Dated November 26, 2013; Released December 1, 2013

To view the latest salvo from the Metropolitan click here.

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The Metropolitan implies in his first paragraph that the information of the clergy walking out of the general assembly with "at least one hundred parishioners" came from the parish council.  NOWHERE in ANY correspondence from the parish council regarding the recent parish assembly is any number of walkouts listed. It is apparent the Metropolitan receives his information from those he chooses to listen to for his own motivations. 

Regarding the orchestrated walkout:  We ask Your Eminence, why would the proistameno of Prophet Elias only, at a community function the night before the meeting, approach the individual who would be parliamentarian and say the priests had been instructed to walk out should any discussion regarding the benevolent funds occur?   WHO exactly gave those instructions?  Could they have come from you??  When the orchestrated walkout occurred, there was no discussion of the benevolent funds taking place.  Just so you can't claim to being misinformed, there were not "at least one hundred parishioners" who walked out.  Nor were there at least fifty parishioners who walked out.  Your Eminence would be more accurate to state that "about thirty parishioners" walked out (out of 256).  Oh by the way, some of them returned to the meeting. One more thing:  Please tell us which Article and Section of the UPR indicate a general assembly meeting invalid if the clergy orchestrate a walk out.

Regarding the validity of the meeting:  His Eminence states that he has been forced to declare the meeting invalid because of the orchestrated walkout by the clergy.  Hmm...  if memory serves, there was a general assembly held in August where NO clergy bothered to even show up.  Where is His Eminence's letter telling us he is forced to declare that meeting invalid?  ΤΑ  ΚΑΛΑ  ΚΑΙ  ΣΥΜΦΕΡΟΝΤΑ.  Should the decision to reinstate clergy salaries made at that meeting be invalid also? 

It seems also that the Metropolitan has resorted to his pre 2012 tactics to control, yet again, the outcome of this parish's elections.  His motivations are clear.  Declare ineligible those who don't see things my way so I can appoint those who will.  Your Eminence, we lived this nightmare of yours in the past with no success and refuse to relive it again.  The vast majority of the members of this community consider themselves "members of our Archdiocese family here in the United States" and "want to work together in the spirit of Christian love to continue our two thousand year Apostolic Christian heritage to the glory of God and for the salvation of all His people."  Unfortunately, you have failed to recognize the many who fit this criteria and believe that the only ones who do, are those who are willing to do your bidding.