Under the presidency of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos, the Permanent Holy Synod of the 169th Synodical Period convened for two days.
During the sessions, the Permanent Holy Synod addressed a series of important matters, decisions and initiatives concerning both ecclesiastical life and the Church’s relationship with society, education and Europe.
Read: Permanent Holy Synod: Convenes for the first time with its new composition
Topics discussed during the Permanent Holy Synod
– The Synod addressed the 2nd International Conference of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece held in Thessaloniki last month, celebrating 100 years since the publication of the THEOLOGY journal, with the theme: “Orthodox theology and the ‘ontology’ of technology: anthropological, political, economic, social and cultural consequences.” His Beatitude and the Most Reverend Synodical members expressed their satisfaction to the Organizing and Scientific Committee of the Conference for its great success and decided to send letters of thanks to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch of Bulgaria Daniel, Archbishops of Cyprus George and Albania John, who participated personally, to the Primates of Autocephalous Orthodox Churches who participated through their Representatives, to the President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tasoulas, who supported it with his presence, to the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Sofia Zacharaki, to the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, as well as to all those who contributed to its unanimously successful outcome.
The Synod also expressed its satisfaction and special thanks to the following sponsors of the Conference: Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports and General Secretariat of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Interior / Macedonia-Thrace Sector, Central Macedonia Region, Municipality of Thessaloniki/60th “Demetria”, Holy Metropolises of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki and Thessaloniki, Ecclesiastical Central Financial Service, PIRAEUS BANK, STEM SHIPPING, SAMIOTAKIS CATERING SERVICES, ELECTRA HOTEL ENTERPRISES S.A. and Thessaloniki Concert Hall Organization.
– The Synod decided to award the Gold Cross of the Decoration of the Apostle Paul, the highest honorary distinction of the Church of Greece, to His Eminence Metropolitan Theoklitos, former Metropolitan of Florina, Prespa and Eordaia.
– The Synod approved the request of the Office of the Representation of the Church of Greece in Brussels regarding the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will aim to implement the following purposes centered on the Office:
• Participation in dialogue for peace, reconciliation and cooperation among European peoples, promoting and strengthening cultural and humanitarian activities and contributing to strengthening European social cohesion, while respecting the diversity of Europe’s national and cultural identities.
• Support and promotion of the spiritual and cultural work of the Church of Greece, mainly through cooperation with the institutional bodies of the European Union, the Council of Europe, UNESCO and every other European organization.
• Development of relations between the Hellenic Republic and Churches, religious communities and representatives of Civil Society active in the European Union.
• Participation in European-level activities concerning religious, spiritual and economic solidarity among European peoples and the rest of the world, to strengthen the principles of mutual respect, understanding and solidarity, in a spirit of reconciliation and against xenophobia and racial discrimination.
• Organization of events such as lectures, seminars, working groups, conferences and other similar events on topics concerning Orthodox Christian Tradition, Europe, History, Art, Research, Education, Environment, Health, Diplomacy, etc.
• Development of joint actions for collaborative planning, formation and conduct of research in specialized scientific, educational and social thematic fields.
• Promotion of intangible cultural heritage through collaborations with European public and private organizations.
• Promotion of joint actions on the official website of the Office of the Representation of the Church of Greece in Brussels, on social media, and on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
– The Synod also approved the request of the same Office regarding the co-organization on Thursday, December 11, 2025 in Athens, of a Conference in cooperation with the University of Athens, with the theme: “The role of Christianity in a changing Europe.” The goal of this Conference is to strengthen the role played by the Church of Greece in cultivating Europe’s Christian heritage and mutual understanding among its peoples within the framework of international law.
– The Synod was informed by the Synodical Committee for Social Welfare and Charity about the Report on Philanthropic Ministry for the past year 2024 of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens and the Holy Metropolises of the Church of Greece, for which a total amount of €127,703,929.57 was given, as well as 2,728,534.51 kilograms of food of various types. In 2023, the corresponding figures were €119,319,020.66 and 3,689,327.48 kilograms. The total number of ecclesiastical charitable structures was 4,190, volunteers in charitable structures numbered 14,934 people, and the total number of beneficiaries from the Church’s offering was 1,456,671 fellow humans, while in 2023 the beneficiaries numbered 1,296,512.
– The Synod was informed by the Synodical Committee on Christian Youth Education about: a) the 9th Panhellenic Conference of Youth Priests and Youth Staff held in Volos from August 24-26, 2025, with the theme: “Orthodox anthropology in the age of Artificial Intelligence,” and b) the 2nd Panhellenic Online Training Seminar for Youth Priests, Catechists of the Holy Metropolises held from November 5, 2024 to April 8, 2025, which aimed at qualitative improvement of youth catechesis. The Synod approved the implementation of the 3rd Panhellenic Online Training Seminar for Youth Ministry Staff from November 2025 to April 2026.
– The Synod was informed by the Special Synodical Committee for Liturgical Renewal about the 19th Panhellenic Liturgical Symposium of Holy Metropolis Staff held from September 22-24, 2025, in the Holy Metropolis of Peristeri, with the theme: “The sanctity of Divine Worship in the age of secularization.”
– The Synod approved, following the proposal of the Special Synodical Committee for Cultural Identity: a) The official presentation of the Proceedings Volume of the 3rd Scientific Conference in Memory of Asia Minor Hellenism, with the general title: “The legacy of refugees and 20th century Modern Greek Society. Religious traditions, writers, art, associations, preservation of memory.” The presentation will take place on Monday, November 28, 2025 in the Events Hall of the Synodical Building, with Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Chalkida designated as speaker. b) The organization of the Panhellenic Student Competition with the theme: “Asia Minor – Pontus: Mementos,” during the 2025-2026 school year.
– The Synod was informed by the Special Synodical Committee on Special Pastoral Issues about the International Conference of Religious Service Directors of NATO member countries and cooperating countries with the theme: “The essence of the character and mission of military priests today.” This Conference will take place in Athens from January 26-30, 2026.
– The Synod appointed, following the proposal of the Synodical Committee on Ecclesiastical Education and Training of Parish Clergy, regular and alternate Members to be proposed to the Ministry of Education for the composition of the Ecclesiastical Education Supervisory Council for the next four-year period 2026-2029.
– The Synod placed under its auspices the 4th International Scientific Conference to be organized by the Holy Metropolis of Polyanis and Kilkis from November 14-15, 2025, with the theme: “Martyrdom 2025. Christianity, Technology and Artificial Intelligence.”
– The Synod was informed by its designated Representative, Metropolitan Kyrillos of Kifisia, about the award ceremony for those distinguished in the pan-Hellenic and pan-Cypriotic literary short story competition “Land of heroes and heroic figures,” marking 70 years since the beginning of EOKA’s liberation struggle in Cyprus (1955-1959), held on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at the “Hellenic Education” schools.
– The Synod approved the appointment of Most Reverend Archimandrite Father Stefanos Kappe as Protosynkellos of the Holy Metropolis of Mantineia and Kynouria.
– The Synod approved the Regulations for the establishment and operation of the Ecclesiastical Institution under the name: “Ecclesiastical Radio Station ‘Saint Damianos'” of the Holy Metropolis of Thessaliotidos and Fanariofersalon.
Finally, the Permanent Holy Synod approved clerical secondments, addressed matters of Holy Metropolises, Synodical Committees and current administrative issues.
