Communiqué from the Archdiocesan Administration on the meeting of the Archdiocesan Council on 30 May 2013.

The Archdiocesan Council met on 30 May 2013 under the chairmanship of His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel. Among questions raised were:

1. His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel confirmed that he had received confirmation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in a letter dated 22 May of his nomination by the Holy Synod (meeting of 22 April 2013) as Exarch, temporarily in charge of the administration of the Archdiocese.He read out the text in the orginal Greek, and gave an oral translation in French. As soon as an official version will be available, it will be published on the Archdiocesan website.

2. Preparations for the election of the next Archbishop

a. A report of the meeting of the Legal Committee responsible for considering the possibility of a change in the statutes to broaden the opportunities for candidacy of Archbishop was presented. A procedure to proceed with the approval of a change in the statutes by post has been proposed and will be subject to a legal advisory committee that will decide on the matter. This Committee is composed as follows: Fr. Jean Gueit, Vice-Chairman of the Archdiocese, Rector of the parishes of Saint Hermogenes in Marseille and Saint Nicholas in Nice, Fr. Wladimir Yagello, President of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, Rector of the parish Our Lady of the Sign in Paris, Fr. Jivko Panev, Lecturer in Canon Law at St. Sergius Theological Institute, Rector of the parish of Our Sovereign Lady Chaville, Henri de Larosière, parishioner of the crypt of rue Daru, Michel Ribault Mennetière, parishioner the parish of Saints Peter and Paul Chatenay Malabry, Serge Runge, a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris, member of the Council of the Archdiocese; Michel Sollogoub, secretary of the Council of the Archdiocese. The report should indicate the precise wording of the proposed amendment and the practical arrangements for this consultation, the results of which will be confirmed by a vote in plenary AGE.

b. Visit to Constantinople: once the text of the new proposal is adopted by the comission it will be taken to the Phanar for discussion with members of the Inter-Orthodox Commission of the Ecumenical Patriarcate.

3. Alexandre Victoroff reported on the financial situation of the Archdiocese. Thanks to the efforts of some parishes who increased their annual contributions following a reduction in income from Nice, the financial situation appears healthy.

4. An enlarged meeting of the Council to include the Deans has been called to meet on Friday 21 June 2013. It will be looking at the theological education and traing of priests.

5. Barcelona: the situation in the parish seems confused and unhealthy, because of the actions of some parishioners, probably still inspired by the former rector Fr. Theodore Almes, who left Greece leaving behind his wife and children and leaving debts. The Archdiocesed does not have the human and material resources to deal as it should with community in this city. It was decided to formally withdraw from the parish of Barcelona and see if the Metropolitan Archbishop Emmanuel Polycarp Spain wishes to host this parish in his diocese.