Who
is The Boss……
Sobor
of UOC-USA?…Metropolitan Constantine?…or Patriarch Bartholomew?
Fact: On March 2, 1997,
Metropolitan Constantine elevated Bishop Vsevolod of Scopelos to the rank of “Archbishop” prior to the convening of the UOC-USA
Sobor, the highest governing body of the Church. Despite this irregularity and
the trampling on Church sobornopravnist, the Sobor affirmed this elevation.
Curiously, the “Archbishop” continued to use
the title of “Bishop of Scopelos”. Did anyone
ever wonder why?
Fact: On April 14, 2000, Patriarch
Bartolomew elevated Vsevolod, Bishop of Scopelos to the rank of “Archbishop”.
Confused? You should be. Think about
it. Can a bishop be elevated twice to the same rank? NO. Does this mean that
our Sobor’s decision and the elevation by Metropolitan Constantine did not
“count”? Why wasn’t the UOC-USA elevation of Bishop Vsevolod recognized by
“world” orthodoxy and the Ecumenical Patriarchate? Why was it only in the
Ukrainian press and in the official UOC-USA periodical, Orthodox Word
(Pravoslavne Slovo) did the title “Archbishop”
appear? Why wasn’t it ever acknowledged by Bishop Vsevolod, as he continued to
use the title “Bishop of Scopelos”? What authority do the UOC-USA Sobors and
the Metropolitan now have? Who has the authority to elevate the hierarchy? Does
the Sobor? Does Metropolitan Constantine? Did the UOC-USA give up this
authority unwillingly or was this part of the deal with Constantinople?
WHO
IS THE BOSS?
Obviously, the
now “Achbishop” Vsevolod knows? It’s time we recognize it as well. The Ecumenical
Patriarchate’s own description of the relationship between the EP and the
UOC-USA specifies that “the election of hierarchs” is within the right of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate. Face it, the UOC-USA “elevation” of Archbishop
Vsevolod meant NOTHING! Our Sobor’s decision meant NOTHING! Metropolitan
Constantine’s elevation meant NOTHING!
So
much for the Bishops of Bound Brook’s claim that “everything has
remained the same”. Wake up, people.