Equally moving and forceful speeches by Frs. Jason Kappanadze, John Shimchick, David Garretson (a judge in the Kondratick trial) and David Vernak favored transparency, "brutal" honesty and integrity. Once again, there was no secret ballot. The vote was by raised hands, counted by the Chair, all carried out under the watchful eyes of the Metropolitan. The resolution of "support" for the Metropolitan carried, but with a much smaller margin of victory: 31 to 23 with 2 abstentions.
"And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house..."
Throughout the discussions and votes the Metropolitan sat silently. He had laryngitis, and apart from croaking his brief opening address (in which he blamed the current troubles "on a small minority") he sat silently for the six hours of the meeting. In his opening speech he did confirm that Kondratick's new lawyer had sent a letter to Archbishop Seraphim, as secretary of the Synod, with copies to all the Bishops, following the Appeal last month. The Metropolitan affirmed to the Assembly that a decision in the case is expected in December.
What the Metropolitan did not reveal was what said in the letter. OCANews.org has learned that the letter states that if Kondratick was not restored to the priesthood what he has revealed about the scandal so far would be "only the tip of the iceberg".
"In the deep bosom of the ocean buried."
The Assembly included a more than half hour presentation by Deacon John Zarras on the reorganization at Syosset, a presentation by Mr. Robert Kornafel on the Metropolitan Council, and a line by line presentation of the Diocesan budget by Mr. Larry Tosi, Diocesan Treasurer. It was during this presentation that it was revealed that some 14 parishes were withholding, for a variety of reasons: some for simple lack of money, others in protest of the Central Administration. Interestingly, there were no threats issued against withholding parishes, as had been the case in the past.
Fr. Igor Burdikoff, however, stated that the Church was being "choked" by the withholding of assessments. Fr. Jason Kappanadze remarked: "We worship Jesus Who is the Truth; Jesus built the Church on the foundation of Peter's statement of Truth. It is the absence of Truth, and not assessments, that is choking our Church."
It was then that the most telling moment of the Assembly took place. Larry Tosi spoke again, scolding those who were withholding or might consider doing so. Tosi, a lawyer, then insisted with great emotion that all the details and facts of the OCA scandal could never be made known. To reveal all of what was in the Proskauer Rose report , Tosi averred, "would kill the Church". To reveal all about the scandal would "bring embarrassment to individuals" and leave the OCA "open to federal and other prosecution".
Tosi's public, emotional revelation raises serious questions. How does Tosi, who is not a member of the Metropolitan Council, know what is in the Proskauer Rose report? On the other hand, it is unlikely that Tosi, a close confidant of Fr. Paul Kucynda, was 'speaking through his hat'. No one who heard his words doubts the sincerity with which they were uttered. They simply confirmed what many present had feared: that the long-term solution by Syosset to the scandal would remain secrecy and cover-up.
In short, the Assembly of the Diocese of Washington and New York confirmed that fear and deceit will continue to govern the OCA for the foreseeable future.
But resistance, too, is spreading...
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