METROPOLITAN THEODOSIUS will RETIRE
SYOSSET,
NY [OCA Communications] -- On Tuesday, April 2, 2002, His Beatitude,
Metropolitan Theodosius, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, shared with
members of the Holy Synod of Bishops his desire to retire from the office of
Metropolitan of All America and Canada in July 2002.
The
announcement came on the second day of the spring session of the Holy Synod of
Bishops, held at the OCA Chancery.
"You
are intimately aware that these past two years have been particularly difficult
for me as I have faced increasing health problems," Metropolitan
Theodosius told the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops in reference to his
declining health. "I have found that my physical condition is once again
deteriorating to such an extent that, given my limited physical abilities, I
find myself unable to respond to the demands of my office in the manner which
the Church needs and deserves of its Primate."
Metropolitan
Theodosius added that increasing demands placed upon him "have only served
to be the cause of even greater inner anxiety and personal concerns."
"Please
be assured that this request has not been made quickly but only after
consultation with medical professionals, much prayer for guidance and with an
awareness of your love for me and your concern for the welfare of the
Church," Metropolitan Theodosius concluded. "It is my hope that you
will accept my petition and that my retirement will come into effect after the
convening of the first session of the 13th All-American Council."
According
to the Very Rev. John Matusiak, OCA Communications Director, "Metropolitan
Theodosius continues to suffer the residual effects of strokes he had suffered
in late 2000 and early 2001. Despite a four-month medical leave of absence from
May 1 until September 1, 2001, which he took at the recommendation of his
physicians, he found the ever-increasing burdens of his office too
demanding."
The
members of the Holy Synod of Bishops granted Metropolitan Theodosius' request
by issuing a Synodal Resolution on April 2, 2002, the text of which reads as
follows:
"Having
heard the request of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius that, in light of
his failing health, he be granted retirement from the office of Metropolitan of
All America and Canada and be granted the status of Retired Hierarch of the
Orthodox Church in America; and that this retirement occur during the 13th
All-American Council to be held in Orlando, Florida, the members of the Holy
Synod unanimously resolved:
"a.]
To grant His Beatitude's request to retire from the office of Metropolitan of
All America and Canada of the Orthodox Church in America;
"b.]
To grant him the status of Retired Hierarch, effective following the first
session of the 13th All-American Council to be held in Orlando, Florida July
21, 2002; and
"c.]
To express to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius, their fraternal love and
gratitude for his primatial service and archpastoral labors."
In conjunction
with the decision to grant Metropolitan Theodosius' request, Protopresbyter
Robert Kondratick, OCA Chancellor, announced that the procedure by which a new
Metropolitan is elected is being prepared and will be reviewed and finalized at
a special session of the Holy Synod of Bishops which will be held at St.
Tikhon’s Monastery on May 24, 2002.
Archimandrite
Nicolae Condrea Elected Archbishop
Detroit,
Michigan -- The Rt. Rev. Archm. Nicolae Condrea has been elected by the
Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada as the next
Archbishop in its session convened on Saturday, 9 March 2002 at the Holy
Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church in Troy, Michigan. The over 100 clergy and lay
delegates representing the parishes and monasteries of the Archdiocese selected
Archimandrite Nicolae from the two finalists forwarded to the Congress by the
Archdiocesan Council following a lengthy search process.
The
Special Electoral Congress was presided over by the Locum Tenens of the
Archdiocese, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph of the Romanian Orthodox
Metropolia for Western Europe. Metropolitan Joseph has been serving as Locum
Tenens since the falling-asleep in the Lord of Archbishop Victorin (Ursache) in
July 2001. His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan of Oltenia initially served as
Locum Tenens from March through June 2001.
According
to the Decree of Autonomy which the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church
accorded the Archdiocese in 1973, the Archbishop is elected by delegates
present at a Congress called especially for that purpose. The election must
then be confirmed by the Holy Synod. Following the election of the new
Archbishop, Metropolitan Joseph, along with Fr. Nicolae and a delegation from
the Archdiocese immediately traveled to Bucharest to attend the meeting of the
Holy Synod scheduled for 12-14 March 2002.
At its
session held on Tuesday, 12 March, the Holy Synod elevated Fr. Nicolae Condrea
to the rank of Archimandrite, and on the following day, voted unanimously to
confirm his election by the Congress to the office of Archbishop of the
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada. The Archbishop-elect was
invited to sit with the members of the Holy Synod for the remainder of its
meeting.
The
Archbishop-elect was born in 1967 in Constanta, Romania to the late Nicolae and
Victoria Condrea. He moved to Bucharest in his early teens where he completed
his secondary education. In 1988 he began his theological studies at the
Faculty of Theology in Sibiu. By 1993 he had begun his doctoral work also in
Sibiu, after which he continued his studies at the Marc Bloch University of
Strasbourg. He received his Doctorate in Theology in November 2001. The title
of his dissertation is: "Some Psychological Problems in Evagrios of
Pontus."
From
November 1999 until the Fall of 2001 Archimandrite Nicolae served as the
delegate of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the Dialogue Committee for European
Integration within the Conference of European Churches (Brussels). Earlier, in
November 1996, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim of
Germany and Central Europe, he founded the parish of the Nativity of our Lord
in Stuttgart, Germany. He was ordained to the deaconate in March 1997 and to
the priesthood the next month. He entered the monastic life at the Monastery of
Radu Voda in Bucharest in December 2001 while serving as Patriarchal Secretary.
The ordination and installation
of Archbishop-elect Nicolae is scheduled for mid-July in Montreal, Quebec, in
conjunction with the regularly scheduled Archdiocesan Congress. His Beatitude
Patriarch Teoctist will be leading a delegation from the Romanian Orthodox
Church to participate in this historic event. A full itinerary will be
available in late Spring.