QUESTION:
7/2/2009: Lately I have become very dissatisfied with what I perceive as the divisive, “us vs. them” mentality which pervades my jurisdiction/diocese. I am entering into a second marriage, and want to do the best for my new wife and family. I’ve been looking into the OCA, and have been impressed by at least the web images of parish life in my area.
I’m disturbed by a few things, however; but I’ll just mention one. In looking around for an OCA monastery to visit, I came across the Monks of New Skete. And on their sanctuary walls, I see icons – actual “holy” pictures – of Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic pope, and Dorothy Day! I also see pictures of a bishop officiating at services in this sanctuary.
I don’t want to come across as judgmental or pharisaic.” But these photos disturb me; as does the apparent failure of your bishops to correct these monastics. This problem is adversely affecting my previous interest in the OCA. Can you comment?
I ask with sincerity, and no desire to judge or debate.
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ANSWER:
New Skete is a monastery with a unique history (coming from an Eastern Catholic / Franciscan background) and a unique vocation (hoping and praying for the reconciliation of the Church of Rome with Orthodoxy on the basis of sound doctrine). New Skete also expresses one aspect of Orthodox ecclesiology that is often forgotten: that in spite of the schism, the Church of Rome remained "the Church in Rome" and the Orthodox have never "replaced" the bishop of Rome with an Orthodox bishop in spite of grave doctrinal deviations. As late as 1848, the encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs assured the Pope of Rome that:
"But if his Holiness had sent us statements concordant and in unison with the seven holy Ecumenical Councils, instead of boasting of the piety of his predecessors lauded by our predecessors and fathers in an Ecumenical Council, he might justly have gloried in his own orthodoxy, declaring his own goodness instead of that of his fathers. Therefore let his Holiness be assured, that if, even now, he will write us such things as two hundred fathers on investigation and inquiry shall find consonant and agreeing with the said former Councils, then, we say, he shall hear from us sinners today, not only, "Peter has so spoken," or anything of like honor, but this also, "Let the holy hand be kissed which has wiped away the tears of the Catholic Church."
For this reason, the New Skete monastery has placed images but not icons of certain Western Christians in the cealing area of the main temple. These are acceptable because of the unique history and vocation of this monastery and because just as some Greek churches have Pythagoras or Plato in the narthex as "forerunners" for the Gospel (without halos), New Skete has a somewhat similar arrangement.
This being said, there are some aspects of the liturgical life at New Skete (e.g. the vestments) that have raised some legitimate criticism and concern, which will or may have been addressed pastorally by the new Metropolitan of the OCA. |
