Metropolitan Joseph (L) and Patriarch John of Antioch (R)

As Metropolitan Al-Zehlaoui announced in his letter of yesterday, he flies to Lebanon today for a meeting with Patriarch John of Antioch on Tuesday, September 6. The entire Orthodox world is placing its trust in the Patriarch’s pledge of August 28 to act swiftly, decisively, and transparently in the matter of the Metropolitan Joseph Scandal. (See the Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in our Archives 2020-22 linked at the top of this page.) It was concerning to see the Metropolitan publish a pastoral message to the Antiochian Archdiocese as if nothing was amiss on September 2, a full five days after the Patriarch’s reassurances, when he should have been suspended from his duties immediately, pending the outcome of a legitimate investigation. Credible allegations of long-term affairs with married women under his spiritual care (we now have the names of two with whom Al-Zehlaoui co-owns properties; who will be surprised if more surface?), and the consequent destruction of marriages and families, would have gotten any lesser cleric suspended on the spot.  Why the delay with Al-Zehlaoui? Read More

For context see the voluminous Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in our Archives 2020-22 linked at the top of this page. Patriarch John and Metropolitan Joseph can rest assured that they have not heard the end of this.

Read More

Metropolitan Joseph (Al-Zehlaoui)

Buzz Learn, a website where one goes to “learn about celebrities,” contains a page for Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. While Orthodoxy in Dialogue cannot verify the source or the accuracy of Buzz Learn’s information, we share the link with our readers around the globe as relevant to any investigation of the Metropolitan’s activities. The link to his Buzz Learn profile was sent to us by one of our concerned readers.

The site describes Al-Zehlaoui as “a successful Bishop” and one of the richest people from Syria, having made his millions “from his primary career as a Bishop.”

(Insider sources at Englewood consider the Buzz Learn figures to be dated, and estimate $15,000,000-$20,000,000 as more accurate.)

Read More

The following observations were sent to Orthodoxy in Dialogue this morning by a highly placed layperson with contacts in parishes throughout the Antiochian Archdiocese. For context see the Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in our Archives 2020-22 section linked at the top of this page.

Metropolitan Joseph (Al-Zehlaoui)

I’ve been speaking to lots of people about the scandal. The general story of the average parishioner goes like this: When Orthodoxy in Dialogue published the email, everyone was shocked and most would call their priest. Most priests, certainly not all, would say that Orthodoxy in Dialogue is run by a disgruntled LGBTQI+ member.

When you published the story of the homes Metropolitan Joseph owns, even the priests were stunned. That won credibility. Read More