Met. Jonah OCA Resigns Possible Causes

Possible Realities for an Unexpected (Alleged)Resignation of Metropolitan Jonah.

Illness is always a possibility and all pray that it be furthest from the truth. I wish him health and many years. The reality is during bait and switch scenarios declining health is sited to appease and sequester the masses. Again I personally wish him good health.

Another possibility is that he was not forceful enough for his own base. That he may be perceived as placating the other Orthodox Jurisdictions too much. To those: Many will beat their breasts, stamp their feet and lament that Met. Jonah fell short of their subversive agenda. Former Met. Jonah supporters who deny the ecclesiastic reality on the ground, are either subversive forces against universal pan-Orthodox unity, or they're simply delusional. The facts are valid and given as an universal Pan-Orthodox decree held to be true by every Orthodox Church: “The primus inter pares, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Mother Church, holds the diaspora in its ancient hands with the most modern of touches”.

Leadership of all Orthodox Churches throughout the oikoumene have declared, and are in agreement reaffirming the seniority of the Greek Archdiocese, as the Exarchate of the Ecumenical Throne, over all jurisdictions in America. All Orthodox jurisdictions in the USA have not only accepted this pan-Orthodox ecclesiastic reality via participation in SCOBA and most recently in the Episcopal Assembly, but also they affirm its necessity. Even Met. Jonah by his attendance as a rank and file bishop at the Episcopal Assembly recognizes and acquiesces to the primacy of the Greek Archdiocese-Constantinople over the OCA. In June 2009 Met. Jonah explored the fate of his own jurisdiction: "Thus, the OCA’s charter and vocation is for it to disappear: it is kenotic" (http://www.oca.org/news/1864).

Another scenario is that Met. Jonah commences a schematic church which I pray for the welfare of Met. Jonah and perhaps he has reverted to his former mindset and plans to set up his own shop as it were. Transcripts for the "talk" offered by Metropolitan Jonah in Dallas at the Pan Orthodox vespers on April 5, 2009.

Key quotes referring to His All Holiness:

"There are those there, in the old world... Who are ignorant of our Saints"

"We surrender the freedom that we have embraced as American Orthodox Christians to a Patriarchate still under Islamic domination."

"I would submit if we wanted a Pope we’d be under the real one."

"the true indigenous Orthodox Christians of our land"

"I don’t think the holy fathers in the Phanar understand"

"not to some kind of alien ideology, not to some nationalist or imperialist ideology from some forgotten empire, not the imposition of foreign customs and the submission to foreign despots."

"There are those there that say that there was no canonical Orthodox Church in the North American until 1924 until the establishment of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek archdiocese. Excuse me."

"Seven months ago I was still an abbot in a monastery in northern California. Just a few months ago I was made Metropolitan and I had no idea, really, what the scope of Orthodoxy is in America. And, now I’m beginning to get an idea."

"is not about some kind of international organization where we look 8000 miles away for some source of canonicity."

“There is an American Orthodox Church. Leave it alone.”

Another possibility is that he was canned as it were. Perhaps they couldn't just get along. A final word there is a scandal brewing and the OCA laundry will no doubt flap in the wind.