19 Aug 2013
This comes after members of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA) asked the Supreme Court to grant an injunction stopping the ordination of priest Prokopios Kanavas as a bishop. The decision was overruled in the courts last week, and his ordination went ahead as scheduled.
On the website of GOCSA, John Lesses AM, President, expressed his delight on behalf of the Executive Committee and Supervisory Council members when he announced the ordination of Bishop Prokopios as the Bishop of Adelaide.
"Archimandrite Prokopios Kanavas couldn't hold his emotions when he received the blessings from His Eminence Archbishop Petros of Philadelphia Pennsylvania, who officially declared him as Bishop of Adelaide," he said.
The members who opposed the decision for the ordination did so because they believed the GOCSA committee was acting outside the rights of their own constitution, that states a special assembly is needed prior to the decision to ordain someone as Bishop. They said that a special assembly of members was not called, therefore they did not have the authority to select someone as bishop of the community. This has caused friction between GOCSA and also the Federation of Greek Orthodox Communities of Australia, who also feel they went out of their jurisdiction in this time.
Justice Kelly, who presided over the hearing, stated: "I am not satisfied on the basis of the material before me that there is any proper issue to be tried".
On the website, the now Bishop Prokopios said "the future of the Autocephalic Church looks brighter".
He went on to thank the Executive Committee of the Community for entrusting him with the spiritual leadership of the Church.
"Today our Church is being resurrected, it is making progress. We turn over a new page from the past disappointments," said Bishop Prokopios.
The ordination ceremony, held in Adelaide on Sunday 11 August, passed without any incident at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Franklin Street Adelaide. Mr Lesses commented "that there was a strong sense of unity, joy and relief".
Father Kanavas was previously sacked as an SA Police chaplain. Allegations have also been raised about discrepancies over his tertiary qualifications.
About
The Autocephalic Greek Orthodox Church of America and Australia is a national recognised Greek orthodox Church.
Description
A BRIEF HISTORY
The Autocephalic Greek Orthodox Church of America and Australia was established in 1973 as a result of a long standing dispute between the Greek Orthodox Communities of Australia and the Archdiocese of Australia which belongs to the Patriarchate of Constantinopole, and in particular the demand that the Communities hand over ownership of their churches to the Archdiocese.
As ...a lever of pressure the Archdiocese, under Archbishop Ezekiel Kefalas, without warning withdrew the priests serving in those churches. The Federation then approached the Ukranian Orthodox Church of Diaspora, who’s canonical Bishop for Australia was Metropolitan Sergje Ohotenko, and which has suspended any contact with the Patriarchate of Moscow. Bishop Sergie supported and served the Communities until his death.
In 1969 the Federation, under the presidency of D. Elefantis ( G.O.C. of Melbourne) came in contact with Archbishop Spyridon Ermogenous who was in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, serving the Greek Orthodox Communities of the Old Calendar rites in America and which have sought ecclesiastical cover under the said synod.
Archbishop Spyridon arrived in Australia in mid 1969 and took charge of the spiritual administration of the churches. In 1973 the Federation, who’s president now was Mr Nich. Manos, ( later appointed as judge in S. Australia) in collaboration with Msr. Spyridon, moved to establish the Autocephalic Church as a legal entity and which now is officially recognised as an Official Church Denomination by the Australian authorities. Archbishop Spyridon resigned by his own accord. In 1984 the Federation came in to an agreement with Bishop Paul of Christianoupolis, a former Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Australia. He resigned in 2009.
The genuine and honest attempts of the leadership of the communities to attain ecclesiastical order and leadership remained without real results mainly due to the inability of the various church leaders to organise the Church properly which, worthy to mention, was welcomed, and still is, feverishly by our faithful in Australia.
In early 2009 the federation, under the presidency of Theo Maras, representing the G,O,C, of South Australia, requested from our Holy Synod , presided by His Excellency Metrpolitan of Αιgina ,Poros, Spetses, Treazinea and Hermionid Mgr Afxentios, ecclesiastical and spiritual coverage and communion. The Holy Synod in a spirit of prudence and a sense of responsibility accepted and assumed the spiritual administration of the Autocephalic Church and the churches of the various communities – members of the federation forming with a synodical Tomos the Holy Metropolis of Australia & All Oceania.
The Synodical Administration of the Metropolis of Australia & All Oceania was entrusted to Metropolitan Auxentios,who in September 2010 was elected and elevated to the high office of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece and is now known as Afxentios II.
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