Savvas Grigoropoulos
29 January
Greek Australians Your Democratic Human Rights Are At Risk!
The just held Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is a false promotion that it is the top democratic decision making body of the Archdiocese. How can it be called democratic and representative when all its delegates have been appointed by the parish priests' and bishop of each district and state? How can it have credibility when the agenda is formulated strictly by the Archbishop and his assistants? How can it have the slightest credibility when it is run and tightly controlled by the clergy? These clergy laity congresses remind me of the General meetings and congresses of the communist party of the former USSR! The Archdiocese system of parishes does not have a democratic structure; the so-called committees of each parish are appointed and dismissed by the clergy! All the power lies in the Office of the Archbishop! As a former member of the Archdiocese Council of Australia and a former trustee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Property Trust who attended a number of these so-called Clergy Laity Congresses I speak from personal experience and knowledge! This is a farce that needs to be exposed for what it is.
( A ) Under Australian law, once a Greek Orthodox Community which is a sovereign, totally independent community & organization enters into an agreement to participate in a “Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia, it is the beginning of the end of its’ sovereign independence! Because from there on it will have to strictly abide by the decisions of every past and future Clergy Laity Congress. It will also come under the everyday scrutiny of the hierarchy of the Church and clergy and bound by their orders and direction.
In a few short years it will be a community in name only. In reality it will only be a Parish, whereby the committee will be appointed and dismissed at will by the clergy. The clergy will make all the decisions about matters of <>pertaining to the people. We the men & women will be expected to do all the hard work involved in organizing functions etc. We will be expected to do the fund raising, donating all the money required, and we will have no say whatsoever in how our money is spent. We will have no right to decide on the priorities and the needs of our community on all matters that have been raised above, and there will be no accountability to us. In reality there will not be any real checks and balances that one would expect from a democratic community organization.
However the real loss that we are talking about when a community loses its’ sovereign independence, is the loss of the <> the loss of having democratically elected boards to decide on all community policies in the areas mentioned above. The loss of the <>.
( B ) Another way that all the democratic human rights of the members of a community can be lost is: If at a General Meeting a vote is taken in accordance with the memorandum of the community constitution to: 1/ Instruct the community to participate in a Clergy Laity Congress.
2/ Take a vote to enter a binding agreement with the Archdiocese that will dilute the independence of the community, by including laws and by-laws that the Archdiocese wants into the communities constitution.
3/ Take a vote at a General meeting to turn the community into a Parish. If such a vote is successful, it means that all the property will be immediately owned by the Archdiocese, the community’s constitution becomes null & void i.e. it is abolished and along with it the << Democratic human rights of its’ members are also abolished. The rights of our children and grandchildren are lost forever! We become the servants and slaves of the clergy forever!
In the end, whether 1 , 2 , or 3 takes place, the result will be the same. With number one (1) or number two (2), it just takes a few short years longer to achieve the same results as number three (3).
Long before the arrival of Bishops and Archbishops, approximately 115 to 120 years ago the first Greek Orthodox Communities were established in all the major capital cities and states of Australia by the first small mass wave of Greeks into Australia. Our ancestors faced enormous hostilities and difficulties. The work (Jobs) they did were hard back-breaking jobs requiring many long hours of work. Making money was not an easy task! These people had a love for their identity and community and wanted to maintain themselves as Greeks, and to do so required, for example: A church building, Community centre and schools. These institutions required money to be created. Spare money was very hard to come by for the great majority of these first Greek immigrants. However they were determined to succeed in their desires, so they made many sacrifices and donated whatever they could to establish these first communities.
How were these communities created?
Step 1/
A group of interested people say 10, 15 or 20 people got together to discuss the frame-work of the organization they wanted to create. A lawyer would be appointed to draw up the constitution. This required money. They would all make a small donation to get the organization off the ground. The next step was to invite as many as possible other Greeks to join up as members. Then the serious work of fund raising with various functions would begin! These functions required many people to put in a lot of hard work and time, as well as spending much of their own money in donations to make the fund raising a success.
Step 2/
When a reasonable sum was raised, a decision would be made to buy (lay down a deposit) land to build or buy, first of all, the church. As the only money raised was only enough for the deposit, a loan from a bank was the only way to secure the rest of the money required. But there was a catch, the banks required security for their loans i.e. a mortgage of suitable property or properties.
Step 3/
Thus some of the first founders of these communities, a small handful of dedicated citizens would risk everything they had worked for by mortgaging their homes to the banks, so that their communities could get their much needed loans.
From there on, all the men & women, the first members of these communities worked extremely hard for many years to raise money for the growth and the expansion of their communities. These men and women donated their money and their time to make these communities a reality.
IN SUMMARY, This is how every single “Greek Orthodox Community” in Australia was created!
No Bishop, Archbishop or priest ever gave one pound or one dollar in donations for the creation of our communities!
The best solution so that we may have peace and tranquility in our community here in Victoria is for our totally independent and sovereign Greek Orthodox Communities is to be on good terms with the Archdiocese with the old formula which has worked very well in the last approximately 20 years for the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria (GOCMV),
In this agreement the GOCMV pays a set fee to the Archdiocese for conducting Weddings, Baptisms and funerals (for the relevant certificates), it also pays to the Archdiocese 10% of its Sunday collections and a voluntary donation to the running of St. Andrews Theological College in Sydney. It also participates on a yearly basis to make a collection -tray (money) for the needs of the Patriarchate in Constantinople.
This is an agreement which is based on mutual respect by the two parties without the parties making further demands on each other and is based on the respect of the independence of each party.
THIS I BELIEVE IS THE AGREEMENT THAT THE GOCMV SHOULD MAINTAIN. THE GOCMV MUST NEVER DEVIATE FROM THIS PHILOSOPHPHY.
This agreement must never be included in the constitution of the GOCMV, it must never become part of the GOCMV constitution. It must always remain as an agreement between the board of management of the GOCMV and the Archdiocese after it has received the necessary approval from a General Meeting of the GOCMV.
We must do everything in our power to maintain the total SOVEREIGN INDEPENDENCE of the GOCMV, we must do everything in our power to maintain and pass on to our children and grand children and future generations of Greek Australians their DEMOCRATIC HUMAN RIGHTS, TO RUN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES and to make their own decisions about all matters pertaining to EDUCATION, WELFARE, YOUTH - ISSUES ETC.
It is imperative that the GOCMV does not compromise in any way its sovereign independence and the democratic human rights of its’ members!
Furthermore I believe it is important to instill the principals and values outlined here in this article in our children with a suitable well thought out curriculum to be used in the schools of the GOCMV under the heading YOUR CIVIC DUTIES, rights and obligations.
I urge all reasonable and logical thinking Greek Australians from Victoria who care about their democratic human rights and their children’s democratic human rights to join the GOCMV!
TO BE CONTINUED
29 January
Greek Australians Your Democratic Human Rights Are At Risk!
The just held Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is a false promotion that it is the top democratic decision making body of the Archdiocese. How can it be called democratic and representative when all its delegates have been appointed by the parish priests' and bishop of each district and state? How can it have credibility when the agenda is formulated strictly by the Archbishop and his assistants? How can it have the slightest credibility when it is run and tightly controlled by the clergy? These clergy laity congresses remind me of the General meetings and congresses of the communist party of the former USSR! The Archdiocese system of parishes does not have a democratic structure; the so-called committees of each parish are appointed and dismissed by the clergy! All the power lies in the Office of the Archbishop! As a former member of the Archdiocese Council of Australia and a former trustee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Property Trust who attended a number of these so-called Clergy Laity Congresses I speak from personal experience and knowledge! This is a farce that needs to be exposed for what it is.
( A ) Under Australian law, once a Greek Orthodox Community which is a sovereign, totally independent community & organization enters into an agreement to participate in a “Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia, it is the beginning of the end of its’ sovereign independence! Because from there on it will have to strictly abide by the decisions of every past and future Clergy Laity Congress. It will also come under the everyday scrutiny of the hierarchy of the Church and clergy and bound by their orders and direction.
In a few short years it will be a community in name only. In reality it will only be a Parish, whereby the committee will be appointed and dismissed at will by the clergy. The clergy will make all the decisions about matters of <
However the real loss that we are talking about when a community loses its’ sovereign independence, is the loss of the <
( B ) Another way that all the democratic human rights of the members of a community can be lost is: If at a General Meeting a vote is taken in accordance with the memorandum of the community constitution to: 1/ Instruct the community to participate in a Clergy Laity Congress.
2/ Take a vote to enter a binding agreement with the Archdiocese that will dilute the independence of the community, by including laws and by-laws that the Archdiocese wants into the communities constitution.
3/ Take a vote at a General meeting to turn the community into a Parish. If such a vote is successful, it means that all the property will be immediately owned by the Archdiocese, the community’s constitution becomes null & void i.e. it is abolished and along with it the << Democratic human rights of its’ members are also abolished. The rights of our children and grandchildren are lost forever! We become the servants and slaves of the clergy forever!
In the end, whether 1 , 2 , or 3 takes place, the result will be the same. With number one (1) or number two (2), it just takes a few short years longer to achieve the same results as number three (3).
Long before the arrival of Bishops and Archbishops, approximately 115 to 120 years ago the first Greek Orthodox Communities were established in all the major capital cities and states of Australia by the first small mass wave of Greeks into Australia. Our ancestors faced enormous hostilities and difficulties. The work (Jobs) they did were hard back-breaking jobs requiring many long hours of work. Making money was not an easy task! These people had a love for their identity and community and wanted to maintain themselves as Greeks, and to do so required, for example: A church building, Community centre and schools. These institutions required money to be created. Spare money was very hard to come by for the great majority of these first Greek immigrants. However they were determined to succeed in their desires, so they made many sacrifices and donated whatever they could to establish these first communities.
How were these communities created?
Step 1/
A group of interested people say 10, 15 or 20 people got together to discuss the frame-work of the organization they wanted to create. A lawyer would be appointed to draw up the constitution. This required money. They would all make a small donation to get the organization off the ground. The next step was to invite as many as possible other Greeks to join up as members. Then the serious work of fund raising with various functions would begin! These functions required many people to put in a lot of hard work and time, as well as spending much of their own money in donations to make the fund raising a success.
Step 2/
When a reasonable sum was raised, a decision would be made to buy (lay down a deposit) land to build or buy, first of all, the church. As the only money raised was only enough for the deposit, a loan from a bank was the only way to secure the rest of the money required. But there was a catch, the banks required security for their loans i.e. a mortgage of suitable property or properties.
Step 3/
Thus some of the first founders of these communities, a small handful of dedicated citizens would risk everything they had worked for by mortgaging their homes to the banks, so that their communities could get their much needed loans.
From there on, all the men & women, the first members of these communities worked extremely hard for many years to raise money for the growth and the expansion of their communities. These men and women donated their money and their time to make these communities a reality.
IN SUMMARY, This is how every single “Greek Orthodox Community” in Australia was created!
No Bishop, Archbishop or priest ever gave one pound or one dollar in donations for the creation of our communities!
The best solution so that we may have peace and tranquility in our community here in Victoria is for our totally independent and sovereign Greek Orthodox Communities is to be on good terms with the Archdiocese with the old formula which has worked very well in the last approximately 20 years for the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria (GOCMV),
In this agreement the GOCMV pays a set fee to the Archdiocese for conducting Weddings, Baptisms and funerals (for the relevant certificates), it also pays to the Archdiocese 10% of its Sunday collections and a voluntary donation to the running of St. Andrews Theological College in Sydney. It also participates on a yearly basis to make a collection -tray (money) for the needs of the Patriarchate in Constantinople.
This is an agreement which is based on mutual respect by the two parties without the parties making further demands on each other and is based on the respect of the independence of each party.
THIS I BELIEVE IS THE AGREEMENT THAT THE GOCMV SHOULD MAINTAIN. THE GOCMV MUST NEVER DEVIATE FROM THIS PHILOSOPHPHY.
This agreement must never be included in the constitution of the GOCMV, it must never become part of the GOCMV constitution. It must always remain as an agreement between the board of management of the GOCMV and the Archdiocese after it has received the necessary approval from a General Meeting of the GOCMV.
We must do everything in our power to maintain the total SOVEREIGN INDEPENDENCE of the GOCMV, we must do everything in our power to maintain and pass on to our children and grand children and future generations of Greek Australians their DEMOCRATIC HUMAN RIGHTS, TO RUN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES and to make their own decisions about all matters pertaining to EDUCATION, WELFARE, YOUTH - ISSUES ETC.
It is imperative that the GOCMV does not compromise in any way its sovereign independence and the democratic human rights of its’ members!
Furthermore I believe it is important to instill the principals and values outlined here in this article in our children with a suitable well thought out curriculum to be used in the schools of the GOCMV under the heading YOUR CIVIC DUTIES, rights and obligations.
I urge all reasonable and logical thinking Greek Australians from Victoria who care about their democratic human rights and their children’s democratic human rights to join the GOCMV!
TO BE CONTINUED
