The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate convened in its regular session on Sunday, June 1, 2025, under the presidency of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The session followed the Patriarchal and Synodal Divine Liturgy celebrated in the venerable Patriarchal Church of St. George at the Phanar, marking the Feast of the 318 God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.
This year’s celebration held special significance as it commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the convocation of the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD. In honor of the occasion, a Patriarchal and Synodal Encyclical Letter was issued and solemnly read following the Gospel reading during the Divine Liturgy.
During the Synod’s session, and at the proposal of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, following a request submitted by Metropolitan Maximos of Switzerland, the Synod unanimously elected Archimandrite Fanourios Tholiotis, Protosyncellus of the Holy Metropolis of Switzerland, as Auxiliary Bishop to the Metropolitan. He was given the historical titular title of Bishop of Tyana, an ancient see.
By decision of the Holy and Sacred Synod, the newly elected Bishop—who will henceforth bear the title of Protosyncellus of the Holy Metropolis of Switzerland—will be installed, following his episcopal ordination, at the parish facilities in Zurich. There, he will serve as the Presiding Hierarch of the Church of Saint Demetrios the Myrrh-streaming, as well as of the local parish community, and will chair the parish ecclesiastical foundation’s administrative board.
The Synod also reviewed and ruled on several other matters listed on its official agenda. The deliberations of the Holy and Sacred Synod are set to continue on Monday, June 2, 2025.
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
