Financial scandal in the Orthodox Church in America
Encyclopedia
The financial scandal in the Orthodox Church in America
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...

was a significant crisis of governance that shook the leadership of the OCA from 2005 to 2008.

Misuse of Church donations

In the autumn of 2005, the OCA administration was publicly accused of financial misconduct by its former treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...

, Protodeacon
Protodeacon
Protodeacon derives from the Greek proto- meaning 'first' and diakonos, which is a standard ancient Greek word meaning "servant", "waiting-man," "minister" or "messenger." The word in English may refer to various clergymen, depending upon the usage of the particular church in question.-Eastern...

 Eric Wheeler. Wheeler has alleged that millions of dollars in donations to the church were improperly used for personal expenses or to cover shortfalls in Church accounts.

Internal legal investigation

In response to these allegations, Metropolitan Herman
Herman (Swaiko)
Metropolitan Herman is the former primate of the Orthodox Church in America . As the head of the OCA, he was the Archbishop of Washington and New York, and Metropolitan of All America and Canada...

 announced in March 2006 that the law firm of Proskauer Rose LLP
Proskauer Rose
Proskauer Rose is one of the largest law firms in the United States, with twelve offices in the United States and around the world...

 had been hired to conduct an internal legal investigation, and an accounting firm to conduct audits. On March 16, 2006 Metr. Herman announced the dismissal of the church's chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....

, Protopresbyter Robert S. Kondratick.

At a December 2006 joint meeting of the OCA's Holy Synod of Bishops and Metropolitan Council, information concerning the investigation's results to date was presented. The presentation confirmed earlier allegations of financial abuse and a lack of internal financial controls.

Trial of the former OCA chancellor

The investigation into the alleged wrongdoings in the OCA administration led to the trial of the former OCA chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...

, Fr. Robert S. Kondratick, by the Spiritual Court and to his subsequent deposition from priesthood
Defrocking
To defrock, unfrock, or laicize ministers or priests is to remove their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. This may be due to criminal convictions, disciplinary matters, or disagreements over doctrine or dogma...

 by the Holy Synod on July 31, 2007.

32 page report

On September 3, 2008, the Special Investigative Committee of the OCA released a 32 page report on a recent OCA scandal. The report was presented to the Holy Synod and Metropolitan Council. The report found "an incredible failure at many levels to act responsibly". It also recommended "discipline" for 5 individuals. These individuals were former Metropolitans Herman (Swaiko)
Herman (Swaiko)
Metropolitan Herman is the former primate of the Orthodox Church in America . As the head of the OCA, he was the Archbishop of Washington and New York, and Metropolitan of All America and Canada...

 and Theodosius (Lazor)
Theodosius (Lazor)
Metropolitan Theodosius was the primate of the Orthodox Church in America from 1977 until his retirement in 2002. On April 2, 2002, Metropolitan Theodosius submitted a petition to the Holy Synod of the OCA, requesting his retirement...

, 2 former treasurers and a former comptroller.

Section III.C.19 of the report gives a tantalizing hint about the source of Kondratick's power. It states, "Several interviewees claimed that a significant source of Kondratick's apparent power over members of the HS [Holy Synod] and other clergy was his knowledge of their alleged personal moral failings, specifically with chemical addictions and sexual improprieties." The report goes on to say, "At least three sources informed the SIC [Special Investigative Committee] that both +MT [Metropolitan Theodosius] and +MH [Metropolitan Herman] affirmed that Kondratick had blackmailable material of a sexual nature about each of them."

Resignation of Metropolitan Herman

The report recommended that Metropolitan Herman resign, retire or be defrocked. Before the report was released, Metropolitan Herman requested a medical leave of absence. The Metropolitan Council requested that the Holy Synod deny the request.

On September 4, 2008, the former metropolitan Herman voluntarily retired from his position as Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America.

New primate

After the voluntary resignation of former Metropolitan Herman, the OCA elected a new primate during its 15th All-American Council in November, 2008. This new primate, Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen)
Jonah (Paffhausen)
Jonah , Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, is the primate of the Orthodox Church in America . He was elected on November 12, 2008, and installed to his see on December 28, 2008, in Washington, D.C...

, was elected just eleven days after his own consecration as a bishop. During the council, Metropolitan Jonah gave a speech that many regarded as gaining for him the position of Metropolitan. In this speech he directly addressed the controversies in the OCA.

Changes in governance

After his election, he vowed changes and a departure from the direction he believed the financial scandal was taking the OCA. For months after his election, he proved to be an active primate, visiting many American Orthodox churches, and improving relations with other Jurisdictions/Primates, including the late Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and his successor, Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow.
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