Epistles of the Holy Synod

Press Bulletin of the Holy Synod

Subject: Drastic decisions in the Church

Athens, February 3, 2005

The Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece of the 148th Synodal Period convened on Τhursday, February 3, 2005, under the Presidency of His Beatitude Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, in Its first session for February.

In the last couple of days, the Holy Synod and Its President, His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, have been watching with great attention and with sadness all that is said and written about servants of our Church. Being deeply aware of their responsibility in the face of God and the people, and clearly willing to proceed immediately to an uncompromising purge within the Church, they dealt exclusively with the situation as this has been formed and the Standing Holy Synod unanimously made the following decisions:

Α.
1. That it be asked of the Government to constitute, according to Article 44 para. 1 of Law 590/1977 On the Charter of the Church of Greece, a legislative Committee made up of members of clergy and laity under the Presidency of His Beatitude the Archbishop and with representatives of the Church and of the State participating in it in equal numbers, so that a new law may be drafted regarding ecclesiastical courts, modernise the existing regime and make the manner of administering ecclesiastical justice more reliable.

2. However, until this law be passed and because of the urgency of the matter, that it be asked of the Government to introduce to the Parliament a bill that will provide two amendments to Law 5383/1932 On Ecclesiastical Courts and the Procedure Before Them with immediate effect as follows:

(a) If it be alleged that a Clergyman or a Monk has fallen to a canonical offence which caused most severe scandalisation of the faithful, manifested through the Press, television or any other means, and if the relevant Bishop, who in principle has and maintains the undiminished right of judgment, or in his absence the Vicar Episcopal, neglects in proceeding to an investigation, and having first asked the relevant Metropolitan to act on the matter himself and to order an investigation within three days, the Standing Holy Synod shall be able to take charge of the matter only as an exceptional step and to order an investigation by assigning one of Its Secretaries to act as Investigator. If the result of the investigation be unfavourable for the Clergyman or the Monk, the file of the pleadings shall be referred to the relevant Metropolitan, and in his absence to the Vicar Episcopal, who must introduce the case with no delay to the relevant ecclesiastical court, the procedure thenceforth being observed as provided by law.

(b) The two acting assistant-judge Presbyters in Episcopal Courts will have a decisive voting right and not merely a consultative opinion, as has been the case so far, with a view to reinforcing the confidence of the clergy and of the people in ecclesiastical justice and in its ministers.

Β.
1. As regards the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica, that he be summoned to appear in an audition before the Standing Holy Synod on February 4, 2005, at 9h30 am, so that the Standing Holy Synod may decide whether para. 8 of Article 34 of Law 590/77 (Article 15, Law 1351/83) is applicable in this case.

According to this law, The Standing Holy Synod, upon a substantiated proposal of Its President, may, by a decision which shall be published in the Government Gazette, proceed to a temporary suspension of a Metropolitan and place him at the disposal of the Church of Greece for a period of six months, if there be concurrent reasons regarding his person, the interest of the Church, public order or social peace. The decision shall be issued following an audition of the Metropolitan. A Vicar Episcopal shall be designated in the Metropolitanate according to Article 23, para. 1 and, if the suspended Metropolitan be also a Member of the Synod, he shall be replaced according to Article 8, para. 2 of the present law. Metropolitans who are thus placed at the disposal of the Church shall not participate in a Synod of the Hierarchy nor shall they be invited as Synodal Metropolitans and shall receive two thirds of the emoluments of a Metropolitan on active service. Following the six-month period of suspension the Standing Holy Synod may decide his definitive removal from the Metropolitan Throne.

2. As regards the Archimandrite Iakovos Ghiossakis, that the Holy Synod demand and require of the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica in writing that he dismiss the former within the day by virtue of the provisions of Article 102 of Law 5383/1932 On Ecclesiastical Courts and the Procedure before Them and that he prosecute him.

3. As regards the plea of incompetence submitted through the Holy Metropolitanate of Attica by Iakovos Ghiossakis, accused of defamation of the Most Rev. Metropolitan Ghermanos of Eleia, against the aforementioned Hierarchs competence to move the disciplinary action against him, that the plea be unanimously rejected and that the investigation begun by the Most Rev. Metropolitan Ghermanos of Eleia be continued.

C.
1. As regards the Most Rev. Metropolitan Theokletos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofersala, who, by his letter no. 97/28.1.2005 to the Holy Synod, placed himself at the disposal of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy as the supreme Collective Body of Administration of the Church of Greece, requesting and requiring that It act immediately, by any means It may deem appropriate, on the investigation of the truth of the slanders levelled against him, and the charges formulated against him by the dethroned former Metropolitan Konstantinos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofesala, who still remains under the penalty of excommunication, the Holy Synod deemed that the judicial investigation of these charges is incumbent upon the exclusive competence of the Standing Holy Synod according to the law and not of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy. On these grounds It decided that the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy be not convoked but, in accordance with Article 143 of Law 5383/1932, that the Most Rev. Metropolitan Theokletos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofersala be asked, at a first stage and by Tuesday, February 8, 2005, to provide explanation in writing regarding the charges formulated against him, so that, after the submission of the explanation, the Standing Holy Synod may decide on the matter.

D. That the Standing Holy Synod, willing to shed abundant light on rumours and any other information injuring the honour and the reputation of Clergymen of our Church, invite those faithful who possess legal evidence for their accusation responsibly to depose it to the competent Ecclesiastical Bodies, thus contributing to the right manner of dealing with eventual aberrations which harm the authority of the Church.

Ε. That the Holy Synod express Its deep awareness of the seriousness of the circumstances under which our Church is found, and Its grief on the unfavourable climate that has been created against the Church because of the acts of certain of Her servants. Moreover, it grieves It to see that these acts have given rise to various attacks against the Church, which all of us must protect. In the months to come, the Greek Clergy and the faithful people will decipher the truth, which is that, except for certain incidents of proven guilt, which are already smitten, the Church continues to be a power of Hellenism and the repose of the peoples soul and that the excessive agitation that has been caused serves other purposes, all of which converge on the degradation of this martyred Church. It is obvious that far above the persons there is the institution. And the theandric organisation of the Church as a sacred institution is not threatened by the errors of Her servants. These come and go but She emerges from the ordeals with flying colours and remains for ever and ever.

From the Press Office of the Holy Synod

[Transl. by Dr Nikolaos C. Petropoulos,
M.St., D.Phil. (Oxon.)]