THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH STRIKES BACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 000797

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2014
TAGS: PHUM PREL GR TU
SUBJECT: THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH STRIKES BACK

REF: A. A) ATHENS 1550

B. B) ISTANBUL 381

C. C) ANKARA 1752


Classified By: Consul General David Arnett for Reasons 1.5 (b&d)



1. (sbu) Summary: Following a decision by Archbishop
Christodoulos of Greece to appoint three new bishops without
his approval, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and an
enlarged Holy Synod formally broke communion with
Christodoulos on April 30 and called on the newly-appointed
bishops not to assume their positions. It remains to be seen
whether this latest salvo will lead to a resolution of the
conflict or a permanent split within the Greek Orthodox
Church. End Summary.



2. (u) Ignoring a warning from Bartholomew, Archbishop
Christodoulos of Greece led the Greek Holy Synod in electing
3 new bishops on April 26. As reported ref A, the dioceses
in question are among the 36 "New Land" dioceses that belong
to the Ecumenical Patriarchate but are "administered" by the
Greek Orthodox Church under the authority of the 1928
Patriarchal and Synodical Act. In response, an enlarged
meeting of the Major Holy and Sacred Resident Synod,
including 41 bishops from Turkey and throughout the Greek
Orthodox diaspora (including Archbishop Demetrios of
America),convened in Istanbul and voted unanimously on April
30 to break "communion" with Christodoulos, declare the
elections invalid, and enjoin the "elected" bishops not to
assume their provinces (otherwise communion would be broken
with them as well).



3. (c) While the decision appears to be strictly canonical
("A Bishop should not venture to effect ordinations outside
of his bounds"),the severity of the measure has sparked
controversy among the Greek Orthodox community. Patriarchate
officials justify the decision by citing a pattern of willful
disobedience on the part of Christodoulos since he was
elected in 1998. As stated in the April 30 Protocol,
"...Christodoulos... repeatedly and frequently did willfully
transgress... by seeking to be mentioned as Primate... by
failing to observe (the Patriarchal and Synodical Act of
1928)... he persists in disorder, and harms himself and the
pleroma of the Church, becoming thus the cause of scandal and
division..." According to the Secretary of the Holy Synod
Metropolitan Meliton, there is little love lost between
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Christodoulos.
Bartholomew himself told poloff that they rarely speak and
that it had been almost a year since they had last done so.



4. (c) A Patriarchal delegation traveled to Greece in early
May to meet with the President, Prime Minister, Foreign
Minister and senior parliamentarians to present their case.
Metropolitan Meliton, who participated in the delegation,
told poloff that their interlocutors were polite, but
declined to get involved in the dispute. Meliton noted that
he believes the new government is more sympathetic to
Christodoulos than the previous PASOK government. Although
there are only a few weeks remaining before the new bishops
must legally assume their provinces, Meliton was hopeful that
Christodolous would back down and defuse the crisis. Asked
what further steps might be taken against him, Meliton said
that he could be declared "schismatic" and excommunicated
from the Church.



5. (c) Comment: Although the decision of the Patriarch and
the Holy Synod would seem to contradict the uninformed but
widely-held notion in Turkey that the "Greek Patriarch" is
merely a stooge of Greece, the event passed with only limited
news coverage and little notice in Istanbul. The
participation of the diaspora, including the 6 new foreign
members of the Holy Synod, may raise eyebrows in Ankara,
however, as the Turkish government continues to ponder
whether and how to respond to the inclusion of foreigners in
the Synod (refs B and C). Finally, it is worth noting that
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II, the Ecumenical
Patriarch's most serious rival for authority within the
Orthodox world, did not miss this opportunity to score points
against Bartholomew by sending a public letter of support to
Christodoulos.
ARNETT