Members of the Archdiocese of America’s Holy Eparchial Synod met on Wednesday in an extraordinary video conference, at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, with the exclusive objective being to discuss the issue of an official proposal to change the pension program of Church hierarchs.
A communique later issued by the Holy Eparchial Synod noted that “…in accordance with the Sacred Canons of the Orthodox Church, there is no age limit for the exercise of the duties of Hierarchs. The retirement from active ministry (or not) of an individual Hierarch is entrusted exclusively to the individual choice and sole judgment of said Hierarch. Furthermore, it is noted that within the Ecumenical Patriarchate, no such age limits are applied.”