Phanar hierarch comments to UOJ on synod’s decision to suspend him

Bishop Emilianos of Meloe. Photo: Bishop's Facebook

On February 10, 2026, the Holy Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate imposed a six-month prohibition from priesthood (suspension from the clergy’s liturgical ministry) on Bishop Emilianos of Meloe.

In an exclusive interview with UOJ in America, Bishop Emilianos said that there had been no official communication with him whatsoever – neither before, nor during, nor after the Phanar Synod issued its decision. “I had no idea someone accused me of something, I was not informed that I was accused by anyone (including the Synod where my accusation was presented), and I did not receive any correspondence whatsoever that a decision about the “case” had been made. A friend who saw a Facebook announcement online told me that I was punished. No official or direct communication whatsoever. Even the secular legal systems have a more Christian, humane approach,” the hierarch stated.

Commenting on the penalty imposed on him, the bishop noted that the ban deprives him only of a few services over the course of six months. “They cannot stop me from talking about God, even if they were to canonically and unethically defrock me in the way they just punished me. However, I could write books about them with the things I know. It could be interesting,” he added.

Asked whether he intended to appeal the Synod’s decision, Bishop Emilianos declined: “Not interested. I have a very fulfilling life at the moment. I can't waste my time and focus on unnecessary high school drama.”

At the same time as its decision regarding Bishop Emilianos, the Phanar Synod defrocked Deacon Christos Karafotias, who shortly before that had been received into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

Bishop Emilianos was previously a hierarch of the Greek Archdiocese of Australia and is a spiritual son of the venerated Athonite elder Emilianos of Simonopetra. Publicly available information claims that there was a conflict between Bishop Emilianos and the archdiocesan leadership over his educational and outreach activity. In particular, Bishop Emilianos created a large-scale digital platform (the “Orthodoxy” app and the media project “Truth Seekers”), which the archdiocese did not approve because it was conducted without the blessing of the ruling hierarch. The prohibitions imposed on the Bishop of Meloe were applied after a letter from the Australian Archdiocese.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Phanar explained why it recognized the “ordinations” of the UAOC with an impostor “hierarch.”

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