Church of Greece

Structure

Supreme authority is vested in the synod of all the diocesan bishops who have metropolitan status (the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, Greek: Ἱερὰ Σύνοδος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Ἑλλάδος, romanized: Hierà Sýnodos tês Ekklēsías tês Helládos Greek pronunciation: [ieˈra ˈsinoðos tis ekliˈsias tis eˈlaðos]), which operates under the de jure presidency of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. This synod deals with general church issues. The Standing Synod is under the same presidency and consists of the Primate and 12 bishops; each member serves for one term on a rotating basis and handles administrative matters.

The church is organized into 81 dioceses, of which 36, located in northern Greece and the major islands in the north and northeast Aegean, are nominally and spiritually under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Patriarchate retains certain privileges in these dioceses—for example, their bishops must acknowledge the Patriarch as their primate during prayers. These dioceses are called the "New Lands" (Νέαι Χώραι, or Néai Chōrai), as they became part of the modern Greek state only after the Balkan Wars, and are represented by 6 of the 12 bishops of the Standing Synod. A bishop elected to one of the Sees of the New Lands must be confirmed by the Patriarch of Constantinople before assuming his duties. These dioceses are administered by the Church of Greece "in stewardship," and their bishops retain the right of appeal (the " ékklēton ") to the Patriarch.

The dioceses of Crete (Church of Crete), the Dodecanese, and the Monastic state of Holy Mount Athos remain under the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and are not part of the Church of Greece. The Archdiocese of Crete enjoys semiautonomous status: new bishops are elected by the local Synod of incumbents, and the Archbishop is appointed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate from a three-person list (the triprósōpon) drawn by the Greek Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs from among the incumbent Metropolitans of Crete.

Source(s)

Source: Image from Wikimedia Commons by Unknown author. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Source: Intro adapted from the Wikipedia article "Church of Greece". Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Source: Structure section text copied from the "Church hierarchy" section of the Wikipedia article "Church of Greece". Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.