The concerns of the Church of Crete regarding the amendment on transferable positions have been confirmed, after the government passed it a few months ago, rejecting the request for its withdrawal from the Cretan hierarchs. The meeting between the delegation of the Provincial Synod of the Church of Crete and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, did not go as well as the hierarchs of the semi-autonomous Church would have wished. The government, through the Prime Minister, remains firm in its position that the interpretive amendment on transferable positions will not be withdrawn.
Church of Crete fails to convince government
The Holy Provincial Synod – led by Archbishop of Crete, Evgenios – appears to have failed to convince the government to change its approach on the issue that had “cooled” relations with the State, while confirming the characterization of “crude interference in the Church’s internal affairs,” which they had attributed to this government decision from the beginning. Nevertheless, the government’s claim that the request for interpretation of the “transferable” came from Phanar was repeated during this meeting, clearly trying to shift responsibility for this decision away from itself.
The Church of Crete now has a clear picture of the government’s intentions on the matter, with the path for electing a Metropolitan of Kydonia and Apokoronas opening, though the timing is not immediately determined. Archbishop of Crete Evgenios made statements to local Cretan media, declaring that the government’s decision saddened them, but they are moving forward.
“The response we received about the transferable disappoints us”
«We went and expressed our concerns, the State listened to us», the Archbishop emphasized. «The response we received about the transferable disappoints us. This dialogue could have gone better. We were able to express the issue that concerns us and we move forward. The transferable was ruled out from being changed with the amendment that was submitted. The Church neither began with us nor will it end with us. Everyone must respect its institution and we respect the institutions. We will inform our venerable hierarchs about this meeting in a synodical conference in the coming period and we reserved the right to respond accordingly».
According to reports, the Provincial Synod will convene in the last ten days of October to reveal its intentions and how it will proceed. It must now be clear that as long as the amendment is in effect, there is no candidacy of the Metropolitan of Kissamos, Amphilochios, for the vacant Metropolis of Kydonia, since there is a legal impediment. With the new circumstances, Metropolitan of Kissamos Amphilochios is now out of the running and procedures will begin to identify the hierarch who will assume this important metropolis, unless there are other kinds of surprises that the Archbishopric will have to handle.
Two criminal prosecutions against priests
However, Chania is in complete turmoil, as besides the vacant position in the Metropolis, it must also deal with the insecurity arising after revelations about networks within the Church. Reliable information indicates that the prosecutor has currently sent two criminal prosecutions, one of which is for a felony against an archimandrite and another for a bishop, former abbot, whose names appear likely to be made public soon.
After all this, there are two scenarios for the Church of Crete: either the Church of Crete will remain as is with the vacant position until the field is cleared (a vacant metropolis in Crete has existed for up to seven years) or begin the process of identifying new candidates who will enter the election procedure.
What will happen with the constitutional charter
The other issue raised in the notorious meeting was the revision of the Constitutional Charter of the Church of Crete. It is recalled that during the last session of the Holy and Sacred Synod in Phanar in August, the communique mentioned initiating the revision of the Constitutional Charter. For its part, the government – which has a say in the matter, as its approval is also needed for the revision to proceed – informally expressed the intention that such a thing should not proceed and that matters regarding the administrative status of the semi-autonomous Church of Crete should remain as they are. However, these were mentioned behind closed doors and without any written commitment from the government.
They will “find common ground” in programs
Regarding the announcement from Maximos Mansion that spoke of “willingness for further close cooperation” between the two sides, according to information, it concerns the general relationship between State and Church of Crete, which operates at the level of programs and social issues.
The Regional Governor of Crete, Stavros Arnaoutakis, attended the meeting, as he is considered one of the quiet workers to get the situation that has developed in recent months out of the impasse, but it appears that, ultimately, his presence leaned more toward the government’s decision.
Published in Parapolitika
