Editing Orthodox Church in America (section)

==History==
=== Missionary work ===
The first [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Eskaleut peoples]] to become Eastern Orthodox Christians were the [[Aleut]]s living in contact with Siberian fur traders in the mid 18th century. They had been baptized mostly by their Eastern Orthodox trading partners or during occasional visits by priests serving aboard exploring vessels of the Russian navy. A [[Russian colonization of the Americas|Russian colony]] in Alaska was established in 1784 by merchant [[Grigory Shelikhov]]. Shelikhov's attempt to colonize Kodiak Island was met with resistance by the native population. He returned to Russia and installed [[Alexandr Baranov]] as director of the colony. In order to convince the Russian imperial court of the seriousness of his colonial ambitions, Shelikhov recruited volunteers from the [[Valaam Monastery]], an environment that appears strikingly similar to the Kodiak archipelago's landscape, as well as the [[Konevsky Monastery]], to travel to the new colony.{{refn|name="stokoe"|{{Cite book |last1=Stokoe |first1=Mark |url={{GBurl|id=LGaQAAAAMAAJ}} |title=Orthodox Christians in North America 1794–1994 |last2=Kishkovsky |first2=Leonid |date=1995 |publisher=Orthodox Christian Publications Center |isbn=978-0-8664-2053-2 |language=en-US |lccn=95032128 |ol=796242M |access-date=2022-04-18}}}}

The volunteers, led by [[Archimandrite]] [[Joasaph Bolotov]], departed [[Saint Petersburg]] on 21 December 1793, and arrived at Kodiak Island on 24 September 1794. When they arrived, they were shocked by the [[Awa'uq Massacre|harsh treatment]] of the Kodiak natives at the hands of the Russian settlers and Baranov. They sent reports to Shelikhov detailing the abuse of the local population, but were ignored. In response, however, the [[Most Holy Synod|Holy Synod]] created an auxiliary [[episcopal see]] in Alaska in 1796, and elected Fr. Joasaph as [[bishop]].{{refn|name="joasaph"|{{Cite web |title=His Grace, Bishop Joasaph (Bolotov): Bishop of Kodiak, Auxiliary of the Irkutsk Diocese |url=https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/joasaph-bolotov |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807223136/https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/joasaph-bolotov |archive-date=2020-08-07 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}  Fr. Joasaph and a small party returned to Russia in 1798 for his consecration and to offer first-hand accounts of what they had seen. During their return voyage to the colony in May 1799, their ship sank and all aboard died.{{r|joasaph}} In 1800, Baranov placed the remaining monks under [[house arrest]] and forbade them to have any further contact with the local population.{{r|stokoe}}

Despite the lack of leadership, the Eastern Orthodox mission in Alaska continued to grow. In 1811, however, the Holy Synod officially closed the episcopal see.{{r|joasaph}} It was not until 1823 that the Holy Synod sent instructions for a new priest to travel to Alaska. John Veniaminov of [[Irkutsk]] volunteered for the journey, and left Russia in May 1823. He and his family arrived at [[Unalaska Island]] on 29 July 1824.{{refn|name="innocent"|{{Cite web |title=His Grace, Bishop Innocent (Veniaminov) of Alaska: Equal to the Apostles of North America |url=https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/innocent-of-alaska |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403174052/https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/innocent-of-alaska |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}  In 1840, after the death of his wife, Veniaminov accepted monastic [[tonsure]] and, taking the name Innocent, ordination as the Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands, making him the first ruling bishop of the Alaskan mission since Bishop Joasaph. [[Innocent of Alaska|Bishop Innocent]] was elevated to [[archbishop]] in 1850. For his missionary and scholarly work that had focused on blending indigenous Alaskan languages and cultures with Orthodox tradition, Innocent became a [[saint]] of the Eastern Orthodox Church in America in 1977, and is referred to as the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas.{{r|stokoe}}

===Growth===
In 1868, the first Orthodox church in the [[contiguous United States]] was established in [[San Francisco, California]]. From the late 19th century until World War I, there was a wave of immigration to the U.S. Within this wave of new people, were immigrants from traditionally Orthodox Christian regions of the world. There were many immigrants from the [[Russian Empire|Russian]] and [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] Empires, who formed the backbone of the diocese. Numerous parishes were established across the country throughout the rest of the 19th century. Although these parishes were typically multi-ethnic, most received support from the missionary diocese. In 1872 the diocesan see was relocated from Alaska to the city of [[San Francisco, California]] in the United States. The mission itself was instituted as a separate Diocese of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands on June 10, 1870, subsequent to the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867.{{r|stokoe}}{{refn|name="popov"|{{Cite web |title=His Grace, Bishop Paul (Popov): Bishop of Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka), Auxiliary of the Kamchatka Diocese |url=https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/paul-popov |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023060229/https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/paul-popov |archive-date=2015-10-23 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}  In November 1870, the first Eastern Orthodox church in [[New York City]] was consecrated.{{r|popov}}

[[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholicism]] was viewed with suspicion by several [[Latin Church]] bishops in the United States; some, such as Archbishop [[John Ireland (bishop)|John Ireland]] of [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], were actually hostile, especially concerning the matter of married clergy. In 1891, [[Alexis Toth]] brought a group of 361 Eastern Catholics into Eastern Orthodoxy. From then until his death in 1909, Toth brought approximately 20,000 Eastern Catholics from 65 independent communities to Eastern Orthodoxy. By 1917, 163 Eastern Catholic parishes consisting of more than 100,000 faithful had been converted. For his efforts, Toth was [[Glorification#Eastern Orthodox Church|glorified]] as a saint by the OCA in 1994.{{r|stokoe}}

[[Image:1st All-American Sobor.jpg|thumb|left|The first All-American Sobor was held March 5–7, 1907.]]
In recognition of the expansion of the church beyond Alaska, Bishop [[Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow|Tikhon (Belavin)]] petitioned the Holy Synod to change the diocese's title to the ''Diocese of the Aleutians and North America''. This was approved in February 1900.{{refn|name="tikhon"|{{Cite web |title=His Grace, Bishop Tikhon (Bellavin) of Moscow: Patriarch and Confessor of Moscow, Enlightener of North America |url=https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/tikhon-bellavin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220419023733/https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/past-primates/tikhon-bellavin |archive-date=2022-04-19 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}  He consecrated [[Innocent Pustynsky|Innocent (Pustynsky)]] as auxiliary bishop for Alaska in 1903, and in 1904 he consecrated [[Raphael of Brooklyn|Raphael Hawaweeny]] to administer to the Arab parishes. In 1905, Bishop Tikhon relocated the diocesan administration from San Francisco to New York City.{{r|stokoe}}

In a report to the Holy Synod that year, Bishop Tikhon proposed dramatic changes in the operation of the diocese. Recognizing the needs of the growing multi-ethnic Orthodox community, he recommended reforming the missionary diocese into a self-supporting American diocese, composed of numerous ethnic auxiliary dioceses. His plan called for Russian (New York), Arab (Brooklyn), Serbian (Chicago), and Greek dioceses. Additionally, he called for the formation of a governing council, composed of [[clergy]] and [[laity]], which would meet to discuss administrative and canonical issues. On 5 March 1907, the first All-American [[Synod#Orthodox|Sobor]] convened in [[Mayfield, Pennsylvania]]. Following Archbishop Tikhon's reassignment to Russia that year, however, few of his reforms were implemented.{{r|stokoe}}{{refn|name="sobor"|{{Cite web |last=Liberovsky |first=Alexis |title=The 1st All-American Sobor: How to Expand the Mission |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-1st-all-american-sobor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306203057/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-1st-all-american-sobor |archive-date=2022-03-06 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}

During this period, education and charity was a focus of the diocese. In 1905, Archbishop Tikhon oversaw the creation of an Eastern Orthodox [[seminary]] in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]. St. Platon's Seminary moved from Minneapolis to [[Tenafly, New Jersey]], in 1912 and enrolled 78 students from then until 1923. In 1916, an [[School accreditation#Unaccredited institutions|unaccredited]] Russian women's college was established in Brooklyn. An immigrant society and orphanage also were established, as well as the first Orthodox monasteries in the United States ([[Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary|Saint Tikhon's Monastery]] for men in 1905 and Holy Virgin Protection for women in 1915).{{r|stokoe}}

By 1917, the American diocese was the largest in the Russian Orthodox Church. It had grown from ten parishes in 1890 to more than 350. Most of the funding for the diocese was provided by Russian Church, via the Imperial Missionary Society. The connections between the American diocese and the Russian Church would be severely compromised by the events of that year.{{r|stokoe}}

===Revolution and turmoil===
[[Image:Albanian Orthodox Church in Worcester.jpg|thumb|The Albanian Orthodox Church in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]]]]

The [[Russian Revolution of 1917]] and the subsequent establishment of the [[Communism|Communist]] [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] government ushered in a period of repression for the Russian Orthodox Church. Church property was confiscated and, when Patriarch Tikhon resisted, he was imprisoned from April 1922 until June 1923.{{r|tikhon}} On 20 November 1920, Patriarch Tikhon formally authorized Russian Orthodox bishops to set up temporarily independent organizations, until such time as normal communications with and governance from the patriarchate could be restored.{{r|ukaz362}}

Ethnic groups within the American diocese began to re-align themselves with other national churches. In 1918, a group of [[Ukrainians]] in [[Canada]] formed the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada|Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church in Canada]], and in 1922, the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]] was established. In 1926, the Serbs aligned with the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]].{{refn|name="ware"|{{Cite book |last=Ware |first=Timothy |url={{GBurl|id=f7D-5Q-Q19MC}} |title=The Orthodox Church |date=1993 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=978-0-1401-4656-1 |edition=2nd |oclc=1042829166 |ol=7348766M |author-link=Kallistos (Ware)}}}} As a result of the realignments, [[Aftimios (Ofiesh)]] and Platon chartered the [[American Orthodox Catholic Church]] in 1927.{{refn|{{Cite web |title=The Collapse of the Immigrant Church |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/orthodox-christians-na/chapter-5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006033423/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/orthodox-christians-na/chapter-5 |archive-date=2020-10-06 |access-date=2020-09-21 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}{{refn|{{Cite web |last=Woerl |first=Michael |date=July 2016 |title=Archbishop Aftimios (Ofiesh, d. July 1966) of Brooklyn |url=http://www.rocorstudies.org/2016/12/01/archbishop-aftimios-abdullah-ofiesh-22-october-1880-24-july-1966/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006033328/https://www.rocorstudies.org/2016/12/01/archbishop-aftimios-abdullah-ofiesh-22-october-1880-24-july-1966/ |archive-date=2020-10-06 |access-date=2020-09-21 |website=ROCOR Studies |language=en-US}}}}

In Soviet Russia, a splinter group known as the [[Living Church]] gained official state recognition in place of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1922. In the United States, a group of Living Church clergy led by John Kedrovsky attempted to [[Deposition (politics)|depose]] ruling American hierarch Bishop [[Alexander (Nemolovsky)]]. Bishop Alexander, in addition to the political and ethnic struggles of his diocese, had also to deal with mounting Church debt as a result of the loss of funds from the Russian Church. He was forced to [[Mortgage law|mortgage]] Church property to pay [[creditor]]s and was replaced, in 1922, by Archbishop [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky)]], who had previously served as archbishop of the diocese from 1907 to 1914.{{r|stokoe}}

After Archbishop Platon's return, he was elected Metropolitan of All America and Canada at the third All-American Sobor in November 1922.{{refn|name="pittsburgh"|{{Cite web |last=Liberovsky |first=Alexis |title=The 3rd All-American Sobor |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-3rd-all-american-sobor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930055434/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-3rd-all-american-sobor |archive-date=2020-09-30 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}} Soon after, Communist authorities in Russia (in collaboration with the Living Church) attempted to seize church assets in the United States. In response, the fourth All-American Sobor convened in April 1924. During the Sobor, the historic step of declaring the North American diocese to be temporarily self-governing was taken. This was meant to be necessary only until relations with the Russian Church could be normalized, and the justification for the move was the earlier decree by Patriarch Tikhon.{{r|stokoe}}{{refn|name="detroit"|{{Cite web |last=Liberovsky |first=Alexis |title=The 4th All-American Sobor |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-4th-all-american-sobor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701144705/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-4th-all-american-sobor |archive-date=2021-07-01 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}} The diocese was officially incorporated as the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America.{{refn|name="twentieth"|{{Cite book |last=Hopko |first=Thomas |title=The Orthodox Faith |isbn=978-0-86642-087-7 |volume=3 |language=en-US |chapter=Orthodoxy in America, Part One: From the Russian Mission to the OCA |year=2016 |publisher=St Vladimir's Seminary Press |author-link=Thomas Hopko |access-date=2022-04-19 |chapter-url=https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/church-history/twentieth-century/orthodoxy-in-america-part-one-from-the-russian-mission-to-the-oca |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722193227/https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/church-history/twentieth-century/orthodoxy-in-america-part-one-from-the-russian-mission-to-the-oca |archive-date=2021-07-22 |url-status=live}}}}

Despite the conditions set out by Tikhon's decree for this temporary autonomy not being met, the American diocese of the Russian church declared self-governance in 1924, against the protests of the patriarchate, with which it had communication and which was capable of governance had its American branch been willing. The refusal of the American branch to submit to the patriarchate thus based itself officially on a document whose conditions it had not met. In reality, however, it was a fear of Communism and a belief that the patriarchate had been compromised which fueled the rebellion, paired with a desire on the part of the Metropolia to dissociate itself from the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] (ROCOR) of which it had allegedly been part.{{refn|name="ROCOR/OCA"|{{OrthodoxWiki link|ROCOR and OCA}}}}

Despite the declaration of self-governance, Kedrovsky and the Living Church were awarded the church's diocesan cathedral in New York City. To prevent further loss of property, the diocese allowed individual parishes to take ownership of their properties, which made them effectively independent. This, combined with the increasing number of ethnic parishes aligning themselves with other Orthodox jurisdictions (as well as some non-Orthodox), led to a unique situation in Orthodox America whereby multiple jurisdictions overlapped geographically. The remainder of the American Church became known informally as the Metropolia (or under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan). Following Patriarch Tikhon's death, the Russian Orthodox Church, led by [[Patriarch Sergius I of Moscow|Metropolitan Sergius]], began cooperating with the Soviet government. In 1933, the Russian Church declared the Metropolia to be schismatic.{{r|stokoe}}

A third Russian church, the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad]] (also known as the Karlovtsy Synod and later, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia or ROCOR), formed in 1921. The synod saw itself as representing all Russian Orthodox abroad, including the Metropolia. The Metropolia cooperated with the synod at first but severed relations with them in 1926, citing the synod's increasing claims of authority in America. The synod, for its part, suspended Metropolitan Platon and his clergy.{{r|twentieth}} In 1935, an agreement entitled "Temporary Regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad" was signed that normalized relations between the Metropolia and the ROCOR. The 6th All-American Sobor, held in 1937, affirmed that while the Metropolia remained autonomous, it reported to the ROCOR in matters of faith.{{r|stokoe|ware}}{{refn|name="sixth"|{{Cite web |last=Liberovsky |first=Alexis |title=The 6th All-American Sobor |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-6th-all-american-sobor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404013621/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-6th-all-american-sobor |archive-date=2022-04-04 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}

The ROCOR, forced to leave [[Yugoslavia]] toward the end of [[World War II]], eventually established its base of operations in New York City. In 1946, it was decided at the 7th All-American Sobor that the Metropolia would sever its ties with the ROCOR and attempt to return to the Patriarchate of Moscow. This return was proposed with the stipulation that the Metropolia be allowed to retain its autonomy. When this condition was not met, the Metropolia continued as a self-governing church.{{r|stokoe|ware}}{{refn|name="seventh"|{{Cite web |last=Liberovsky |first=Alexis |title=The 7th All-American Sobor |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-7th-all-american-sobor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055940/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-7th-all-american-sobor |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}

Although there were periodic attempts at reconciliation between the Metropolia and the Russian Church over the next few decades, no serious progress was made. During this time, the ethnic character of the Metropolia began to change. Since many Russian immigrants to America aligned themselves with the vocally anti-Communist ROCOR, the Metropolia experienced its growth increasingly through the addition of English-speaking [[Religious conversion|converts]]. As a result, the ethnic makeup of the Metropolia began to shift away from a purely [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] one that had included mainly Russians, [[Ukrainians]], [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]]ns,{{clarify|date=June 2017}} and [[Rusyns]].{{r|stokoe}}

===Move toward unity and independence===
Prior to the 13th All-American Sobor in November 1967, a proposal was prepared to change the name of the church from the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America to the "Orthodox Church in America".  The Council of Bishops, already aware of the proposal, forbade a vote on the matter. After much debate however, a non-binding [[straw poll]] was permitted. The result of the poll was decidedly in favor of the name change. As a result, the decision to deal with the matter at another Sobor (to be held in two years) was made.{{r|stokoe}}{{refn|name="thirteenth"|{{Cite web |last=Liberovsky |first=Alexis |title=The 13th All-American Sobor |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-13th-all-american-sobor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801020342/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-13th-all-american-sobor |archive-date=2019-08-01 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}

In the early 1960s, the Metropolia resumed communication with the Patriarch of Moscow. In 1968, the Metropolia and the Russian Church communicated informally to resolve long-standing differences. Representatives from the Metropolia sought the right of self-governance, as well as the removal of Russian jurisdiction from all matters concerning the American Church. Official negotiations on the matter began in 1969. On 10 April 1970, [[Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow|Patriarch Alexius I]] and fourteen bishops of the Russian Church's Holy Synod signed the official ''Tomos of Autocephaly'', which made the newly renamed Orthodox Church in America the fifteenth autocephalous Orthodox Church.{{r|stokoe|twentieth}} The name change, as well as the granting of autocephaly, was officially accepted at the 14th All-American Sobor (also known as the 1st All-American Council in recognition of the Church's new-found independence) in October 1970.{{refn|name="fourteenth"|{{Cite web |last=Liberovsky |first=Alexis |title=The 14th All-American Sobor / The 1st All-American Council |url=https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-1st-all-american-council |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404035815/https://www.oca.org/history-archives/aacs/the-1st-all-american-council |archive-date=2022-04-04 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}}

The granting of autocephaly by the Moscow Patriarchate was strongly condemned by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as an act that exceeded the former′s authority and violated the canons.{{refn|name="athenagletter"|{{Cite web |date=2018-09-21 |title=1970 Letter from Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras on Autocephaly |url=https://orthodoxhistory.org/2018/09/21/1970-letter-from-ecumenical-patriarch-athenagoras-on-autocephaly/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504161149/https://orthodoxhistory.org/2018/09/21/1970-letter-from-ecumenical-patriarch-athenagoras-on-autocephaly/ |archive-date=2019-05-04 |website=Orthodox History}}}} [[Apologetics|Apologists]] for the OCA's autocephaly claim that the decree did not need the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as it was an internal matter for the Russian Orthodox Church to decide. Many autocephalous churches, the Russian Church included, were not recognized as such for many years, albeit their autocephaly was granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.{{r|recognition|theodosius}} All canonical Orthodox churches recognize the OCA as [[canon law|canonical]] and its sacraments as valid, however.

The OCA was a member of the [[Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America]] (SCOBA), together with the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]], the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]] (AOCA) and the other member jurisdictions. In 2010, SCOBA was dissolved with the creation of the new [[Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America]], which was mandated by Orthodox patriarchates in 2009 at a meeting in Switzerland. Serious consideration has been given recently to a possible merger between the OCA and the AOCA. Both groups share a significant common history, in that a Syrian priest, [[Raphael of Brooklyn|Raphael Hawaweeny]], was sent by the [[Moscow Patriarchate]] in the late 19th century as a missionary to [[Arab Christians|Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians]] living in North America. Raphael was ordained a bishop in 1904, and his flock eventually became the AOCA. Bishop Raphael was canonized in March 2000 by the OCA as St. Raphael of [[Brooklyn]].

===Financial scandal===
{{Main|Financial scandal in the Orthodox Church in America}}
In 2005, former [[treasurer]], [[Protodeacon]] Eric Wheeler publicly accused the OCA administration of financial misconduct.  Wheeler alleged that millions of dollars in donations to the church were improperly used for personal expenses or to cover shortfalls in church accounts.{{refn|name="Washington"|{{Cite news |last=Cooperman |first=Alan |date=2006-02-26 |title=Accusations of Misused Money Roil Orthodox Church |language=en-US |page=A09 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/25/AR2006022501266.html |url-status=live |access-date=2006-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821090508/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/25/AR2006022501266.html |archive-date=2008-08-21}}}}

A 32-page report was released on 3 September 2008, that addressed the financial scandal and recommended "discipline" for five individuals, including then-primate [[Herman (Swaiko)|Metropolitan Herman]], his predecessor [[Theodosius (Lazor)|Metropolitan Theodosius]], and two former treasurers as well as a former comptroller.{{refn|{{Cite web |title=Special Investigating Committee presents report to OCA Holy Synod and Metropolitan Council |url=http://www.oca.org/news/1628 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204233927/http://www.oca.org/news/1628 |archive-date=2008-12-04 |access-date=2008-11-12 |website=OCA |date=September 3, 2008 |location=[[Syosset, New York]] |language=en-US}}}}{{refn|name="Report"|{{Cite web |last1=Peterson |first1=Benjamin |last2=Tkachuk |first2=John |last3=Reese |first3=Philip |last4=Skordinski |first4=Faith |last5=Solodow |first5=Dmitri Robert |date=2008-11-08 |title=Report of the Special Investigating Committee |url=http://www.oca.org/PDF/SIC/2008-1108-1-sicreport-final.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225043830/http://www.oca.org/PDF/SIC/2008-1108-1-sicreport-final.pdf |archive-date=2009-02-25 |access-date=2008-11-12 |website=OCA |pages=4, 31 |language=en-US}}}} The same report recommended then-primate Metropolitan Herman immediately resign or retire from his post or risk being defrocked.{{r|Report}}

One day after the report was released, Herman resigned from his position as metropolitan.{{refn|{{Cite web |date=2008-09-04 |title=OCA Holy Synod of Bishops grants retirement to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman |url=https://www.oca.org/news/archived/oca-holy-synod-of-bishops-grants-retirement-to-his-beatitude-metropolitan-h |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218063824/https://www.oca.org/news/archived/oca-holy-synod-of-bishops-grants-retirement-to-his-beatitude-metropolitan-h |archive-date=2021-02-18 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |location=[[Syosset, New York]] |language=en-US}}}} That November, the OCA elected a new Primate at its 15th Annual All-American Council. Metropolitan [[Jonah (Paffhausen)]] was chosen because he had recently been appointed as a bishop (only 11 days prior) and was viewed to not be involved with the previous financial scandal.{{refn|{{Cite web |date=2008-11-12 |title=Bishop Jonah of Fort Worth Elected Metropolitan of All America and Canada |url=https://www.oca.org/news/archived/bishop-jonah-of-fort-worth-elected-metropolitan-of-all-america-and-canada |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410061904/https://www.oca.org/news/archived/bishop-jonah-of-fort-worth-elected-metropolitan-of-all-america-and-canada |archive-date=2022-04-10 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |location=[[Pittsburgh]] |language=en-US}}}} Metropolitan Jonah immediately took a strong stance against the previous scandal and became a very public metropolitan, seeking to repair damage done by the previous scandal and bring the OCA into the public realm. Metropolitan Jonah also sought to improve relations with non-Orthodox groups and especially sought to repair the relations between the OCA and traditional Anglican groups. He was invited twice to speak at the conference of the [[Anglican Church in North America]], in 2009 and 2012.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

Less than four years after his election, Metropolitan Jonah was asked by the Holy Synod, in a unanimous decision, to resign from his position. While wary of initially releasing information about the resignation, the Holy Synod felt prompted to release a public statement about his release due to rumors that had spread about their intentions. The statement they released on the official website of the OCA detailed several administrative decisions Metropolitan Jonah had made that the Holy Synod felt put the church and its members at risk.{{refn|{{Cite web |last=The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America |date=2012-07-16 |title=Statement from the Holy Synod Regarding the Resignation of Metropolitan Jonah |url=http://oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2012/2012-0716-holy-synod-statement.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312214247/http://oca.org/PDF/NEWS/2012/2012-0716-holy-synod-statement.pdf |archive-date=2013-03-12 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=OCA |language=en-US |place=[[Syosset, New York]]}}}} In the statement, the Holy Synod clarified the reason they withheld information initially was to protect the reputation and integrity of Metropolitan Jonah as well as protect anyone involved in the specific decisions made by him.

On 13 November 2012, an extraordinary All-American Council elected Archbishop Tikhon (Mollard) of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania as the Metropolitan of All-America and Canada. He was installed on 27 January 2013. Metropolitan Tikhon is a convert to the Eastern Orthodox faith and a long-time monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery in [[South Canaan, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/bishops/the-most-blessed-tikhon | title=The Holy Synod: The Most Blessed Tikhon }}</ref>

===Response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine===
On 24 February 2022, in response to [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia's invasion of Ukraine]], [[Tikhon (Mollard)|Metropolitan Tikhon]] issued a statement saying, in part, "I ask that the hostilities be ceased immediately and that [[Vladimir Putin|President Putin]] put an end to the military operations. As Orthodox Christians, we condemn violence and aggression."{{refn|{{Cite web |last=Mollard |first=Tikhon |title=Statement on war in Ukraine |url=https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/statements/his-beatitude-metropolitan-tikhon/statement-on-war-in-ukraine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404114827/https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/statements/his-beatitude-metropolitan-tikhon/statement-on-war-in-ukraine |archive-date=2022-04-04 |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=OCA |language=en-US}}}} On 28 February 2022, he made an urgent appeal for OCA members to contribute to a fund to aid Ukrainian refugees to be administered by the [[Polish Orthodox Church|Orthodox Church of Poland]]. As of 8 March 2022, over {{currency|433000|USD}} had been raised.{{refn|{{Cite web |last=Rentel |first=Alexander |date=2022-03-08 |title=Update on the Financial Appeal for Ukrainian Refugee Relief |url=https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/update-on-the-financial-appeal-for-ukrainian-refugee-relief |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314191700/https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/update-on-the-financial-appeal-for-ukrainian-refugee-relief |archive-date=2022-03-14 |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=OCA |location=[[Syosset, New York]] |language=en-US}}}}

On 13 March 2022, Tikhon sent a letter to [[Patriarch Kirill of Moscow|Patriarch Kirill]] of Moscow imploring him to use his influence to help put an end to the war.{{refn|{{Cite web |date=2022-03-13 |title=Metropolitan Tikhon sends letter to Patriarch Kirill |url=https://www.oca.org/news/oca-news/metropolitan-tikhon-sends-letter-to-patriarch-kirill |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417200822/https://www.oca.org/news/oca-news/metropolitan-tikhon-sends-letter-to-patriarch-kirill |archive-date=2022-04-17 |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=OCA |location=[[Syosset, New York]] |language=en-US}}}}

The OCA continues to recognize the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)|Ukrainian Orthodox Church]] as the sole canonical Orthodox church in Ukraine and therefore does not accept communion with the [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Message to Ecumenical Gathering on Peace in Ukraine |url=https://www.oca.org/reflections/metropolitan-tikhon/message-to-ecumenical-gathering-on-peace-in-ukraine |website=Orthodox Church in America |date=May 20, 2022 |access-date=14 August 2023 |archive-date=2023-08-14  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814025624/https://www.oca.org/reflections/metropolitan-tikhon/message-to-ecumenical-gathering-on-peace-in-ukraine |url-status=live }}</ref>

In June of 2024, Tikhon visited Ukraine and met with Metropolitan [[Onufriy Berezovsky]] of the UOC in a show of solidarity for the people of Ukraine. Members of the OCA and UOC held a joint vigil at the Chernivtsi Cathedral during this four day meeting.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 6, 2024 |title=His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon Leads Delegation of the Orthodox Church in America to Ukraine |url=https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/his-beatitude-metropolitan-tikhon-leads-delegation-of-the-orthodox-church-in-america-to-ukraine}}</ref>