Hierarchs of the Eparchial Synod of the Church of Crete, which is under the canonical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, will convene on Wednesday for a session that is expected to end an ecclesiastical impasse affecting the Church on the large Greek island over recent months.

According to reports, Church of Crete hierarchs are expected to elect two new Metropolitans, as bishops are known in the Orthodox ecclesiastical tradition, one for the Metropolis of Lampe, Syvritos and Sfakia, in the southwest part of the island, and another for the Metropolis of Metropolis of Kydonia and Apokoronos (in the greater Chania area), in western Crete.

The Church of Crete has eight Metropolises under the stewardship of Archbishop of Crete, His Eminence Eugenios II.

The impasse over the past few months reportedly involved an insistance by certain hierarchs for their preferred candidates, along with disputes over some of the statutes in the semi-autonomous Orthodox Church’s charter — and all in the shadow of local financial scandals. The latter situation has created friction between the Archdiocese of Crete and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, resulting in a postponement for the election of a new Metropolitan in Chania, where the tensions had initially arose.

On his part, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, under whose spiritual and administrative jurisdiction the Church of Crete falls under, finally put an end to the procrastination that had plagued the ecclesiastical elections by dispatching a Patriarchal delegation (legate) to the large island and scheduling Wednesday’s Eparchial Synod meeting weeks ago.

File photo: The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, HIs All Holiness Bartholomew I, officiating at a con-‘celebratory Divine Liturgy on Crete. (EUROKINISSI)

The Patriarchal delegation is comprised of the Metropolitan of Chalcedon Emmanuel and the Metropolitan of Austria Arsenios, both of whom hail from Crete.

As native Cretan hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate they are deemed to have a deeper understanding of the local ecclesiastical “landscape”, meaning issues and personalities, and thus judged as ideal for overcoming any obstacles preventing the elections for the two vacant Metropolitans’ thrones.

The head of the legation, the Metropolitan of Chalcedon, is considered a very experienced hierarch, low-key and a representative that closely echoes the Ecumenical Patriarch’s views.

Nevertheless, the few hours remaining until Wednesday’s ecclesiastical elections are critical, as there appears to be a confrontational mood that has unsettled the Patriarchate and the Greek government, which is also monitoring developments following the recent unpleasant events in Chania, as well as the ongoing judicial probes into finances managed by certain individuals affiliated with the Church of Crete.

‘Holy alliances’

There’s a saying in Greece, along the lines of “…the night brings forth a bishop but dawn yields the metropolitan”, something that applies to these two elections, as internal balances and an increasing “closing of the ranks” behind one or another candidate indicate that tempers have not calmed down, even after the Phanar-based Ecumenical Patriarchate’s initiative to change the Church of Crete’s charter and to promote the election of new Metropolitans who have not previously been involved in disputes and conflicts within the local hierarchy.

According to ecclesiastical sources, the Metropolitan members of the Eparchial Synod appear to be divided into two “camps”: On the one hand there are the Metropolitans of Gortyna & Arkadia, Kissamos & Selinos, Rethymno & Avlopotamo, joined by Archbishop Eugenios. The other “camp” reportedly includes the Metropolitans of Arkalochori, Kastelli & Viannos, Ierapitna & Sitia, and Petra & Cherronisos.

Archbishop of Crete, His Eminence Eugenios

The result is seven hierarchs of the Church of Crete – the Archbishop and the six Metropolitans – along with the two legates dispatched by the Ecumenical Patriarch – nine in total.

To date, the auxiliary bishop of Knossos, Methodios Vernidakis, is being proposed for the Metropolis of Chania, following a recommendation by the Metropolitan of Arkalochori, Andreas. Similarly, the latter has recommended that Archimandrite Bartholomew Vogiatzoglou, the first secretary of the Archbishop of Crete, be elected as the new Metropolitan of Sfakia.

Conversely, Archimandrite Nikoforos Kounalis appears to have the backing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, while the Archbishop of Australia, Makarios, himself of Cretan origin, reportedly backs Elder Porphyrios, of the Patriarchal and Stavropegic Gouverneto Monastery, near Chania, for Metropolitan in that ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

The Metropolitan of Petra is reportedly in close understanding with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, via the attending Metropolitan of Austria, in leaning in this direction with his vote.

At the same time, the Archbishop of Crete had not clearly indicated his preferences, at least until Monday evening.

Finally, the Metropolitans of Kissamos and Rethymo, respectively, are campaigning for the first secretary of the Metropolis of Lampe, Syvritos and Sfakia, Archimandrite Athanasios Karahalios, to be elected to the throne of the Metropolis.

Fr. Karahalios is the spiritual child of the recently resigned Metropolitan of Sfakia, Eirineos.

The Metropolitans of Kissamos and Rethymo have reportedly indicated to Archbishop Eugenios that they would be willing to support his “blessed choice” for the Metropolis of Chania if their candidate for Sfakia is elected.