BEYOND THE PALE OF NAUSEATING: ADULTEROUS, PREDATORY, FORMER METROPOLITAN’S FINAL AUTO-HAGIOGRAPHY

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For context see the Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in our Archives 2020-22 linked at the top of this page.
The following interminable exercise in self-adulation appeared earlier today on the website of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Al- Zehlaoui manifests not a trace of a spirit of repentance, no hint of remorse for the families he has destroyed, not a word of apology to Ms. Helena Ditko (name used with her consent) and his other sexual conquests. He continues to embarrass himself and everyone else by portraying himself as a saintly victim. He is not. 
Most outrageous of all is that this garbage was allowed to appear on the Archdiocese’s website. It shines a stark light on the Patriarchate’s farcical handling of this scandal after Orthodoxy in Dialogue had repeatedly urged the cynics and skeptics among our readers to trust the Patriarch and the Synod to do the right thing. It turns out that the cynics and skeptics were right.
Why the delay of almost a week since the date of the letter? There seems to be something “planned” even in that.
Hey, Joe. You may not be deposed de jure, but you most certainly are deposed de facto in the eyes of everyone. No one wants to hear from you anymore. You will go down in the history of the Archdiocese and the Patriarchate as a fraud and a disgrace to the Church. Orthodoxy in Dialogue thanks God for its part in bringing you to a semblance of justice. You’re not a bad-looking dude for an old man. Put on a pair of dad jeans and hit up the local bars in Post Falls. Surely you’ll find a chick or two who would love a tour of your country estate.

nodonot (2)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2022
A Message from [former] Metropolitan Joseph

October 20, 2022

Beloved in Christ,

“Christ is in our midst!” “He is and always will be!”

By God’s mercy, the Holy Synod of Antioch at their regular meeting which concluded on October 17, 2022, agreed to accept my retirement from the position as Metropolitan of All North America. I now greet you publicly for the last time. Recognizing that this is not a spiritual retirement, we continue to train spiritually throughout our lives for God’s pleasure comforted in the knowledge that He never wastes His creation.

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PATRIARCHAL VICAR APPOINTED FOR ANTIOCHIAN ARCHDIOCESE’S POST-AL-ZEHLAOUI TRANSITION

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For context see the Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in our Archives 2020-22 linked at the top of this page. Patriarch John’s announcement of the new Patriarchal Vicar is conveyed in these two documents dated today. The 52-year old Vicar’s biography and Orthodoxy in Dialogue’s commentary follow below.
Note the vacancy in the former Metropolitan’s position on the Executive Committee of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. (ADDENDUM 10/28/22: The vacancy has been filled—temporarily, we presume—by Metropolitan Antonios, Patriarchal Vicar to the Antiochian Archdiocese.)

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SEXUAL PREDATOR AND “FORMER METROPOLITAN” FINALLY DITCHED FROM LITURGICAL COMMEMORATION

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For context see the Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in our Archives 2020-22 linked at the top of this page. We note that the website of the Antiochian Archdiocese announced the former Metropolitan’s “retirement” almost six hours after Orthodoxy in Dialogue reported it. We are told that Orthodoxy in Dialogue has become the main source for updates and commentary on the scandal for clergy and laity alike.
We look forward to the expeditious removal of all images, hagiography, and writings of the “former Metropolitan” from the Archdiocese’s website.
ADDENDUM 10/18/22: Except for news reports involving his work and travels around the Archdiocese over the years, the former Metropolitan has vanished from the website of the Archdiocese some time today after we called for his removal therefrom.

nodonot (2)

His Grace Bishop John, chairman of the Temporary Operating Committee for the Oversight of the Archdiocesan Office, along with the committee members, writes:

Brother Bishops, reverend Clergy, and esteemed Members of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees,

Today, His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X of Antioch informed us that he and the Holy Synod of Antioch have accepted and ratified the retirement request of His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, who is now retired with the title “Former Metropolitan.”

At the same meeting of the Holy Synod, the pending retirement request of His Grace Bishop BASIL was also approved.

Please find attached to this email three items in Arabic and English:

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THE GREATEST SCANDAL OF ALL COMES FROM THE HOLY SYNOD: ADULTEROUS, PREDATORY, FAMILY-DESTROYING METROPOLITAN FACES NO CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS ACTIONS, TREATED SAME AS OTHER RETIRED BISHOP

1 Comment
For context see the Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in the Archives 2020-22 linked at the top of this page.

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The Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch

Shame on you, Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East. Shame on you, Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch. You have brought disgrace to the Church of Christ and compounded the current scandal a hundredfold. The faithful trusted you. You have let them down. Anaxios! Anaxios! Anaxios!

The Patriarchate posted the following two Decisions to its Facebook page at approximately noon local time today. The PDFs follow below. The adulterous, family-destroying sexual predator Joseph Al-Zehlaoui’s “request” for “retirement” has been accepted and treated no differently from that of the much beloved Bishop Basil (Essey), who has never caused any scandal or brought any shame to the Archdiocese, the Patriarchate, or the Church. As of this writing (8:30 a.m. Englewood time), these announcements have not been posted to the website of the Antiochian Archdiocese despite their having been issued yesterday. Read More