Possible solution to Greek Church dispute
A potential dispute between the Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the election of a new bishop of Thessaloniki appears to have been defused after the Church of Greece received a letter yesterday from Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios. The patriarch calls for the implementation of an 1928 pact regarding the New Territories (including Thessaloniki) that became Greek territory after the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, but recognizes the needs of the Church of Greece. It said it would permit the transfer of a bishop from the Church of Greece as an exception. According to sources, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece is considering several options, including agreement on a candidate acceptable to both sides or sending the Patriarchate a list of candidates «for its information» rather than its «approval.»
