ecumenism" "
Metropolitan Jérémie is leaving the guidance of the Greek Orthodox Church in France to replace Metropolitan Damaskinos of Switzerland, who has resigned his post as bishop for reasons of health. The move was decided by the Holy Synod of the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople meeting in Istanbul under the presidency of Patriarch Bartholomew I. To substitute Jérémie as head of the French diocese, the Synod has appointed the 45-year-old Bishop Emmanuel, hitherto auxiliary bishop of the Benelux. The ecumenical Patriarchate further decided to regroup the Greek parishes of Spain, the Canaries and Portugal into a new diocese and to establish its seat in Madrid. Metropolitan Jérémie, 68 years old, has been at the service of French Orthodoxy for over forty years, first as priest of the Greek parish of Saints Constantin-et-Hélène, in Paris, then as auxiliary of the diocese of the ecumenical patriarchate and latterly, since 1988, as diocesan bishop. The metropolitan has always shown great commitment to the ecumenical movement, both at the national level as co-president of the Council of the Christian Churches in France (CECEF), and at the international level as president of the Conference of European Churches since 1997. Metropolitan Emmanuel, who is to replace him in Paris, knows France very well, having studied at the Sorbonne and at the Saint-Serge Institute of Orthodox theology.
