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The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is looking to dismiss Archbishop Demetrios of America

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is facing a final decision to dismiss Archbishop Demetrios of America.

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate will meet from Tuesday, November 27th to Thursday, 29th November, and is expected to take a decision on the resignation of Archbishop Demetrius.

Even today, Patriarch Bartholomew has called on bishop Demetrius twice to submit his resignation, but the 90-year-old Archbishop of America has refused.

According to Kathimerini on Sunday, last week, Bartholomew and Demetrios had a secret meeting in Geneva. It is not known if the meeting took place at the initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarch -who was in Geneva to take part in the World Council of Churches- to convince Demetrios to resign in order to aoid dismissal, or whether the initiative was Demetrius to convince Bartholomew not to insist on his expulsion. All that remains is the way: If Demetrios accepts the patriarchal request to submit his resignation, then the departure from the Archdiocese will be accompanied by his "promotion" to a senescent metropolis of the ecumenical throne. If he persists and repudiates, he will be just a former Archbishop of America.

The same information indicates that Metropolitan of Toronto Sotirios, will be the successor of Mr. Demetrios at the Archdiocese of America, although this will meet with reactions from top figures of the Greek diaspora.