EP STILL MICROMANAGING AMERICAN GREEK ORTHODOX
I'm feeling sorry for the poor Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in the US (which by the way, has a wonderful website). In spite of the fact that the Orthodox have been established in the US for over 200 years the Ecumenical Patriarch (the first among equals of the Orthodox patriarchs) has once again refused to grant them autonomy. It's a political control issue -- and money has something to do with it, too. I've been an Orthodox watcher for years and from my outsider perspective the EP, the symbol of Orthodox unity, is the single greatest obstacle to Orthodox unity in the US. Most of the Orthodox I know are too gracious to say this (at least publically), but Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew needs to in one way or another step aside so that the American church can move forward.