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This letter was given to the Synod at ROCOR by our Bishop Alypy regarding what
is happening in our church. I was asked by a parishoner to post this on the
internet. Now you seen why we have fallen.
Needless Grief,
Inflicted on Archbishop Alypy.
July 1, 2002.
I was consecrated a bishop in 1974, and thus have already served for 28 years in
the Diocese of Chicago and Detroit. When I arrived in Chicago, I saw very soon
that there were many drawbacks for the development of parish life. First and
foremost, the church was in a bad neighborhood; across the
street there was often blaring music; the church was defaced with graffiti;
there was no parking lot, and so forth. Archbishop Seraphim did not want to move
to another location, and used to say, "When I die, do what you will";but later,
he did agree, and gave permission to start a special building fund (by the time
we purchased land, there was $60,000.00 in this fund).
By 1980, Archbishop Seraphim and Fr. Theophan had almost completely relocated to
Vladimirovo-Lost Lake, and only drove into Chicago now and then.
At some point I expressed the thought, while amongst parishioners who also
wanted to relocate the church, of buying a lot with a house already on it -
since it would have been beyond our means to build both a church and a house.
And all at once, Vladimir G. Filippov came upon a suitable parcel of
land, one that we liked, and which we soon bought. But let no one think that all
this came about as if by magic! After all, there had been other lots or
buildings that we had considered, and the land that we did buy was not that easy
to make over for our use, or to get the needed permissions for this. We
bought the land in 1986, but it would have been hard to build a church
immediately, as we still did not have the funds.
It was on New Year's Day of 1990 that I took up residence in the house on the
land we had bought. In the spring of that same year, Vladimir G. Filippov came
to me and said, "We need to start building a church already!" These were the
words that I needed to hear, and we all were inflamed with
enthusiasm. Work was taken up in September, and by September of 1991, we held
the first service. I began to paint the murals on the church walls at once, and
this labor lasted about 9 years.
On all the documents - on the deed, and on those related to construction - there
stands my signature, which shows and proves that I am the one in charge of this
place; the more so as all who were here in those times cml bear witness that I
worked more than anyone else on this place. Of course, I did not work alone, but
with the help of others.
But then, misfortune befell me. I had decided to cut back the mulberry
(sycamore) trees on the south side of the church, since their berries were
soiling the walk: people were stepping on them and tracking them into various
places, including the church.
I climbed a ladder, and began cutting a branch with an electric chainsaw. When I
had cut through it halfway, the branch broke away and hit the ladder. I fell
headlong onto the cement path, according to a witness, and was injured in the
small (the lumbar region) of the back. I lost consciousness at once. Fr. Pablo
Iwaszewicz called the paramedics and had me admitted to Lutheran General
Hospital. I underwent an operation and, as I am told, it went well. Fr. Pablo
did much to assist me, often came to see me, spent the night in the hospital
room, helped me to turn onto the other side when needed. I am grateful to Fr.
Pablo for his help. When I saw him doing this, I trusted him completely.
But soon I began to notice something else about him. I realized this his concern
for me was a cloak for something different: Fr. Pablo had decided to use my
serious condition to get rid of me, and to seize complete control for himself
over the parish. Before this I had noticed a tendency in him towards
love of power, but I had supposed that good sense would, nonetheless, win out.
But, unfortunately, in this case, that was not to be. In setting up plans for my
future, he never said so much as a word to me on the subject, not once did he
take counsel with me, but kept everything a secret, and even
reached an agreement with the hospital doctors to have them abet him in this.
Suddenly I found out that, on Wednesday evening, June 5, a meeting was announced
to discuss my condition, a meeting to which, supposedly, the doctors treating me
were invited. Many parishioners came to this meeting. To their amazement, they
saw, not the doctors who were treating me, but certain doctors from our parish,
who were not treating me, and who had seen me only on [Orthodox] Easter Sunday,
i.e. on May 5. Nevertheless, as instructed by Fr. Pablo, they boldly gave a
negative prognosis, based on obsolete information from the first days, rather
than on my current status. Therefore I consider this information to be spurious.
They claimed that I was lying motionless on the bed, almost unable to move; that
my mind was failing me, and that I had no idea what was going on; and therefore
they proposed to put me in a nursing home - that is, to leave me there to die;
or else to put me somewhere as far as possible from Chicago, so that I would not
be able to return home. I cannot remember a single instance of a sick hierarch
being forbidden to return to his place of residence! Archbishop Averky was ill,
but he was not put in a nursing home. Archbishop Anthony of San Francisco and
Western America was also ill, but he was not put away anywhere - and there are
other cases.
Many of the parishioners objected to the clearly false information, and felt
that a bishop, who had put in so much work for the church, deserved better
treatment, and of course, should be allowed to return to his residence. During
this dispute, Dr. Nina Efimievna Horun, who had just been to see me in the
hospital, arrived at the meeting. She declared without hesitation that the
statements being made were false, that she had only just come from visiting the
Bishop, and had seen that I could easily move from the wheelchair to the bed and
back, and that I often simply sat on the bed. She said that nothing was wrong
with my head, and that I had no memory loss.
Fr. Pablo had not expected such a turn of events, and immediately closed the
meeting, saying that he "had to hurry". There was no microphone at the meeting,
it was difficult to hear what was said, so that many did not understand what was
going on. Fr. Pablo left in company with the doctors,
and together they composed a "Decision of the Council" from the meeting, based
on the initial information that was given about my illness, which no longer
corresponded to my condition - despite the fact that other information on my
status had been presented that was much more positive.
Therefore I consider the "Decision of the Council" from this meeting to be
false, and to have been done with the deliberate aim of distancing me from my
residence.
The aggressive report by Fr. Pablo to the Synod of Bishops had its effect, the
more so as Bishop Gabriel was a godfather to Fr. Paul's children. All of this
was done secretly, behind my back, without my being asked or informed by so much
as a single word, taking the word of a priest with a doubtful reputation and
without sending anyone to check on his story. Such treatment of a sick bishop is
foreign to any idea of fairness.
When I learned of this deceitful plot, there was nothing else I could do, except
turn to a secular lawyer and threaten to bring a lawsuit for slander. Only after
this was I able to get an agreement from Metropolitan Laurus that I might return
to my home.
My release from the hospital was scheduled for June 20. Four days before this,
on Sunday, I decided to go to church, since it had already been two months since
I was in church. The doctor's assistant gave me permission to be absent for 3
hours. It was conveyed to me that, somehow, Fr. Pablo had
learned of this, got in touch with the hospital, and demanded that they not let
me go, as he was afraid of an "uprising" at the church! And so, the senior
doctor told me not to go to church. What an outrage! He tried every way he could
to keep me from returning home. He urged it upon all the parishioners that I had
completely lost my wits, and all ability for logic. He was afraid that his lie
would all at once be exposed. For a month and a half, my apartment had been
under its usual locks. But now, he changed the locks. He did everything to
prevent the bringing-in of accommodations, such as wheelchair access and the
like, so as to make my return impossible. But I still came back, and
accommodations were made. It took 7 days for an " elevator to be installed. For
5 days I went to the Rehabilitation Institute I C- of Chicago, and attended
church on Saturday and Sunday: they carried me along with the wheelchair up and
down the steps, risking injury to me and to themselves. All of this was because
of Fr. Pablo, who did everything possible to keep me out of my apartment. But
when I returned, did Fr. Pablo perhaps reconcile himself to the fact, and cease
his war against his bishop? No! To my face, he was polite; but out of sight, his
dirty work goes on. To people who showed an interest in my return, he said,
"Just as he arrived, so will he depart". He has been spreading a rumor that I
returned home contrary to a Synodal decree. Deacon Gregory, who fell completely
under the aggressive influence of Fr. Pablo, made the reproof in my direction,
that "Archbishop Alypy should have asked permission to go to church!"
Incidentally, when the Starosta [church warden], George [Pawlukowsky], was told
that in Archbishop Alypy's house a special exit with an elevator was being
installed, and that the church should pay some $5,000, he replied, "I don't know
anything about it, the Synod has to decide that". I would like to ask "the
Synod" whether they thought at all about what they were doing. I am the senior
member of the Synod, and my assignment was made by the Sobor [Council] of
Bishops. They could not simply cast me out by order of Fr. Pablo. I was sent no
notice that a Synod was convening, and I was not sent a single decree. The
Ukase, of which I received a copy from the lawyer, about my being deprived of my
rights, was sent by Bishop Gabriel to the hospital doctor, but he did not give
it to me personally, considering this Ukase to be confidential, i.e., secret.
The Synod refers to Fr. Pablo by the title of "Dean". What does that signify? He
considers this title to be higher than that of the Pastor of the parish, who is
an Archbishop in rank. You cannot deprive me of my status without a trial, for
which I have committed no crime. If someone is ill and because of illness unable
to carry out his duties, then these duties are assigned to an assistant, but
only on a temporary basis, without any special title, until the recovery of the
hierarch, when he is able to resume his work.
I am being helped by the choir director, George Perekrestov, and by Matthew
Panchishin. Fr. Pablo tried, and still tries, to drive my helpers away from me.
On the Monday of the Holy Spirit [the Monday after Pentecost, or Whit-Monday],
and at a private Pannikhida [memorial service], he gave a sermon about how "each
person should know his place in society and in the Church", looking at George
Perekrestov and at the others who have been helping me. I would like to know
what his place is, in society and in the Church! He is only a priest, but he
lays claim to the domain of a bishop, takes absolutely no stock of his superior,
the archbishop, and decides the latter's fate according to his own egotistic
judgment. He carries on dictatorially, and by his behavior drives parishioners
away. He drove away Yuly, who was willing to stay and help me. He threatened
Yury, who had agreed to help me, that he would hand him over to the American
immigration authorities.
Such behavior of a priest towards the ruling Archbishop is criminal.
Unfortunately, he obtained the support of certain members of the Synod of
Bishops. I appeal to the members of the Synod, as to my brethren, and I ask them
to correct this wrongful situation, if indeed they are concerned about
what is right.
I demand that the "Authorization" by Bishop Gabriel, which is based on early,
and therefore incorrect, documents, be revoked. Fr. Pablo still makes use of
this authorization, claiming that the Metropolitan had no right to go against
this Synodal decree. I am the senior member of the Synod, and I was told nothing
about this, nor was I given any written minutes, and therefore I doubt that
there was any such Synod session. On the basis of this authorization, Fr. Pablo
takes no account whatever of the ruling Archbishop. Never has there been such
wrongdoing in our Church Abroad.
(Signature)
Archbishop Alypy
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