November 1, 2017

My Beloved Priests, Monastics, Archons, Ambassadors, Philoptochos Presidents, Members of the Metropolis Council, Parish Council Presidents and Esteemed Members, And all the Faithful of Metropolis of Atlanta,  

Nearly two weeks ago in New York, I was privileged to hear in greater detail, the plans the Archdiocese has put in place to correct its present financial situation. While the details of these steps are available for all to read on the official Archdiocese website, I feel it is my responsibility as your Metropolitan to give you some of the broad facts, in order to calm any misinformation surrounding the situation.

Plainly, much of the reason for the deficit stems from a lack of oversight, and excessive spending in various Archdiocesan departments. Therefore, beginning in August of this year, staffing was reduced, and expenses such as cell phones were either eliminated, or in the case of travel accounts, severely restricted.

In an effort to ensure that the proper controls are in place, new appointments have been made. These include His Grace Bishop Andonios, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, now acting also as Director of Administration, and Fr. Soterios Baroody as the first Chief Financial Officer of the Archdiocese. In addition to a Master of Divinity Degree, Fr. Baroody also holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration, as well as a Master of Accounting Degree. This newly created position means that the Director of Administration will no longer oversee finances in any way.

Since Fr. Baroody’s appointment in April 2017, his findings determined that the Archdiocese was operating with a deficit of approximately $4 million to $5 million dollars. Apart from the cost-cutting measures and restructuring, new qualified appointments have been made to serve on the Archdiocesan Audit Council through July 2018, when an independent Audit Committee (to be made up of CPAs and auditors) will be created as part of the Clergy Laity Congress. Furthermore, thanks to the generosity of two firms, a forensic audit concerning St. Nicholas will also be undertaken.

Allow me to also stress that transfers which were made from restricted accounts to cover the deficit have ceased, and will  not reoccur, thanks to both the above mentioned positions, and further controls that are now in place.

While I understand the hurt and mistrust these actions can sow, I humbly remind you that the Archdiocese can only grow on this new path of transparency and proper boundaries, if we as parishes and Metropolises continue to uplift its good work. In this spirit of mutual understanding, I personally wish to stress that the Archdiocesan Council has accepted the Eparchial Synod’s recommendation that there be no increase in allocations for 2018; whatever allocations your community paid to the Archdiocese in 2017 shall remain in place. I support the Archdiocese’s efforts on this new path, and I pray that in a spirit of love and understanding, you will continue your support along with me.

In closing, I would like to leave you with the words of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America who writes, “While the pain and the memory of our past insufficiencies and mistakes will always remain with us, we are aware that we are a Church that does not preach despair, but rather, hope.  Having this hope as our sure and steadfast anchor (Heb. 6:19), we echo the inspiring words of St. Paul:  Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, we press on towards the goal  (Phil. 3:13-14)”.

I remain with love and blessings,
 
Paternally yours in our Lord,
 
+ A L E X I O S
Metropolitan of Atlanta