Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to support Archbishop Anastasios of Albania during a meeting in Athens Thursday. Anastasios sought the government's help in tackling the challenges facing Albania's Orthodox Church.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios and Ekrem Imamoglu, the newly elected mayor of Istanbul, met in the Turkish city Thursday, with the former describing the moderate new leader as "a person of good intentions."

Ekrem Imamoglu (l) the newly elected Mayor of Istanbul, talks to members of the media with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios (r), the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, following their meeting in Istanbul, Thursday. Imamoglu of the Republican People's Party (CHP) won a decisive victory on June 23, his second in three months after authorities annulled an earlier vote.

"We are told that our transition into the jurisdiction of Constantinople will not change anything in the life of our parishes. But all this is a lie," - Ukrainian Orthodox Christian believer Olga Samulyak explained to the Canadian Ukrainian Religious Information Bulletin. 

Newly appointed Archbishop of America Elpidophoros is expected to arrive in New York on Wednesday for his enthronement on Saturday, the Religion News Service (RNS) website said on Monday.

The Istanbul-based ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Vartholomaios, who is the first among equals in Orthodox Christendom, lashed out against the Moscow Patriarchate Tuesday over its opposition to the granting of independence to the Ukrainian Church from that of Russia.

In yet another sign of the normalization of relations between Athens and the Phanar, Archbishop Ieronymos paid a visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios in Istanbul on Monday.
According to reports, Ieronymos visited the Patriarchate to wish Vartholomaios a happy name day.

The new archbishop of America, Elpidophoros, met Friday in Athens with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos and his deputy Terence Quick.
"Armed with the good wishes of Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios and the entire nation, I feel secure in taking on my new duties," he said.

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos is on Tuesday morning to meet with the new Archbishop of America Elpidophoros.

Elpidophoros was selected earlier this month to replace Demetrios who resigned at the beginning of May. 

The decision was taken by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul.

US Ambassador in Athens Geoffrey Pyatt met Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios on Friday, ahead of the latter's visit to Washington this fall, stressing he felt honored to see the head of the Orthodox church.