In 1927 the Russian Orthodox Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate canonically Chartered the American Church under the name "THE HOLY EASTERN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC CHURCH in NORTH AMERICA".
Archbishop Aftimios Ofiesh, a canonical Orthodox bishop on the Russian Synod was named to head this new church.
In 1928 the Archbishop incorporated the Church making it a legal entity in "the new world" or North America.
The original Charter listed the short name as the "American Orthodox Catholic Church" and under the law this name was one of our legal names after we had it for 5 years so by April 1933 when the Archbishop married the Church names were and are our legal property.
Many independents use this name but they are clearly not orthodox and that can easily be proven.
Today the ethnic clergy who edit the orthodoxwiki website about this Church continue to *publish false claims about Abp. Ofiesh, his synod, this Church then and today. They have fially published so much false information that their timeline shows they violated the Canons more than once. One false claim is that due to Abp. Ofiesh's marriage this Church was not recognized - they do not explain what the reasons were for ignoring this Church since 1927 until the marriage could be used as an excuse.
Why would a Bishop who congratulated his Archbishop on his marriage later act against the canons? Today they report the *Archbishop retired and/or deposed himself and also claim that Bishop Sophronius suspend his archbishop contrary to the canons? Since the Archbishops widow *reported the Archbishop intended to serve as a married bishop this contradicts such claims. We have a photo of the Archbishop in his living room wearing his robe showing he was still acting as Archbishop.
Since no tribunal was ever called during the Archbishops lifetime he was never formally accused of anything and was never formally convicted of any violation of the canons.
Two of our bisops *claimed that the canon on married bishops was a European and Asiatic canon that had no bearing on the American Church. This would appear to show this Church did not adopt that canon. A Greek priest and author has also written that not all churches adopted that canon!
To attack a canonical orthodox Church violated the canons. To attempt to destroy a canonical sister Church for uncanonical reasons is wrong, unchristian and doing the devils work.
The ethnic jurisdictions who came to North America established SCOBA. At this time these Scoba Churches (operating in our canonical jurisdiction) have no sacramental authority since they cause and are separated from the canonical American Church.
The Moscow Patriarchate under Abp. Platon turned their back on us also and in 1970 became party to this Schism even more when they Chartered the O.C.A. as the second American Church.
Archbishop Victor
Patriarchal Vicar and Archivist
About the SCOBA jurisdictions and their Schism;