An Elephant in the Room

With the scandals rocking the Antiochian Archdiocese over the past year, much discussion is taking place about what the future might hold if things don't improve.

There is no need here to go into the details of "the recent troubles" in Antioch.  But the Ochlophobist wrote something of particular interest to anyone who is a part of the Western Rite:

+Jonah, after a few speeches, has put the OCA in a situation where if they were to start a Western Rite they would get virtually all WR parishes that would have thought of going to the AOANA previously. Perhaps the OCA will not go that route, but I'm told of at least one parish and at least one entire small group of continuing Anglicans that are currently more or less holding out for an OCA option in part because they do not consider the AOANA viable at this time. It could well turn out that neither of those institutions would have become Orthodox anyway, but there is no doubt that the "energy" with regard to WR is going to leave the AOANA if this scandal continues (which virtually everyone expects) and the OCA puts another option on the table. 

The statement above becomes an elephant in the room for those of us in the Western Rite and the Antiochian Archdiocese.  The Diocese of Wichita, which is the diocese I worship in, has a godly bishop, Bishop Basil, but the problems at the national level are causing headaches everywhere.

I'm sure these problems can be outlasted, but in the short run real damage is being done to our witness.  

It seems we have an elephant in the room, and a bull in the china shop doing much damage.  Let's pray God in His mercy intervenes.  God save our Archdiocese!

Columba Silouoan