Pittsburgh Archdiocesan Council meets with Metropolitan Jonah, Bishop Tikhon
The Archdiocesan Council of the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania met with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and His Grace, Bishop Tikhon, Bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, Locum Tenens of the Archdiocese, after the celebration of Lenten Vespers at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral here on Sunday, March 22, 2009.
At the meeting, it was confirmed that the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America will take action at its spring session, slated to be held at the OCA Chancery Tuesday, March 31 to Thursday, April 2, on the election of Archimandrite Melchizadek [Pleska], the Archdiocese’s nominee to fill the episcopal see left vacant by the repose of His Eminence, Archbishop Kyrill.
In addition, it was stated that the Holy Synod will act expeditiously to address the Archdiocesan Council’s other immediate concerns with regard to the spiritual life and good order of the Archdiocese, including pending diocesan ordinations.
With regard to concerns that the Archdiocese might be merged with the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Jonah stated in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “the consensus of the meeting last night was that the merging of the two dioceses was not a realistic possibility, at least not at this time.”
The complete Post-Gazette article may be accessed here.