The process for its review is in full swing Constitution of the Archdiocese of America aiming to acquire his largest province Ecumenical Patriarchate the basic tools for the modernization of its administration, which will lead it to its second centenary, in the spirit and the letter of the decisions of the Holy Synod of the Phanar.

Already, in the direction of highlighting issues and concerns the Archbishop of America Mr. Elpidophoros dialogue and meetings with the clergy have begun, while at the same time an electronic platform for questions, comments and suggestions, open to the entire flock of the Archdiocese, has been put into operation. However, the review process is developing in a period when – underground, at least – strong autocephalous tendencies of the Archdiocese of America are manifested, both by clergy, but also by metropolitans with arguments based on… economic and in no way religious. No one ignores that the Archdiocese of America with the help of the strong expatriate finances (compared to the other provinces) the Patriarchate to cover its multi-level needs, however some are aiming exactly at this money, ignoring the national reasons that require the greatest strengthening of ties with the Fanari, as well as their minimal weakening, as church sources note, will hit the center of Orthodoxy.

In this context, those who initially did not see positively the election of Mr. Elpidophoros at the head of the Archdiocese of America continue their defamation and slander campaign – with the help of a small portion of ambitious expatriates, but also expatriate media which, however, no longer have a large influence- claiming to be “pro-Turkish” and cultivating relations with the Turkish factor in the US in order to serve his ambition to be a strong and powerful candidate for the succession of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In this way, they overlook the fact that Mr. Elpidophoros is a genuine child of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a native of the Phanar, he strictly adheres to his line and moves with the aim of strengthening ties with the Phanar – something that he himself had emphatically pointed out Ecumenical Patriarch visiting the headquarters of the Archdiocese of America and stating that Archbishop Elpidophoros “is the best”. After all, he himself, faithfully following the orders of the Ecumenical Patriarch, keeps the issue of the reopening of the Theological School of Halki– which he himself succeeded in internationalizing, as its abbot – of the protection of the freedoms of our minority in Constantinople, but also of the restoration of Hagia Sophia to its previous status.

With these data, today’s scheduled meeting of the Archbishop of America with clergy of the metropolis of Chicago, as well as the Metropolitan of Chicago, Mr. Nathanael, is expected with particular interest in the context of the meetings and the dialogue on the revision of the constitutional charter. In this particular metropolis, according to well-informed people of the Archdiocese of America, there are even at the highest levels receptive ears to those who support the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in the USA and are working against the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Mr. Bartholomew, personally. Thus, it is considered likely that questions about the necessity of autocephaly of the Archdiocese of America will also be put on the agenda.