Phanar hierarch: "I learned about my suspension from the Internet"

The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has imposed a six-month ban on Bishop Emilian of Meloya. According to the hierarch, he learned about the decision of the Synod, adopted on February 10, 2026, quite by chance — from an acquaintance who saw the corresponding publication on Facebook. Bishop Emilian emphasized that he had not received any official notification and expressed indifference to the incident, abandoning plans to appeal. He said this in an exclusive interview for SPJ in America.

According to Vladyka Emilian, there was no official communication with him before, during and after the judgment of the Synod of the Phanar. «I had no idea that someone had brought charges against me. I was not notified that such charges had been presented to the Synod, nor that any decision had been made. Even secular legal systems have a more Christian and human approach,» the bishop said in an interview.

Commenting on the penalty imposed, the bishop noted that the interdict deprives him of only a few divine services for six months. He emphasized that it would not prevent him from continuing his educational activities: «They cannot forbid me to speak about God, even if they tried to forbid me in a non-canonical way. I could write books about what I know — that would be interesting.» When asked about a possible appeal against the decision, Vladyka Emilian replied with a categorical refusal: «I am not interested in that. I have a very busy life now. I can’t waste time on unnecessary school drama.»

It is noteworthy that at the same time as the decision on Bishop Emilian, the Synod of the Phanar deprived of the dignity of Deacon Christos Karafotias, who shortly before had been admitted to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Bishop Emilian himself previously served as hierarch of the Greek Archdiocese of Australia and is the spiritual son of the revered Athonite elder Emilian of Simonopetra.

Open sources indicate that there was a conflict between Bishop Emilian and the leadership of the Archdiocese of Australia over his educational activities. Vladyka Emilian has created a large-scale digital platform including the «Orthodoxy» app and the «Truth Seekers» media project. These initiatives apparently did not receive the approval of the archdiocese because they were conducted without the blessing of the ruling bishop. As a result, the interdicts on Bishop Meloysky were imposed after a corresponding letter from the Archdiocese of Australia.

Recall that we reported earlier that the Metropolis of Rethymno and Avlopotamou of the Orthodox Church in Crete (within the Patriarchate of Constantinople) announced that it was seeking a candidate for the vacant position of full-time priest. The open position involves serving at St. Demetrios Church in Alades, Milopotamos, Rethymno. This initiative aims to fill the pastoral care needs of the parish in a timely manner