Communiqué on the Visit by the Archbishop of America and members of the Holy Eparchial Synod to the Phanar

On Wednesday morning, April 5, 2023, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and the members of the Holy Eparchial Synod, Their Eminences Metropolitans Methodios of Boston, Savas of Pittsburgh, Gerasimos of San Francisco, and Nathanael of Chicago, arrived at the Phanar in response to the related invitation by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with whom they held an extensive work meeting on the matter of revising the Charter of the Sacred Archdiocese of America. The meeting was also attended by His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, President of the Mixed Commission on the revision of the Charter, along with His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain and the Very Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Private Patriarchal Office, members of the same Commission, while Their Eminences Metropolitans Isaiah of Denver, Alexios of Atlanta and Nicholas of Detroit were unable to participate for health reasons.

During the meeting, which was carried out in an atmosphere of unity, sincerity and mutual appreciation, all those present discussed at length and freely their opinions and positions on the recommendations of the Archbishop of America and expressed their gratitude toward His All-Holiness for the invitation, emphasizing simultaneously the great value of the deliberations. In summarizing the outcomes of the entire session, the Ecumenical Patriarch underlined the importance of demonstrating confidence in the appropriate agencies of the Church in order to adopt the most beneficial decisions for the Christ-loving plenitude of this sacred Eparchy of the venerable Ecumenical Throne. In this context, it was realized that further ripening was necessary for the proposed amendments with regard to the canonical foundation of the administrative shape of the Sacred Archdiocese of America, combined with a future regulation of its internal boundaries on a pragmatic basis.

Before the conclusion of the meeting, His All-Holiness and the Most Reverend Hierarchs exchanged festive greetings for a blessed and fruitful Holy and Great Week and a joyous Holy Pascha, while through the Archbishop of America and the members of the Holy Eparchial Synod His All-Holiness conveyed his most heartfelt paternal Paschal wishes to all the beloved children of the Mother Church in the USA.