The health of Archbishop Christodoulos is improving rapidly and the head of the Church of Greece could leave the hospital by the end of the week, close aides told Sunday’s Kathimerini.

According to those close to the archbishop, Christodoulos has already taken on some of his religious duties again and is well enough to get out of bed for several hours each day.

However, the archbishop is said to be upset by the speculation within the Church, as well as by lay people, about who might succeed him if he dies.

Doctors removed a tumor from Christodoulos’s intestine earlier this month but he is also suffering from hepatoma, a cancer that originates in the liver.

Aides said that no decision has yet been reached as to whether the archbishop will be treated abroad.