BOSTON – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew notified the Holy Synod of the Phanar on Tuesday, November 27 that he has accepted the request of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America for an extension of his resignation until Easter. This development was made during the second round of meetings in Geneva on Tuesday, November 20, as The National Herald exclusively revealed.
Specifically, the Patriarch asked the members of the Holy Synod to swear not to repeat what was discussed during the meeting for fear it might leak to the press. He said that when he met with Archbishop Demetrios in Geneva, he requested his resignation again. However, the Archbishop told the Patriarch that he didn’t want to be embarrassed into resigning now and requested that the Patriarch give him some time. When the Patriarch asked the Archbishop how much time he needed, the Archbishop said until Easter, so that it didn’t appear that he stepped down under unpropitious conditions. The Patriarch agreed to grant him the extension.
The National Herald previously reported that Bartholomew had decided to deal with the issues surrounding the Archbishop immediately by requesting that the Archbishop submit his resignation willingly, and not with Bartholomew taking action himself. This report was based on information compiled from reliable sources who are in a position to know Bartholomew’s thoughts and the decisions he makes.
It should also be noted that there is no doubt whether Demetrios will cease to be Archbishop, the only question that remains is when. Additionally, as previously reported, this is the third time that Bartholomew has given Demetrios an extension, apparently for reasons which only he knows.
Meanwhile, Demetrios and the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council had a teleconference on Monday, November 26 in which the Archbishop requested that $40 million dollars be raised for St. Nicholas at Ground Zero in New York. If construction of the church were to resume, it would be very difficult for Bartholomew to ask him to leave.
However, many Greek-Americans who know the ecclesiastical issues of the Archdiocese well, believe that it will be almost impossible to raise that amount of money under the current circumstances surrounding the Archdiocese.
The National Herald is in a position to know that Bartholomew’s decision has left many speechless with the Phanar because at their previous meeting, Bartholomew had said that the November 27 Synod would deal with the issues of America. As such, the Greek-American community, who follows the decisions of the church with much interest, is surprised with Bartholomew’s inaction.
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