Fr Hans’ point can’t be discounted however. Other than the Holy Synod of the OCA, the absence of moral courage in the “American” episcopate is stunning. They at least have the courage to appear on the Mall every year with Catholic, Evangelical, and observant Jewish clergymen to fight for first principles. The rebuilding of St Nicholas is tertiary for sure, but it derives from a clear understanding of a correct anthropology, which you don’t exhibit if you don’t understand that the child in the womb is a human being.

Fr. Hans: I know that old Archbishop Iakovos wouldn’t have missed this tremendous chance to rally positive energy. This is the fellow that saw a moment to balance the risks and to take them and so generate pride and respect lasting generations for marching with Martin L King in Selma.

Can you imagine the support if ground zero got filled up with Orthodox and other folk who rally for the importance of getting the only flattened church rebuilt at ground zero? Any politician on the wrong side of that would quickly come to Jesus or remember a thing they ought to have done Nov 3rd. The media would be all over it and exactly what negative could they possibly say with all the pictures of the service to offer, people stepping on construction debris as they try to go where the altar once was.

It would be the time to announce a behind-the-scenes deal to get the church built, it might just demonstrate whether moderate muslims want to prove they exist by contributing in a major way to rebuilding the church.

Or, you know, they could produce a fellow with an incomprehensible title who looks like a black-cloth version of a native american battle chief minus the feathers miffing about being not being called back after all this time, woe the wee damsel pesky phones on the fritz again.

I wish it were different but I have been waiting a long time. I’d like to be proven wrong but I don’t think I will be.

Now THAT would do a whole lot of good for everybody. It would provide media focus, it would provide inspiration, it would provide a platform for clarity and all manner of helpful opportunity.

Or do we need permission from overseas old patriarchates to consider the matter at the next foriegn-control episcopal cementbly first? Or is this something the EP can order without having to check? Or, well, is it still okay to sneeze in English?

Oops. Mistake. Corrected it.