The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, which is holding its
regularly scheduled meeting commencing today, has called for an
extraordinary meeting on Saturday, October 12, 2019, to discuss
autocephaly for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
Reports indicate that its primate, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and
all Greece, will lead the autocephaly recognition. Support for the
Ecumenical Patriarchate on this issue from the Church of Greece has long
been rumored, despite ongoing pressure on Greek hierarchs from the
Moscow Patriarchate.
If the Church of Greece does officially recognize the canonical
status of the new Orthodox Church in Ukraine, it may open the door for
other local churches to do the same, which may put Moscow in a difficult
spot (for example, will they automatically cut communion with the
Church of Greece on Saturday if a positive recognition decision is
made?).
Saturday will be the next pivotal step in the ongoing challenge for
the Orthodox Church as it relates to autocephaly in Ukraine.