Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

A delegation representing the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate will arrive in Athens this week to meet with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Greek Archbishop Ieronymos to discuss the government's proposed changes to church-state relations.

The Hierarchy of the Church of Greece, comprised of 82 bishops, will decide in late February whether or not to recognize the autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine, which was formally granted independence from Moscow last Sunday by Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios.

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on Sunday presented a decree of independence to the head of the nascent Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

In Istanbul, Patriarch Bartholomew I presented the Tomos, a scroll containing the decree, in a symbolic ceremony sanctifying the Ukrainian church's independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. He signed the decree a day earlier.

The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) dignitary, who is at the helm of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, added that after the latest decision of its head, Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was "absolutely no longer considered as the supreme church authority by the SPC."

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos has rejected allegations by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week that his main motive for granting independence to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine from the Russian Church is to "start profiting from it."

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios on Thursday criticized as "unacceptable" a decision by the Russian Orthodox Church to sever eucharistic communication with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios has defended the decision to grant independence to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine from the Russian Church, which has upset relations with the Moscow Patriarchate.

Greek Education Minister Costas Gavroglou, who on Tuesday met with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios in Istanbul, has voiced his optimism that the two sides can come to an understanding over the government's recent proposals to relax church-state ties.

The tenure of Archbishop Demetrios of America has been extended, as the Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos has reportedly decided not to include the issue of his removal at the next meeting of the Patriarchate's Holy Synod, according to information on Tuesday.

The Holy Synod will meet in Istanbul from Tuesday to Thursday.

With its three-day Holy Synod getting under way on Tuesday in Istanbul, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is expected to present visiting Education Minister Costas Gavroglou with its "red lines" as regards the government's proposals to relax church-state ties.