[wbondarmunw]

1. It is not clear to me that the the bishops have the authority to do what they did.

2. If we are not accountable to the bishops and the bishops are not accountable to us, IN CHRIST, we have no Church only a poorly run wordly organization. It is not the bishop's Church, it is Christ's, it is not the laity's Church, it is Christ's. For any of us to ignore and/or attempt to exercise tyranny over our brothers and sisters is wrong. As St. John Chrysostom said, "The road to hell is paved with the skulls of priests and bishops" Without the charisma of the bishops, we perish, but they must be honest and caring shepards. We have a responsibility to ask that of them. Our obedience, after all, is due Jesus Christ, our Lord.

3. The nature of ecclesial authority is the essence of this situation.

4. The reason for the change is unknown. It would seem that for many it is wrong even to ask why and expect a coherent, reasonable answer.

5. There seems to be a great deal more uniformed speculation on this thread than on ocanews.org

6. Something needs to be healed in the Antiochian Archdiocese. The question is what needs to be healed?

7. I know +Basil as he has been with me in my struggles to become more Christian, a living guardian and guide, rightly dividing the word of Truth in his homilies and in his life. I don't know Met. Phillip except by contradictory and confusing pronoucements yet I am ordered to no longer commemorate +Basil unless he is physically present at the Divine Liturgy but always to commemorate Met. Phillip who is almost never physically present (distant even when he is physically present). I find this wholly unacceptable and I will vocally remember +Basil in the Divine Liturgy even if my priests do not.

8. If we are apathetic about our bishops, we don't care for the Church.

9. Is it wrong to expect bishops to be Godly caring men who are willing to lay down their lives for their flocks and in defense of the truth?

10. Is it wrong to expect bishops to be among we poor sinners who are is such need of their care and guidance?

11. Tryanny does not bring unity--only love brings unity. It is wholly unclear to me that the Antiochian Synod's decision has anything to do with love.

12. In Christ, in HIS Church there is no Greek, Jew, Arab, American, or any other man-made distinction of worth or value. We are all equally sinners called to repent and submit to His love so we may be healed and be in union with Him and one another. If Arabs, Greeks, Slavs or Americans think of themselves as superior and righteous simply by virture of their ethnic heritage they are in deadly sin. If any reject others for similar reasons, they are in deadly sin.

13. Whenever I hear anyone object to questions and concerns solely on the basis of obedience, I cringe and look to see how I am being conned and what those insisting on obedience want to hide.