Pages

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Former ROEA Clergyman Sues Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit

Fr. Vasile Susan, a former priest of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate in America (ROEA) of the American Orthodox Church, is suing Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit and the ROEA over his removal from his former parish in the Chicago area. I don't know the circumstances surrounding the case personally, but reviewing the background materials posted here I'm struck by the oddness of Fr. Vasile's correspondence style and in particular the supposed record of his meeting with Archbishop Job (Osacky) of Chicago. Perhaps the record is a valid one, but some of the phrasing simply does not sound like Vladyka Job - it'd be nice to know whether the meeting was actually recorded on audio and whether the original document's signatures have been properly analyzed. Regardless, please keep Vladica Nathaniel, Fr. Vasile, and the ROEA as a whole in your prayers as this lawsuit goes forward.

5 comments:

  1. Romanians do not really call their bishops 'vladica X"; it would sound quite affected.
    Otherwise I cannot, but wish Fr. Vasile Susan success.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Are you Romanian? If so, what part of Romania are you from? My friends from Bessarabia/Moldavia refer to Archbishop Nathaniel as Vladica Nathaniel and I've seen it put that way in print too, otherwise I wouldn't use the term at all in reference to him.

    Thanks for the comment!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes I am. And where I come from they only use the word in the saying "de la vladica la opinca".
    I will not dispute they use it in Basarabia, but that's under Russian influence, and they are the exception.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Most of the people I've heard using it conversationally are from near Iasi, but at least one of them grew up in Bessarabia when it was part of România Mare.

    ReplyDelete