The document was signed by Metropolitan Platon, Archbishop Ofiesh, bishops Theophilus Pashkovsky, Amphilochius Vakulsky, Arseny Chagovets and Alexius Panteleev.

[13] On March 31, 1927, the Synod of Bishops of the ROCOR decided to release Metropolitan Platon from the administration of the North American diocese and prohibit him from serving within its area.

[11] On September 8, 1927, Metropolitan Platon was finally banned from the priesthood, the divine services performed by him were recognized as ungrateful, and the ordinations were not canonical.

At the same time, they pointed out that Aftimios should be considered a bishop, and not an archbishop, since he received this rank illegally from Metropolitan Platon, who had no right to award hierarchs.

[16] Aftimios replied forcefully, denouncing the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia for their actions and forbade his clergy and faithful from having anything to do with them.

[17] Like his estranged former associates in ROCOR, ROGCCA Metropolitan Platon turned his back on the American Orthodox Catholic Church citing lack of loyalty.

Semi-Autonomous: To counteract Archbishop Victor's actions, Aftimios and his group began to focus on the establishment of the church's legal status.

[21] He was given responsibility for all territory west of the Mississippi River and for parishes who still considered themselves to be under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America.

Serafim continues by saying that Aftimios's denunciation of Platon's authority barely affected the Russian parishes or their clergy.

Fan Noli to serve as a bishop in the new American body, with jurisdiction over Albanian Orthodox Christians.

[citation needed] Nevertheless, Aftimios consecrated two more bishops, Ignatius Nichols (a former Episcopal cleric who had become an Old Catholic episcopus vagans), and Joseph Zuk of New Jersey.

Since they believed that Aftimios had resigned, they elected Joseph as the new President Archbishop of the American Orthodox Catholic Church during the meeting.

[35] Ignatius then got married in June 1933 and began forming ecumenical relations with the representatives of the Living Church in America.

[36] The only bishop left to the American Orthodox Catholic Church was Sophronios Beshara, who then appealed to Platon for assistance.

Despite his challenges, Bishop Sophronius embraced his new position as 'President Locum Tenens of the American Holy Synod.'

[37] By this point, Platon was focused on the arrival of the representative of the Patriarchate from Russia, Bishop Benjamin Fedchenkov.

Later in 1933, the formal "Removal from Office and Suspencion" of Aftimios was officially done on 7 October 1933 in his capacity as president locum tenens.

[37] The American Orthodox Catholic Church in its original form remained dormant when Sophronius died in 1934 in Los Angeles.

[41] A continuation of the church is the jurisdiction trademarked as "The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America, Inc." This continuation claimed to have been "held in locum tenens due to lack of clergy" and Ofiesh's widow served on the corporate board until 1999.