Some additional developments.
Some of the folks at Monomakhos have been talking about schism.
There are indications that +Jonah himself is encouraging folks to get himself reinstated. It is not clear why he is doing so.
The action by Bishop Alexander did take place. Although unfortunate IMO, the other side of the coin is that some folks at St Nicholas Cathedral, to include the Choir Director and former Church Council Vice-President (the Kalvesmakis), are some of the most vocal members of Team +Jonah. Also, the approach of Team +Jonah has been a scorched earth type policy, where all obstacles are overcome with vigor, to include character assassination, schismatic appeals, and utter disdain for the Holy Synod.
I invite you to produce evidence of these accusations:
1) That Monomakhos commenters are advocating or collectively appealing for schism.
2) That Metropolitan Jonah is encouraging others to work to get himself reinstated.
I will answer the second question first. I have two such indications. The first was a posting on Monomkahos (I will try to find it for you as I go there to get evidence for the first question). The second came from an unimpeachable source whom I cannot reveal. This person and I go back a long ways and he told me in confidence.
I will come back and answer the first question.
To follow up, I went back to the first essay that coincided with the resignation of Metropolitan Jonah. The attention of Monomakhos had been on the upcoming Diocesan Special Assembly and the decision of by Archbishop Nikon to cancel the nomination for the new DOS bishop. It quickly shifted to the resignation.
From the thread “Ineptocracy” posted on July 7, 2012 394 Comments
Introduction by Carl Kraeff: Some of the earliest commenst are cited. This is the appetizer course. For the other courses, please read for yourself. Note: Aside from George Michalopulos, and Bishop Tikhon (Fotzgerald), ProPravoslavnie, Helga and Nikos are regulars.
ProPravoslavie says July 7, 2012 at 11:00 am: Time to prepare to go under Moscow
Geo Michalopulos says July 7, 2012 at 12:06 pm: Hard to say. My feeling is that Traditionalists will go to the nearest ROCOR parish. If there’s no ROCOR parish nearby, a mission can be set up. The word on the street is that His Holiness Kirill is using ROCOR to get around the fact that the MP/American parishes are restricted in number. I do know for a fact that ROCOR now has a Western Rite Vicariate that has actually outrgown Antioch’s in number of parishes (or so I was told).
fatherpep@gmail.com says July 7, 2012 at 7:32 pm: The situation regarding OCA parishes leaving for another jurisdiction could be different than that experienced by conservative Episcopalians. The Episcopalians had money for lawyers, court costs and other expenses of litigation. If a large number of OCA parishes decided to leave for another jurisdiction simultaneously, it may not be possible for the headquarters to litigate the status of parish property. Also, if Moscow were to somehow determine that autocephaly was improvidently granted and act to revoke it, and assert jurisdiction over the “rebel” churches, it is possible that civil courts would decline to interfere in what would be viewed as an internal church dispute, not subject to resolution in courts. Or, as was noted above, the central OCA administration could find itself in temporary possession of many buildings, stripped of sacred vessels, removable icons, metric books and whatever else was not nailed down. And, with no clergy, congregants, or services, would the structure still qualify as a “church”, exempt from property taxes?.
StephenD says July 7, 2012 at 6:13 pm: It is being said here too and overtures are beng made to ROCOR…The delegation from here may not go ..
Helga says July 7, 2012 at 4:43 pm: Mamie, CB, George, I would suggest that there is a very important reason for DOS clergy and lay delegates to attend the forthcoming assembly: to introduce a motion of no confidence in Archbishop Nikon’s leadership. That would empower Metropolitan Jonah – who has the right, though the Synod has assumed this authority on occasion – to remove Archbishop Nikon as locum tenens.
• IRT Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) says July 7, 2012 at 5:13 pm: Helga, you are assuming that Metropolitan Jonah has not signed a letter of resignation
• George Michalopulos says July 7, 2012 at 5:25 pm: Your Grace, if he did that, then there would be nothing left to discuss. Whatever moral authority the OCA had would be over and done with. At this rate, I’d just be happy for HH Kirill to derecognize our autocephaly.
• IRT Helga says July 7, 2012 at 5:50 pm: Just as happy? I would be actively petitioning for it. Let’s bring Met. Jonah, the Diocese of the South, and everyone else who wants to come along under Moscow, and declare the remainder vagante and break communion with them.
• IRT Nikos says July 8, 2012 at 11:38 am: The “resignation” of +Jonah is not just from the office of Primate of the OCA, but from the active episcopacy. You don’t think that this gang of hoodlums would relieve +Jonah from one job so they can put him in Dallas. That is not going to happen. This so called holy synod has finally got their man. The OCA is a joke. It may be up to the DOS to draw a line in the sand and tell the synod enough is enough. And let them try and besmirch +Jonah’s name in public and in writing saying he is crazy, mentally ill. The dysfunction within the OCA synod is now fully exposed for all the world to see…
• IRT Helga says July 8, 2012 at 1:45 pm: Nikos, you’re still speaking as if the OCA Synod would still be legitimate if they forced Met. Jonah to resign. That would not be the case.
• IRT Nikos says July 8, 2012 at 3:01 pm: Helga, I think that clergy and laity are catching on. The synod is now scrambling to make sure that every diocesan bishop is in contact with their respective chancellors to explain the synod’s action against +Jonah. Message control is in full swing and +Nikon is hoping that the DOS will go quietly and meekly into the night…I have already heard talk of parishes wanting to leave the OCA. Well, that isn’t easy if you own your own property. The OCA can lay claim to it, but if a community is in rented facilities, there is no attachment of the OCA to that rented property. So it is possible under those circumstances that a priest and community could seek canonical protection under another jurisdiction. Let’s pray it never comes to that, but boy this synod is sure giving people more reasons everyday to question if the OCA is legit anymore.