News and Pictures

 

We glorify the name of the Triune God for gathering us at this first
Episcopal Assembly of this region in New York City on May 26-28, 2010
in response to the decisions of the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox
Conference held at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
in Chambésy, Switzerland, from June 6-12, 2009, at the invitation of
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Gathered together in the joy of the Feast of Pentecost, we humbly
recognize our calling, in our unworthiness, to serve as instruments and
disciples of the Paraclete, who “holds together the whole institution
of the Church” (Hymn of Vespers of Pentecost).

We honor and express gratitude to the Primates and Representatives of
the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches who assembled at the Ecumenical
Patriarchate from October 10-12, 2008 to affirm their “unswerving
position and obligation to safeguard the unity of the Orthodox Church”
(Chambésy Rules of Operation, Article 5.1a) and emphasized their will
and “desire for the swift healing of every canonical anomaly that has
arisen from historical circumstances and pastoral requirements”
(Message of the Primates 13.1-2)

We call to mind those who envisioned this unity in this region and
strove to transcend the canonical irregularities resulting for many
reasons, including geographically overlapping jurisdictions. For, just
as the Lord in the Divine Eucharist is “broken and distributed, but not
divided” (Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), so also His Body
comprises many members, while constituting His One Church.

We are grateful for the gift of the doctrinal and liturgical unity that
we already share, and we are inspired by our leaders, the Heads of all
the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, who proposed that which we
painfully yearn for in this region, i.e., the “swift healing of every
canonical anomaly” (Message of the Primates 13.2). We are also grateful
that they established a fundamental process toward a canonical
direction and resolution.

We are thankful to almighty God for the growth of Orthodoxy, for the
preservation of our traditions, and for the influence of our
communities in this region. This is indeed a miracle and a mystery.

During our gathering, and in accordance with the rules of operation of
Episcopal Assemblies promulgated by the Fourth Pan-Orthodox
Pre-Conciliar Conference, we established:

1.   A registry of canonical bishops (Article 6.1)

2.   A committee to determine the canonical status of local communities
in the region that have no reference to the Most Holy Autocephalous
Churches (Article 6.2)

3.   A registry of canonical clergy (Article 6.3)

4.   Committees to undertake the work of the Assembly, among others
including liturgical, pastoral, financial, educational, ecumenical, and
legal issues (Articles 11 and 12)

5.   A committee to plan for the organization of the Orthodox of the
region on a canonical basis (Article 5.1).

In addition to the above, we agreed that a directory would be created
and maintained by the Assembly of all canonical congregations in our
region.

We as Episcopal Assembly understand ourselves as being the successors
of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the
Americas (SCOBA), assuming its agencies, dialogues, and other
ministries.

Moreover, at the formal request of the Hierarchs who have jurisdiction
in Canada, the Assembly will submit to the Ecumenical Patriarch, in
accordance with the rules of operation (Article 13), a request to
partition the present region of North and Central America into two
distinct regions of the United States and Canada. Additionally, at the
request of the Hierarchs who have jurisdiction in Mexico and Central
America, the Assembly will likewise request to merge Mexico and Central
America with the Assembly of South America.

As Orthodox Hierarchs in this blessed region, we express our resolve to
adhere to and adopt the regulations proposed by the Pan-Orthodox
Conferences and approved by the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, and to
do everything in our power by the grace of God to advance actions that
facilitate canonical order in our region.

We confess our fidelity to the Apostolic Orthodox faith and pledge to
promote “common action to address the pastoral needs of Orthodox living
in our region” (Chambésy, Decision 2c). We call upon our clergy and
faithful to join us in these efforts “to safeguard and contribute to
the unity of the Orthodox Church of the region in its theological,
ecclesiological, canonical, spiritual, philanthropic, educational and
missionary obligations” (Article 5.1) as we eagerly anticipate the Holy
and Great Council.

The Assembly concluded with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on
Friday, May 28, 2010 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan
Cathedral in New York City. During the Liturgy prayers were offered for
the repose of the eleven victims of the current ecological disaster in
the Gulf Coast, for the consolation of their families, for all those
adversely affected by this catastrophe, as well as for all people
living under conditions of war, persecution, violence, and oppression.

Of the sixty-six Hierarchs in the region, the following 55 were present
at this Assembly:

Archbishop Demetrios, Chairman
Metropolitan Philip, Vice Chairman
Archbishop Justinian, Vice Chairman
Bishop Basil, Secretary
Archbishop Antony,Treasurer
Metropolitan Iakovos
Metropolitan Constantine
Metropolitan Athenagoras
Metropolitan Methodios
Metropolitan Isaiah
Metropolitan Nicholas
Metropolitan Alexios
Metropolitan Nikitas
Metropolitan Nicholas
Metropolitan Gerasimos
Metropolitan Evangelos
Metropolitan Paisios
Archbishop Yurij
Bishop Christopher
Bishop Vikentios
Bishop Savas
Bishop Andonios
Bishop Ilia
Bishop Ilarion
Bishop Andriy
Bishop Demetrios
Bishop Daniel
Bishop Antoun
Bishop Joseph
Bishop Thomas
Bishop Mark
Bishop Alexander
Metropolitan Hilarion
Bishop Iov
Bishop Gabriel
Bishop Peter
Bishop Theodosius
Bishop George
Bishop Ieronim
Metropolitan Christopher         
Bishop Maxim
Archbishop Nicolae
Bishop Ioan Casian
Metropolitan Joseph
Metropolitan Jonah
Archbishop Nathaniel
Archbishop Seraphim
Bishop Nikon
Bishop Tikhon
Bishop Benjamin
Bishop Melchisedek
Bishop Irineu
Bishop Irinee
Bishop Michael