To the Editor:

I am a longtime reader of The National Herald and recently became an online subscriber, too, but I am concerned by the articles and comments concerning the financial issues affecting the Archdiocese and calls for the retirement of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios. Just because a person reaches a certain age does not mean they should be kicked out of their job. As long as the mind is sharp and the person active, they should be able to continue working for the time God has allotted them on this earth if that is what they wish to do. It is different if there are health concerns, of course. I am sure the Archbishop is doing his best in trying times. The idea that a new Archbishop will solve all the problems of the Archdiocese is a silly notion, especially when other choices for the job, according to some suggestions and comments I have heard and read, are not known for their ability to work well with other people as our current Archbishop is.

If there were transparency from the start about the finances maybe the Archdiocese would be in better shape. It doesn’t seem fair that so many people should lose their jobs because there is this problem with the finances. I wish good luck to all those who lost their jobs. Still, maybe it is for the best for some of them, as the saying goes, when God closes a door, He opens a window.

Paraskevi Z. Pappas

Seattle, WA