Greek Orthodox in U.S. to Get Copies of Charter
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will send its parishes copies of a new governing charter that the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, Turkey, approved after eight years of debate.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate did not grant a demand by American Greeks that the U.S. archbishop be chosen in Istanbul from names submitted by American church leaders and that other bishops be elected by Americans alone.
The final version approved in Istanbul says election of the archbishop continues to be “the exclusive privilege” of Istanbul.
The archdiocese, which reports 1.5 million members, is America’s largest Eastern Orthodox denomination. Other major U.S. Orthodox bodies choose their own leaders.
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