Phanar and 26 bishops warn Christodoulos
Archbishop Christodoulos came under fire yesterday from a large minority of bishops at the Holy Synod, the Church of Greece’s highest collective organ, for his handling of relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. The Patriarchate, meanwhile, warned yesterday that the Church of Greece’s questioning of the relationship between Athens and the Patriarchate is untimely and damaging to the Church and the Greek nation. At Christodoulos’s bidding, the Greek Church sent letters to Istanbul demanding changes in the arrangements of 1850 and 1928 and that Christodoulos be mentioned first in ceremonies all over Greece. The responsibility for the sure and very serious consequences will be borne solely by the other side, the Patriarchate said. In Athens, 26 of the Holy Synod’s 78 bishops signed a letter of protest and said relations with the Phanar must stay as they are.