebelliousness from groups such as OCL show the lack of understanding of the importance of unity within the Body of Christ. Focus should be on the ministries of the Church rather than politics. I wish OCL and others would spend one-tenth the time on evangelization and philanthropic ministries as they do on trying to consolidate political power. Whether we are under Constantinople or not has not one whit of impact on these important ministries of spreading the Gospel and love of our Lord. The turmoil and bickering over these issues are a detriment to our evangelism and are counter productive. How can we show ourselves as the True Church if we have nothing but rancor and disagreement. And if there was a breakaway attempt, would all break from Constantinople? Of course not! So, do we then become Protestant? Are we in canonical communion them with whom? When evangelizing, which church do we present as the true Orthodox in America? Or, do we intend to fight against each other claiming the other "Orthodox" are not orthodox? We are the family God and as such we need to do things together, setting an example of how a church is supposed to be. Living in Protestantland has distorted the mindset of some to think that unity of the Body of Christ (remember, we believe in ONE, Holy, Catholic) is something inessential and optional. Have we bought into the Protestant concept of denominationalism -- that unity is not important? What we really need to push for is a Great and Holy Synod of all Orthodox churches in the world which has been on the drawing board for several decades. The ancient methodology for resolving these issues has been via councils. We have not had one in over twelve centuries. I think it's about time! One of the items on that proposed agenda is the resolution of the situation in America. Are we afraid to allow the time honored and God-given vehicle to the Holy Spirit of ecumenical councils to resolve these issues? All the ancient administrative canons of the Church were written during an empire which disappeared over five hundred years ago. Until the fall of communism recently, a universal council of the Orthodox Church was not possible. Why not focus on letting all the bishops of the Church get involved? One of the advantages of this is that you have the holy bishops of many other jurisdictions (other than Constantinople) giving their unbiased input. If any have read the ancient ecumenical councils, then one would see that there were many canons regarding jurisdictional disputes and that these were resolved via these councils. Also, with the current tensions in the Ukraine, and other areas, which are straining relations among our Patriarchates, in my humble opinion it seems to me that a Great and Holy Synod is way, way overdue (some object to calling it an "ecumenical" council since the proposed council would have administrative and canonical issues on the agenda vs. theological -- although, I would argue that we are not lacking in heresies in this world of which we could address). Thus, instead of taking the heterodox methodologies of the Protestants and thumbing our noses at the mother church and forming our own, why don't we use the time-honored methodologies of a council of the entire Church? Or, have we been giving empty lip service all these years to obedience to the canons and councils of our Church? The largest Orthodox church (Russia) has already granted autocephaly to their church here. Get a clue!

Male, South: We must have faith and confidence in our Archbishop, end of discussion.  I don't like the idea of our Church becoming a "Baptist" Orthodox Church.  Thank you for taking the time to make this kind of forum available.

Female, Mid-Atlantic: As with the American Revolution, it is time to become independent. The Patriarch is out of touch with the church in America.

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