OCA Holy Synod Appoints Locum Tenentes, Administrator

In meetings this past Saturday and today the Holy Synod of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) has appointed Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp) of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America as locum tenens of the OCA, Bishop Michael (Dahulich) of New York as its administrator, and Bishop Alexander (Golitzin) of the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of Toledo as locum tenens of the Diocese of Washington, D.C. More here.

South Ossetian Orthodox Bishop Retired

The Old Calendrist 'Holy Synod in Resistance' of the Greek Orthodox Church has granted the head of the Orthodox Church in South Ossetia, Bishop George of Alania, retirement due to his ongoing health issues. Bishop Ambrose of Methone, an auxiliary to the first hierarch of the Synod in Resistance, has been appointed locum tenens of the Diocese of Alania. More here.

OCA Dallas Cathedral Holds Town Hall Meeting with Bishop Nikon

Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston and the Albanians, locum tenens of the American Orthodox Diocese of Dallas and Southeastern America, has held a town hall meeting at St. Seraphim's Cathedral in Dallas to discuss the rather numerous concerns of the cathedral parish regarding its future, the future of the Diocese of Dallas, and the place of Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington in the American Orthodox Church. More here.

OCA Holy Synod, Metropolitan Council Spring Sessions Adjourn

The spring sessions of the Holy Synod and Metropolitan Council of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago have ended. In the first part of its session prior to its joint session with the Metropolitan Council the Holy Synod decided that from hereon out the First Hierarch of the OCA, while remaining responsible for appointing diocesan locum tenenses, would be expected to appoint other members of the hierarchy as locum tenenses, that the hiring and firing of members of the Chancery of the OCA was the responsibility of the Holy Synod as a whole, and that a lesser Holy Synod would be responsible to meet every other month to work together with the Metropolitan of Washington to oversee the life of the Church as a whole.

The minutes of the Holy Synod's session can be found here, whilst a summary of its joint session with the Metropolitan Council can be found here. All of the members of the hierarchy of the OCA, including the auxiliary bishops, were present for both sessions with the exception of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America's auxiliary Bishop Irineu (Duvlea) of Dearborn Heights, who judging from published accounts of his activities and travels prefers to meet with the hierarchs of the Bucharest Patriarchate in the United States over his brother hierarchs in the OCA.

Archbishop Demetrios Locum Tenens of the ACROD

Patriarch Bartholomew (Arhondonis) of Constantinople has appointed Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) of New York and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as the locum tenens of the American Carpartho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the wake of the repose of Metropolitan Nicholas (Smisko) of Amissos.

OCA Holy Synod Grants "Personal Retreat" to Metropolitan, Relieves Him as Locum Tenens, Appoints Interim Chancellor

The Holy Synod of the American Orthodox Church has announced that it has granted Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington a 60-day leave for a time of "personal retreat and spiritual renewal" and appointed Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit administrator of the OCA in his absence. The Holy Synod also appointed Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston as locum tenens of the Diocese of the South and Bishop Tikhon (Mollard) of Philadelphia as locum tenens of the Diocese of the Midwest.

Receiving the resignation of Archpriest Alexander Garklavs as OCA chancellor the Holy Synod appointed Bishop Melchisedek (Pleska) of Pittsburgh as temporary chancellor. More here.

Funeral Arrangements for Metropolitan Bartolomeu of Cluj

It has been announced that the funeral of Metropolitan Bartolomeu (Anania) of Cluj will be held this Thursday (3 February) at Cluj's Cathedral of the Dormition. Until the election of a new metropolitan Patriarch Daniel (Ciobotea) will serve as locum tenens of the metropolitanate. More here.

Bishop Thomas "Locum Tenens" of Midwestern America

So Metropolitan Philip has formally removed Bishop Mark from his responsibilities as his auxiliary in the Midwestern region. There were two things notable about the memo he sent out. The first was Seyidna Philip's appointment of Bishop Thomas of Charleston as "locum tenens" of the Midwestern region. Since there is only one diocesan hierarch in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America there is absolutely no need for a locum tenens (fill-in diocesan hierarch) anywhere in the Archdiocese unless Metropolitan Philip himself dies, in which case his faux "Local Synod" will be overlooked completely by the Patriarchate of Antioch when it appoints the Archdiocese's locum tenens. Metropolitan Philip may like calling the regions/districts/whatever dioceses, but they are not distinct dioceses and as such have no need for a locum tenens when they don't have an auxiliary supervising them. The second was Metropolitan Philip's institution of the normative practice concerning the commemoration of auxiliary bishops in the Midwestern region (which is to not unless they are physically present). The Midwest is the only region that has been told to follow standard procedure - every other region/former diocese has been instructed to commemorate the metropolitan as well as the auxiliary bishop supervising their area.