US embassy cable - 04ISTANBUL797

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, Istanbul 
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