On Monday, 20 April and Tuesday, 21 April 2026, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate convened in regular sessions under the presidency of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The central subject of the Synod’s discussions was the case of Hieromonk Paisios Chatzigeorgiou, a cleric of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. Following a relevant judgement concerning ecclesiastical offences, the Holy and Sacred Synod imposed the penalty of deposition from the priesthood and reversion to the rank of monk.
At the opening of the proceedings, the customary Paschal addresses and responses were exchanged between the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Elder Metropolitan of Chalcedon, Emmanuel. The Synodal Assistants also conveyed their congratulations to the Ecumenical Patriarch on his election as a foreign associate member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. The Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his gratitude for this honour.
The remaining items on the agenda were also considered, and the appropriate decisions were made.
