Fr. Joseph Abud, Administrative Assistant to Bishop Anthony of the Antiochian Archdiocese, sent out a letter looking for ideas on how to address COVID. Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, a very well-known Orthodox Priest, responded. Let’s look at just the beginning of that response:
Father Joseph,
Please, thank Bishop Anthony for the first truly encouraging message our people have heard from an Orthodox bishop for nearly a year.
As far as I know, this is also the first time, during these ten miserable months, an Orthodox bishop has asked for “creative ideas addressing this issue” from the local pastors of our congregations.
The Father gave an excellent suggestion to Bishop Anthony to begin visiting all his parishes to preside at the Liturgy, without a mask, and to “stride into our churches with the manly majesty of an Apostle, gather God’s People into his arms, press them to his pastoral breast, and protect them from the social and political demons that are currently destroying the Church.” That response from the Father was the most amazing thing any of us had read in many months.
But consider – this is the first time a well-known priest and author has been asked for any feedback by his bishop. For the past 10 months, his bishop has seemingly been making decisions without any input from the parish level. And he is not alone in that regard. We have 51 canonical bishops in North America, and most of them seem to live in their own echo chambers.
It has been our experience that Bishops rarely ask anyone’s opinion about anything. If you send them an email or letter, then they typically ignore it. If you reach out on social media, prepare to be ignored or blocked if the bishop (or the media intern managing the account) is offended by your tone. On a regular basis, this probably doesn’t matter much. The bishops do not need our opinions on the Faith. However, the COVID situation is different.
Right now, the bishops are making decisions that materially affect our practice of the Faith. They are justifying these decisions on the basis of our health, our safety, and our fear. In such a situation, not getting feedback from the laity is grossly negligent. How do the bishops know that we are afraid, if they never ask us or even our priests? This leads to the kind of situation currently experienced in the Diocese of the South (OCA). We know of parishes that are bleeding members over the mask issue, even as Bishop Alexander insists on them so “people feel safe.”
The sheer size of the United States means most of us Orthodox will only see our bishops a few times in our entire church lives. When they do visit, their days are so packed that they are unlikely to sit around and ask us how things are going. They are typically there to teach and correct us, not to get our input. Clearly, it is time for those of us who are not afraid of the proper practice of the Orthodox Faith to get that message across to the bishops. It is also clear that none of the methods mentioned before has worked or will work this time.
Therefore, we encourage every single Orthodox Christian who wants to practice Orthodoxy freely in the United States to sign this petition encouraging the bishops to push back against governmental overreach. Do not worry that this action is somehow “protestant.” The bishops are indisputably in charge. Our petitioning them firmly recognizes that fact. This is an effort to make sure that all the bishops, not just Bishop Anthony, hear both sides – those in fear and those of us that are not. What the bishops do with this feedback is between them and God, but at least we get to tell our side of the story to the men who decide the fate of our Holy Church.
A large turnout on this petition also decisively rejects the “new normal.” Many inquirers and catechumens have reached out to us dismayed that the Orthodox appear to be resigned to COVID restrictions forever. There has been no “Orthodox” lawsuit the same as the recent one out of Brooklyn that struck down Governor Cuomo’s restrictions. We need to signal to those wavering in the Faith, or inquiring into it, that they are not alone and the “New Normal” will never be “our” normal as Orthodox Christians. In addition, the petition asks the bishops to declare their support for voluntary, informed consent for any future COVID vaccines. The Russian Church has already made that stand, and we desperately need our local bishops to do the same.
This is your opportunity to speak directly to your bishops in a way they absolutely cannot ignore. Please read and sign the petition, and encourage everyone else to do so as well.
May the Holy Theotokos pray for us in our hour of need and may the Holy Spirit grant wisdom to our shepherds.
The Editors of Orthodox Reflections
Can I sign the petition? I was made a catechumen last spring. Then the Church closed down! I am a former Baptist pastor. I could not compute that decision by my priest. Alas, he was not open to discussion. I contacted the Bishop, which I guess was a bad move on my part. Now, several months later, with the exception of very few voices, I am dumbfounded by the utter capitulation by the Church leadership to the State over a virus with a 99.8% survival rate. Will the next step be requiring the vaccine to attend liturgy? I began asking that question last March. No one has answered my question so far. I am not Orthodox yet, so don’t know if I can sign the petition. Thanks for your sanity!
Please! Please sign and share. Because we included vaccine freedom in the petition, it is critical that we get as much support as possible.
If we are the “one, true Church of Christ” why do our Shepherds not exemplify the courage of the Fathers, Saints and Martyrs of the Orthodox Church. GOD BLESS. Steve
Thank goodness the tide is starting to turn, and God bless Father Patrick Henry Reardon. It’s about Orthodoxy took a stand!!!