OCA News ceases publication

As has been widely reported, Mark Stokoe's web site ocanews.org has announced it is closing down after almost six years of posts. The raison d'être for the site was to expose the serious corruption then rampant in the upper levels of the OCA mostly centered around the church's former chancellor Robert Kondratick.  Later Stokoe also took on the cult of personality and corruption centered around Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Archdiocese.  More recently the target of the website has been Metropolitan Jonah whose relationship with the Holy Synod and the Metropolitan Council has been severely strained.  (See this earlier post.)  At this years All American Council Metropolitan Jonah apologized and accepted full responsibility for the bad relationship and what he acknowledged as an "administrative disaster."

Quoting Ecclesiastes, Stokoe indicated that it was time to close down the site.  There have also been rumors that he was acting on the orders of his bishop. 

For my part, I thank Mark for his invaluable service to the Church in exposing entrenched corruption at the highest levels of its administration.  I don't think I am overstating things in saying that without him, Kondratick might still be the OCA Chancellor and Herman our Metropolitan.  Likewise, while his campaign to expose the cult of personality and corruption surrounding Met. Philip was less successful, at least he shined a light on some very dark spots that needed illumination.

All of which said, I believe Mark has made the right decision here.  His campaign against Met. Jonah was starting to look rather personal and at times peevish.  Whatever Jonah's shortcomings are (and they appear to be many) there has been no hint of real scandal.  This basically strikes me as a spate of nasty church political infighting.  That is not IMHO an appropriate venue for lay people venting.  Worse his seeming obsession with Met. Jonah gave cause for his own critics and enemies (and a man like him is going to collect them) to strike back.  Suggestions have been made that the real issue was Jonah's social conservatism vs an alleged quasi Episcopalian liberalism on the part of the Synod and people like Stokoe.  His homosexuality was cited as evidence to this effect in an effort to discredit him.

In any event the time is right for this move and I wish Mark well in his future.