The Orthodox Church in America is having trouble with persistent and documented reports of gross financial mismanagement in the Metropolitan Church Chancery.

A group calling themselves Orthodox Christians for Accountability has set up a website OCANews detailing their grave concerns, and documenting their assertions.

Archbishop Job of OCAmerica is reported as having written to Metropolitan Herman in November 2005 about the major problem.  OCANews quotes him as saying:

"...I take exception to the explanations given that the financial concerns first brought up in 1999, and now resurrected and augmented in 2005, were discussed and resolved by the Holy Synod and Metropolitan Council as early as 2000. Your Beatitude, the only matter brought to the attention of the Holy Synod and Metropolitan Council was the Metropolitan's 'Discretionary Account". No details were provided ....As a hierarch of the Holy Synod I dealt only with maintaining a principle regarding the nature of a discretionary account...."

The major problem facing OCAmerica is the allegation that millions of US dollars were diverted from their legitimate purpose to a "discretionary fund" controlled by previous Metropolitan Theodosios. Since Church funds donated under US Inland Revenue laws are subject to charitable law, and to both state and federal scrutiny, the problem may prove to be exceedingly embarassing and costly for OCAmerica.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has previously been widely reported as having similar problems.

Orthodox Christians for Accountability insist all financial records and transactions must be transparent.  They say the days of Oriental Despots squirreling away funds to use however and whenever they like, must end. 

All bishops need to realise they are stewards of God's property and are accountable to God and His people for the correct use of the funds. If bishops, priests, and parish councils, are not willing to have truthful accounts kept of all church finances, then they are indulging in deceit on a grand scale.

Simony, fraud, and theft, must end, they say.

Also see Report of 28 March 2006