According to an official announcement on the Facebook page of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Demetrios of America has submitted his resignation to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The move comes after years of pressure on the embattled Demetrios to resign, following numerous scandals that have plagued his episcopacy, including a financial scandal involving millions of dollars of misappropriated funds, as well as the Archdiocese’s theological school at the brink of losing its accreditation.
Demetrios was elected to head the American church in 1999 after the three-year leadership of Archbishop Spyridon.
The official announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is in Greek, below.
The note announces that Demetrios submitted his resignation after a meeting with Bartholomew and that the matter will be brought before the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s synod meeting this week.
