Response to August 30, 2007, Washington Post Article

On August 30, 2007, the Washington Post published an article by the Associated Press in its “Religion News in Brief” section concerning the deposition of former Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, Robert S. Kondratick. This article contained numerous factual errors, including the alleged statement made by OCA Communications Director, V. Rev. Fr. Andrew Jarmus, that a Church investigation found the former Chancellor “solely responsible” in this matter. Additionally, much of the information outlined as “problems the auditors discovered” is misleading in that those matters were not specific conclusions reached during the recent Church investigation. Furthermore, that information did not originate from the OCA communications staff, as is implied in the article. We regret any confusion that the article has caused. It was not placed by, authorized by, or reviewed prior to publication by anyone at the Chancery.

The Director of Communications, Fr. Andrew Jarmus, has contacted The Washington Post and requested that a retraction be published.