[My comments in brackets... 
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27/04/2004 19:06:26
ANKARA (ANA - A. Kourkoulas) The crisis in relations between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece has deepened following the unexpected elections of metropolitans for vacant 'New Lands' dioceses in northern Greece by an emergency meeting of the Hierarchy of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece.
Phanar mobilised its response on Tuesday, calling a major Holy Synod meeting of independent Orthodox Churches to examine the situation created by what it sees as unilateral actions on the part of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos.
The Synod is expected to include church leaders attached to the Ecumenical throne in countries ranging from faraway Korea to the Dodecanese islands, Crete, Europe and America.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate claimed that it had not yet been officially informed about any of the actions and decisions initiated on Monday by Christodoulos.
The way that the elections were arranged has deepened conviction in Phanar that the Greek Archbishop's aim was not to defuse the ecclesiastical crisis and find a solution but to make a ''show of strength''. Patriarchate officials are also incensed and embittered over what they see as a ''misinformation campaign'' begun by Athens.
They point out that Christodoulos' actions are now based on a slim majority that is foreign to the traditions of the Church, [funny how they become so keenly aware of every minute detail of church tradition when it has to do with their wordly power; this is what makes me think they are masons] where decisions on such issues are almost always unanimous.
Church of Greece prelates met for an emergency meeting on Monday [emergency meeting for territory but not Balamand] that first voted in favour of an agreement with the Patriarchate that declared respect and acceptance of a 1928 act governing ecclesiastical administration of the 'New Lands'.
In a much more closely contested vote immediately afterward, however, the meeting decided to immediately proceed with episcopal elections for the vacant sees of Thessaloniki, Eleftheroupoli, Mesogaia and Kozani.
After fierce and sometimes acrimonious debate in which some metropolitans and bishops walked out, this motion was eventually passed by 35 votes for, 23 against, eight blank votes and five abstentions.
After a marathon session lasting nine hours, in which those who walked out in protest were considered as 'absent', the Church Hierarchy approved the transfer of Metropolitan Anthimos to Thessaloniki, the election of Archmandrite Chrysostomos Avagianos in Eleftheroupoli, Archmandrite Pavlos Papalexiou in Kozani and Archmandrite Nikolaos Hatzinikolaou, head of the Bioethics Committee, for Mesogaia.
Patriarch Vartholomeos has already warned that Phanar will not recognise the elections of the new metropolitans arranged by Christodoulos [but he will recognize Latin bishops], while threatening to break ''communion'' with the Archbishop if he went ahead with this course of action. [wow, so basically he will break "communion" over a small ecclesiatical matter while he struggles for "full communion" with the Latins despite insurmountable heresy. But when a person is only concerned with worldy affairs and not spiritual ones, this logically follows.]
A proposal for a common session of the Patriarchate's Major Synod and the Synod of the Church of Greece was made on Tuesday by main opposition PASOK's parliamentary spokesman Haris Kastanidis, who warned that the crisis could have "dire consequences on both a Canonical and a national level, with serious geopolitical repercussions".
Kastanidis said that a clash should be avoided and said his party was ready to undertake initiatives as soon as possible, stressing that this stance should be mirrored by other political parties. [perhaps Mr. Kastanidis should take charge and fire a few bishops]
