On Friday, December 12, a delegation from the Church of Crete visited the Sacred Center of the Great Church of Christ.
The delegation was headed by Archbishop Eugenios of Crete and consisted of Metropolitan Kyrillos of Ierapytni and Siteia, as well as attorney Dimitris Milathianakis, who was selected to participate in his capacity as Archon Protekdikos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Legal Advisor to the Holy Eparchial Synod.
The Ecumenical Patriarch warmly welcomed the delegation members with heartfelt and paternal love. He emphasized the Mother Church of Constantinople’s constant and unwavering concern for its ecclesiastical eparchies in Crete and all its spiritual children on the island. The Ecumenical Patriarch described the indestructible historical and spiritual bonds between the Sacred Center and the holy land of Crete and its devout people, who have always been devoted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Archbishop Eugenios of Crete briefed the Ecumenical Patriarch on current ecclesiastical matters and requested his blessings for his name day tomorrow.
Also present at the meeting were Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, director of the Patriarch’s private office.
The timeline of events that led the Delegation of the Church of Crete to the Phanar
The Church of Crete has been at the center of intense developments following the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision to transfer Metropolitan Eirinaios of Lambi and Sfakia to the Metropolis of Moschonisia.
On Tuesday, December 9, Archbishop Eugenios of Crete convened a synodal meeting of hierarchs to discuss the decisions handed down from the Phanar and determine the local Church’s response. According to local media, the Synod’s decision to transfer Metropolitan Eirinaios automatically created a second vacant metropolitan see, heightening the need to readjust the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
The meeting was marked by intense concern over the unity of the Church of Crete. Local reports noted that certain hierarchs viewed this unity as “a deceptive dream.” Some Bishops even indicated that they might boycott the meeting in protest of the decision to reassign the Metropolitan away from Crete.
On the day the synodal proceedings began, Metropolitan Eirinaios resigned from the Metropolis of Lambi and Sfakia in response to the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision to transfer him. Notably, he had neither sought nor desired the transfer. He submitted his resignation at the opening of the meeting at the Archdiocese of Crete in Heraklion.
After his resignation, a three-member synodal delegation was sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. Archbishop Eugenios of Crete led the delegation in discussions with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Issues expected to be raised include the meaning of obedience and how to preserve the unity of the local church during a period of reorganization.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
