Turkish Imam Calls for Reopening of Halki

Imam Mehmet Gormez, head of the Turkish government's Religious Affairs Directorate, has publicly called on the Turkish government to allow the Halki Theological Seminary to reopen during his visit today to the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. More here.

Pittsburgh Metropolitan Resigns

Metropolitan Maximos (Aghiorgoussis) of Pittsburgh of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has resigned due to health-related issues from oversight of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has accepted the resignation, whilst Metropolitan Nicholas (Pissare) of Detroit has been appointed locum tenens for the vacant metropolis. More here.

Metropolitan Nikitas, Bishop Ilia Report on Astoria Monastery

Metropolitan Nikitas of the Dardanelles and Bishop Ilia (Katre) of Philomelion have visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate to report their findings at St. Irene Chrysovolantou's Monastery in Astoria, New York, concerning the activities of its former abbot, Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is expected to issue a final decision on the status of the Monastery and Metropolitan Paisios in the near future.

At Bishop Ilia's direction the Monastery, which was received into the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church with the guarantee of its right to follow the Julian calendar, will be celebrating its feast day this year according to the Gregorian calendar. More (in Greek) here.

Wikileaks: Constantinople Concerned About Russian Ambitions

A recent Wikileaks release has shed new light on the discussions between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Turkish, US, and Greek governments regarding the reopening of the Halki Seminary, with Patriarch Bartholomew (Arhondonis) of Constantinople at one point telling a US senator that, 'If the Ecumenical Patriarchate abandons its traditional headquarters in Istanbul, then the Russian Orthodox Church will fulfill its ambition to take command of the Ecumenical Patriarchate." He went on to say that, 'The Patriarchate needs protection so as not to lose face before Ankara and the ambition of the Russians.' More (in Greek) here.

Cypriot Orthodox Archbishop to be Elevated to Patriarchal Rank?

There is growing speculation that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will recognize (or take the authority to elevate?) the Archbishop of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus to the rank of patriarch at this fall's gathering of the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem and the Archbishop of Nea Justiniana. More (in Ukrainian) here.

Metropolitan Hilarion Meets with Estonian Apostolic Church Leader

On Bright Saturday, the last day of his visit to Estonia, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church met with Metropolitan Stefanos (Charalambides) of Tallinn of the Estonian Apostolic Church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. During their visit the two metropolitans discussed the ongoing schism within the Orthodox Church in Estonia between the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Estonian Apostolic Church and ways to overcome it. More (in Russian) here.

Astoria Monastery Changed to New Calendar

It appears that the formerly Old Calendrist Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Irene Chrysovolantou in Astoria, New York, has been switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian since the assumption of its administration by Bishop Ilia (Katre) of Philomelion of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. When the Monastery was received into the Church of Constantinople as a stavropeghial institution it was with the understanding that it and its dependencies would be free to maintain their traditional life and the traditional calendar, but that is apparently no longer the case (at least in the Monastery itself).

UAOC Primate Calls for World Orthodoxy to Resolve Ukrainian Schisms

Metropolitan Mefodiy (Kudryakov) of Kiev, First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church formerly in communion with the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches of the USA and Canada under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, has renewed his call for the healing of the schisms within Ukrainian Orthodoxy, addressing his appeal to all of world Orthodoxy and not only to the Church of Constantinople as had been previously done. More here. Hat tip again to Byzantine Texas for posting this first!

Archbishop of Comana Affirms Exarchate's Union with Constantinople

In his address to Patriarch Bartholomew (Arhondonis) of Constantinople during his recent visit to France, Archbishop Gabriel (de Vylder) of Comana of the Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe reaffirmed his exarchate's union with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, saying that the latter has given it "full freedom to continue to follow [its] vocation to prepare the way for the establishment of a local church." More (in French) here.

Red Crescent Gives Aid to Greek Orthodox in Constantinople

The Turkish branch of the International Red Crescent has generously provided the Ecumenical Patriarchate with food and other aid for the small Greek community in Constantinople. More here.

Constantinopolitan Orthodox Metropolitans Abroad Obtaining Turkish Citizenship

Apparently 27 out of the 35 (not 100% sure on the numbers) Constantinopolitan Orthodox archbishops and metropolitans serving outside Turkey have applied for Turkish citizenship under an initiative of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan to ensure the survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey. Of the 27 so far 13 have been granted citizenship. More here.

Vassula Ryden Challenges Excommunication

It appears that Vassula Ryden and her followers are attempting to spin her excommunication by the Church of Constantinople as invalid because of her belief that the decree was not signed properly - why Vassula is an expert on how decrees of excommunication should be issued by the Ecumenical Patriarchate has not been stated at this point. More here.

Patriarch Theophilus Comments on Divisions in Ukrainian Orthodoxy

During his visit to Ukraine, Patriarch Theophilos III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem has stated that he does not believe that the Ukrainian Orthodox who reject the authority of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church should appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the resolution of their canonical status, saying that they should instead first "find a common language and a willingness to participate in the dialogue" amongst themselves. More here.

Cretan Metropolitan Defends Turkish Citizenship

In a public meeting Metropolitan Nektarios of Petras of the Cretan Orthodox Church defended his adoption of Turkish citizenship, saying that the step was necessary for the survival of the Church of Constantinople in Turkey. More here.

Erdogan Speaks On Thracian Turks, Ecumenical Patriarchate

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has lambasted Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou for failing to keep his promise to Turkish Muslims in Greek Thrace that they be allowed to elect their own grand mufti. In his comments he stated that Turkey itself had not recognized the legitimacy of the election of current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Arhondonis) because of the involvement of non-Turkish citizens who were members of the Holy Synod of the Church of Constantinople, but had moved to 'legitimize' the situation by granting citizenship to hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate outside Turkey. More here.

Finnish Orthodox Archbishop Leads Ecumenical Delegation in Constantinople

Archbishop Leo (Makkonen) of Kuopio, Karelia, and Finland of the Finnish Orthodox Church is leading a mixed ecumenical delegation of Orthodox, Lutherans, and Roman Catholics from Finland on a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. More here and here.

Archbishop Gabriel Undergoes Surgery

Archbishop Gabriel (de Vylder) of Comana of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe underwent surgery this past Thursday in Maastricht. Please pray for his quick recovery.

Takeover of Astoria Monastery Complete

The takeover of what was once a preeminent monastery of the Greek Orthodox Old Calendrist movement in the United States, St. Irene Chrysovolantou's in Astoria, New York, appears complete. In the wake of the sexual scandals involving the Monastery's former abbot, Metropolitan Paisios (Loulourgas) of Tyana, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has appointed mainline Greek Orthodox hierarchs and clergy from outside the Monastery as its abbot and legal trustees.

St. Irene's together with a number of other Old Calendrist communities in the USA were received into the Church of Constantinople in 1998. At the time there was unease in some of the Monastery's dependencies regarding Metropolitan Paisios' submission to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but the Monastery was guaranteed its self-governance under its metropolitan-abbot and the right to remain faithful to the Julian calendar. What the future holds in the aftermath of the recent scandals remains to be seen.

More here.

Moscow Participates in Ecumenical Gathering at the Phanar

Representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate participated in yesterday's meeting of the "World Christian Forum" hosted by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Arhondonis) at the Phanar. More here.

Turkey Refuses to Recognize Patriarchate

The Turkish government continues to refuse to recognize the legal personality of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which it rightly notes is not "ecumenical" in the modern sense of that term. More here.