c. 2008 Religion News ServiceOrthodox Church of America may tap outsider for top clergy postNEW YORK (RNS) A Russian bishop could become the next head of the Orthodox Church in America, a move that is already upsetting some members who fear this would compromise the OCA’s independence.Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria has been endorsed for the OCA’s metropolitan position by a group of prominent clergy, including Thomas Hopko, former dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.The previous primate, Metropolitan Herman, retired two months ago after a 32-page report recommended “discipline” against him and five former administrators, the latest chapter in an investigation over millions of dollars in missing or misappropriated OCA funds. The OCA, based in Syosset, N.Y., was granted autonomy from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1970. Its independence is not recognized by some of the other Eastern Orthodox leaders, and some members fear the Moscow Patriarchate, now free from communist oversight, wants to reclaim its old parishes.Hilarion said he believes the OCA primate “must be an American,” and called it “highly unlikely” that he would be released by the Moscow Patriarchate if elected. Still, his supporters insist the outsider could restore confidence in the embattled church leadership.“Asking our Synod of Bishops to contact Bishop Hilarion and the Russian Orthodox Church about the possibility of his being a candidate for election as OCA Metropolitan is not out of order, and it might be what the present moment requires from us,” Hopko wrote in an Oct. 17 statement.With fewer than 30,000 members, the OCA has only a handful of candidates among its own bishops, however. Most are perceived as too old, too inexperienced, or too tainted by the investigation, said Mark Stokoe, editor of Orthodox Christians for Accountability, a Web site that has tracked the administrative crisis.“All the bishops have expressed, publicly or privately, great reluctance to becoming metropolitan at this time, given the grave difficulties the new primate will be facing,” he added. “There is a movement among some influential OCA clerics to go outside the OCA’s episcopate to select a fresh face.”Stokoe doesn’t consider Hilarion a serious contender, although Hopko’s endorsement has prompted lively debate on his Web site, including a reprimand from the Rev. Geoffrey Korz, of Ontario, Canada, urging members against politicizing the selection process.The metropolitan will be voted on during a gathering of more than 1,000 clergy and lay representatives at its All-American Council on Nov. 11 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The delegates will forward one or two names to the Holy Synod of Bishops, who officially elect the primate._ Nicole NerouliasVatican suspends Indian bishop for `adopting’ a `spiritual daughter’CHENNAI, India (RNS) The Vatican has suspended an Indian bishop in the southern state of Kerala following his “adoption” of a young woman as his “spiritual daughter,” according to the state’s Catholic Bishops’ Council.Bishop John Thattungal, 58, of the Kochi diocese in Kerala, met the 26-year-old unmarried woman, Sony Joseph, daughter of an Orthodox priest from the same state, on a pilgrimage abroad. He adopted her, saying that she had extraordinary spiritual powers and that the relationship had given him a “spiritual renewal.” News reports from Kerala have quoted the bishop as saying that he had “only fatherly love toward the woman, who has spiritual powers.”The bishop’s action led to a suspension in late October by Pope Benedict XVI after he was found “guilty” of violating the church’s Code of Canon Law by adopting the young woman. A spokesman for the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, the Rev. Stephen Althara, said a communication had been received from the Vatican suspending Thattungal, and an inquiry ordered into the episode.The Vatican conducted an inquiry after a number of Kochi clergy complained about the bishop, saying his action was “morally and ecclesiastically wrong.”A Vatican statement said a three-member committee of bishops would conduct a detailed inquiry into the whole affair.“Thattungal will now hold no office of power,” Althara said. Thattungal loses the title of bishop and many responsibilities, but will continue to celebrate Mass and perform other functions for the time being, he added.The bishop is said to have offered to withdraw the “adoption” if the Vatican held it improper, but Kochi clergy have maintained their demand for his removal._ Achal NarayananVoters seek progress in anti-hunger fight, poll saysWASHINGTON (RNS) Voters are looking to the new Obama administration to make progress in the fight against domestic and international hunger, according to an exit poll released Thursday (Nov. 6) by the Alliance to End Hunger.Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., sent a letter signed by more than 100 members of Congress to the president-elect, asking him to designate a White House position devoted to ending hunger. “Despite the hard work on behalf of food security by many scientists, economists, development workers and others, the global community has not embraced the political and social changes that are necessary to alleviate food insecurity,” said Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind.The exit poll surveyed 1,000 voters at random on Election Day. More than half said they were living paycheck-to-paycheck and that the rising costs of food had impacted them. More than 75 percent of voters polled felt that Obama has proposed effective federal programs to end child hunger in the U.S. “We need to put pressure on the new administration. You won’t encounter anyone who favors hunger, but it’s difficult to launch an international attack that will end it,” McGovern said.McLaughlin and Associates conducted the exit poll, which surveyed people by phone. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points._ Ashley GipsonQuote of the Day: Robert Parham of the Baptist Center for Ethics(RNS) “Both Obama’s adoring adherents and demonizing detractors disclose a lack of discernment. The sky is neither filled with angels proclaiming peace on earth, nor is it falling. Obama is neither the political messiah, nor the political anti-Christ.”_ Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, writing in a commentary on EthicsDaily.com.KRE/PH END RNS