All-American Council - 1977 - Montreal - October 25-28, 1977

In Montréal, Québec, Canada, the 5th All-American Council (since autocephaly in 1970) of The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) was convened on 25-28 October, 1977. The Cathedral Parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal was the host parish for the assembly.

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Montréal

The day before the commencement of the 5th All-American Council, on 24 October, 1977, a brief Archdiocesan Assembly of the Archdiocese of Canada was convened in the same hotel.

Until this assembly, the distance between meetings of the All-American Councils (after the 1970 Autocephaly) had been 2 years. Many decisions were required in order to lay a correct and stable foundation for the legal and canonical functioning of the OCA. A decision was taken to make the next assembly of the OCA convene in 1980, in order to mark the 10th anniversary of the granting of autocephaly by the Church of Russia. This began the subsequent 3-year cycle of meetings.

An article about the pending assembly (written by Serge Troubetzkoy) was published in Russian in the October issue of the Parish Leaflet of the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral in Montréal (in Russian), and it may be found here.

A summary of the 5th All-American Council by Alexis P Liberovsky (in English) may be found here.

The following is a translation (from Russian) of the article in preparation for the Council, by Prince Sergei G Troubetzkoy :

 FROM THE HISTORY OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA
 COUNCIL FOR THE ELECTION OF THE FIRST HIERARCH OF THE CHURCH
 
 At first, the Orthodox Church of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska was incorporated as a full-fledged diocese amongst 65 
 dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1900 under the name Diocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America ;  
 and with this change, its Bishop Tikhon (Belavin), the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, received 
 the title of Archbishop.
 
 Before the revolution, all appointments to the dioceses came from the Holy Synod through the Highest (i.e. royal) 
 command.  In America, after the departure of Archbishop Tikhon, 2 Archbishops were installed : Achbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky)  
 (1907-1913) ; and in 1914, Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky), who left for the All-Russian Council in 1917 and never 
 returned to America.
 
 In the Russian Church, the election of the Diocesan Bishop took place in Moscow shortly before the 
 All-Russian Council of 1917.
 
 The Moscow Diocese elected Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin), then of Vilnius, to the vacant see of Metropolitan of Moscow 
 (before the German advance).  It is interesting to state that about 1,000 delegates voted at the assembly.   
 Archbishop Tikhon received about 500 votes to become the Metropolitan of Moscow, and the second candidate, layman 
 A D Samarin, received more than 300 votes.
 
 As was noted, at the time of the revolution, the head of the North American Diocese was Archbishop Evdokim.  In 1917, 
 this diocese, by its size and internal organisation, was considered 17-18th of the 65 Russian dioceses.  This was due 
 to the fact that it included all the ethnic Orthodox groups, and that it was the only diocese in all of America.
 
 Archbishop Evdokim left the Church of Russia for the so-called All-Russian Sobor (that is, to the Living Church, and 
 to schism), and he never returned to his Diocese.  Meanwhile, he had left as temporary administrator in America, his 
 vicar, Bishop Alexander (Nemolovsky). 
 
 Thus, from the end of 1917 to 1919, the North American Diocese remained not only cut off from the Church centre in 
 Russia, but it was left without the financial support that paid for all the church administration, and most 
 importantly without an appointed or elected Head of the Church.  The returning priest delegates from the All-Russian 
 Council were to make a report to the Diocese about the Council.  For this purpose, an All-American Council was 
 convened in Cleveland, Ohio.  The First Sobor (Assembly, Council) had been held in February 1907 in Mayfield, 
 Pennsylvania, with Archbishop Tikhon.  
 
 Although it was convoked for the beginning of 1918, this Second Sobor (Council) could not take place.  Because of the 
 then epidemic of the Spanish Flu, all public meetings in America were then prohibited.  Therefore, the Second Sobor 
 was convened only on the 12-15th of March, 1919.   The first issue that required resolution was the question of the 
 Administration of the Diocese ; and it was decided, following the example of the Moscow Diocese, to elect the 
 Archbishop of the North American Diocese.  A total of 282 delegates came from the USA and Canada : 161 priests, 11 
 laymen, 4 from the Serbs, 3 from Albanians. 
 
 We know from the journal ‘Works of the Church People’s Council’ that on the first day the first election of an 
 Archbishop in America took place.
 
 Archpriest Iaroslav Sechinsky proposed that the Council appoint His Grace Bishop Alexander as Archbishop and head of 
 the North American Mission.  
 
 A formal question was asked : does the Council wish to have Bishop Alexander as its Primate ?
 
 Those present (except for a group of 15-18 people) stood up and sang ‘AXIOS’. 
 
 Bishop Alexander left the assembly hall.  Vice-Chairman Archpriest A Kukulevsky proposed, for the complete 
 correctness of the elections, to conduct them by secret ballot, which yielded the following results :
 For Bishop Alexander, 242 ; for Bishop Stefan, 6 ; for Archbishop Evlogy, 5 ;  for Archpriest I Krakhmal’nov, 1 ;  
 against Bishop Alexander, but without names, 8 ; blank, 6.  
 
 Archpriest A Kukulevsky invited the Most Reverend Bishop Alexander to the hall, and on behalf of the Council informed 
 him, that by the will of the American Orthodox People, by secret ballot, he was elected Archbishop of the North 
 American Diocese.  
 
 Archbishop Alexander expressed thanks for the love and trust of the assembly, and through it all of American Rus’.  He 
 made a low bow.  
 
 The second elected Archbishop and Metropolitan of the North American Diocese was Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky).  
 His service in America is divided into 2 periods.  The first was from 1907 to 1913, with the appointment by the 
 Holy Synod to the North American Diocese.  The second was from 1922 to 1934, following the departure of Archbishop 
 Alexander to Europe.  His unanimous election took place in Pittsburgh in October, 1922. 
 
 He was elected Ruling Bishop of the Diocese with the title of “Metropolitan of All America and Canada”.  
 
 The Third Sobor of 1922 was attended by 115 priests and 60 laymen.  After the Sobor, applications were sent to join 
 the resolution of the Third Sobor from 45 priests and 42 laymen who were elected, but did not come to the assembly.  
 In total, his election was accepted by 160 priests and 102 lay delegates, i.e. 262 votes.  
 
 After the death of Metropolitan Platon in February, 1934, the special Fifth All-American Council was convened in 
 Cleveland, Ohio.  It was attended by : 5 bishops, 93 priests, and 43 lay delegates, a total of 141 delegates. 
 
 The election of the metropolitan took place on the last day of the Council, after the speech of the delegate Dr. 
 Gerovsky, who said : I propose to the Council to recognise Archbishop Theophilus [...] as Metropolitan of the 
 Autonomous Russian Orthodox Church in America.  
 
 The Assembly rose and began to sing ‘Axios’ three times, and ‘Eis polla eti despota’.  The archbishop, in observance 
 of the canonical election, wished to know the will of the episcopate.  The bishops retired to the Altar, and after a 
 meeting, they confirmed the choice of the Sobor. 
 
 Metropolitan Theophilus’ successor was Metropolitan Leonty, who was elected at the Eighth All-American Council in New York
 on 5-8 December, 1950.  There were 231 delegates present : 5 bishops, 149 priests, and 103 laymen.
 
 A rule was developed for this Sobor, according to which the Council chooses candidates by secret ballot ; and the 
 bishops, retiring to the altar, also by secret ballot, choose 1 of the 3 candidates who received the greatest number 
 of votes. 
 
 The Sobor vote yielded the following results : Archbishop Leonty, 239 ; Bishop Dmitry, 8 ; Bishop John (Shakhovskoy),  4 ; 
 Bishop Nikon, 1 ; Metropolitan Anastassy, 1 ; spoiled ballot, 1. 
 
 Six months after the death of Metropolitan Leonty, on 14 May, 1955, an extraordinary Sobor, the 10th Sobor in a row, 
 was convened to elect a metropolitan in accordance with the constitution adopted by the 9th All-American Council in 
 1955.   This procedure determined that the purpose of the vote of the Sobor is to indicate candidates for the
 Metropolitan Chair, by secret ballot of priests and lay representatives.  
 
 For this purpose, each parish of the Church elects a lay-delegate from amongst its members.  If the parish has a 
 second priest on its payroll, the parish may elect a second delegate, (and so forth).  
 
 Bishops have the right and duty to test, confirm, and ordain.  Bishops, like members of the Council, participate in 
 the election of a candidate.  After the election, the bishops retire to the Altar, and there make their decision at 
 the Throne.  The Church Constitution provides for the possibility of 2 votes.  At the first ballot, each member of the 
 Sobor writes one name on his ballot.  If someone’s name receives at least two-thirds of the votes, this name is 
 submitted to the bishops for approval.  This first vote and possible choice, as it were, realises the unity of the 
 Church.  However, the bishops may not approve the elected candidate if there are serious reasons for this.  
 
 If no-one receives two-thirds of the votes, then a second ballot is held.  On the second ballot, the delegates must 
 indicate 2 names.  In this case, as in the first, the bishops retire to the Altar and approve the name of one of the 2 
 candidates who received the largest number of votes.
 
 In this way, Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish) was elected in 1965, at the 12th All-American Sobor.  This Sobor was 
 attended by 9 bishops and 303 delegates (174 priests and 119 laymen).  At the first ballot, 7 candidates were 
 nominated.  The first were Bishop Vladimir with 122 votes, and Archbishop Ireney with 105 votes.  
 
 At the second ballot, thanks to the two-name ballot, the votes doubled, and there were 13 candidates.  The highest 
 votes were for Bishop Vladimir with 203 votes, and for Archbishop Ireney with 131 votes.  
 
 After consultation, and the vote of the 9 bishops at the Altar, Archbishop John of Chicago (as the most senior bishop
 by ordination) came out through the Royal Doors and addressed the Sobor with the following words :
 
 ‘The bishops, taking into account the interests of the Church and Her welfare, as well as the vote of the Sobor, 
 decided to elect by a ballot 1 of the 2 candidates, Bishop Vladimir and Archbishop Ireney.  The result of their 
 vote was 7 for Archbishop Ireney, 2 for Bishop Vladimir’.
 
 During the bishops’ conference in the Altar, the members of the Sobor who had been singing hymns during that time, 
 responded to this with a loud ‘EIS POLLA ETI DESPOTA’.  
 
 According to the same Constitution, without an estimate, the election of a new metropolitan will take place on 25 
 October, 1977, in the city of Montréal, in Canada, at the All-American Council.  The Orthodox Church in America 
 (according to the count from the first Sobor with Bishop Tikhon, this will be the eighteenth Council).
 
 It should be noted that according to the Constitution, the canonical election in the Altar is carried out only by the 
 diocesan ruling bishops, members of the Synod.
 
 At present, our Church has 14 bishops, and all the bishops vote at the Sobor with the delegates.  However, in the 
 Altar, during the final election and confirmation of candidates for metropolitan, only 9 active ruling bishops will 
 take part.
 
 Sergei Troubetzkoy
 New York 1977

— This article was published (in Russian) in the October, 1977 issue (pp. 2-6) of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral leaflet.

As may be understood by this presentation, the manner of electing the First Hierarch of The Orthodox Church in America (and her earlier manifestations as the Diocese of the Aleutians and North America, and the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America) follows the pattern set in 1917 in Moscow for the election of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. It allows for the clergy and the laity of the Church to contribute actively towards this decision (which the bishops themselves must make ultimately).