Patriarch visit to usher in new era with Greek Church

In what is seen as a hatchet-burying visit, the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios will arrive in Athens on Wednesday for talks with Greek Archbishop Ieronymos that are widely expected to usher in a new era in relations between the Church of Greece and the Phanar.

Clerical sources told Kathimerini that after a long period of sour relations, the meeting on Wednesday will be a significant step toward ensuring that “all that separates us is placed on the sidelines.” 

During their meeting Ieronymos is expected to express the backing of the Church of Greece for the the decision earlier in the year by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to grant independence to the Church of Ukraine from Russia, to the chagrin of Moscow.

Moreover, on the same day, a Church of Greece committee will weigh in on the issue of the Ukrainian Church’s independence.