A heated debate has arisen within the Church of Greece regarding the status of auxiliary bishops

Ahead of the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church, the debate over the institution of auxiliary bishops has intensified. According to Orthodoxia.info, two influential hierarchs—Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus and Metropolitan Simeon of Nea Smyrna—have presented diametrically opposed views on the canonicity and necessity of bishops without their own dioceses.

Metropolitan Simeon of Nea Smyrna expressed serious concern over what he calls the “episcopal inflation process.” According to him, the Church of Greece currently has 23 auxiliary bishops and eight titular metropolitans. The hierarch asserts that the appointment of bishops without a flock contradicts church tradition and canonical order. He cites Law No. 590/1977, insisting that the former positions for vicars have been abolished, and calls for the development of clear regulations defining the duties and powers of such bishops in order to avoid problems in the administration of dioceses.

In response, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus firmly rejected the claim that the institution of vicars is uncanonical. In his view, invoking the sacred canons in this matter is inappropriate, as they pertained to different historical circumstances. Metropolitan Seraphim emphasized that the presence of a vicar bishop does not imply the presence of two ruling bishops: “One is the shepherd. The vicar represents him and substitutes for him in situations where the bishop’s presence is necessary,” which is particularly relevant for large dioceses with a heavy administrative burden.

A separate controversy arose over the election procedure (“triprosopo”). Metropolitan of Nea Smyrna believes that current practice reduces elections to a formality, as the candidate is in fact already determined by the ruling bishop. In contrast, the Metropolitan of Piraeus cites the 6th canon of the First Ecumenical Council, asserting that a bishop has the right to choose his closest collaborator. Moreover, Metropolitan Seraphim demands specific justifications from the hierarchy in the event of a refusal to appoint a vicar, pointing out that Law No. 4957/2022 has already established precedents for the election of bishops who do not hold vacant positions, and that refusing similar requests from other dioceses would be unjust.