Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios sent a letter to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras last year to protest potential changes to Article 3 of the country's Constitution, according to reports.

The upcoming Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is expected to accept the resignation of Archbishop Demetrios of America and, if necessary, to depose him.

The Holy Synod will meet in Istanbul from Tuesday to Thursday.

Amid lingering skepticism within the ranks of the Church of Greece over a tentative agreement struck last week between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Archbishop Ieronymos to move 10,000 clerics off the state payroll and recognize the "religious neutrality" of the state, the Holy Synod is preparing for an emergency meeting on the subject on Friday.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate told Sputnik that it does not take part in the efforts of Kiev's authorities and non-canonical Orthodox organizations to establish a single independent church in the country or the so-called Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, according to Sputnik. 

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and the Istanbul-based Orthodox Patriarch Dimitri Bartholomew on Nov. 3 signed an accord that paves the way for the recognition of an independent Ukrainian church, provoking new fury in Moscow.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have signed an agreement of cooperation and coordination between Kiev and the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Greece's Orthodox Church will resist a push by its Russian co-religionists for talks to stop Ukraine's Church breaking away from Moscow's orbit, Greek church officials said on Tuesday, deepening a rift within the global Orthodox Christian community.

The clergy and laity of the Archdiocese of America are anxiously awaiting the decisions of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which meets October 9-11, amid widespread speculation among community leaders that a change is imminent after reports that Patriarch Vartholomaios has twice recently urged Archbishop Demetrios of America to step down.

Archbishop Ieronymos said on Monday that he and his colleagues "love the Patriarchate" and the country's political leadership but love the Church of Greece and the country more than anything else.

"We love them all [the Patriarchate and politicians] but we must stress that we love our church and country more," he told journalists.

The United States expressed its support on Wednesday for a recent decision by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.