The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (GOAA) concluded a two-day extraordinary meeting on 23 May 2025, presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
Convened to address a number of pressing matters, the sessions resulted in disciplinary measures and new appointments within the Church.
Among the most notable decisions was the removal of Hieromonk Ieronymos Voultsidis from his position as Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Saint George, Yellow Rock.
According to an announcement issued by the GOAA today, the removal followed the Synod’s review of written explanations provided by the Abbot concerning the unauthorised departure of a monk and other canonical infractions. The Synod deemed the explanations insufficient and approved the Archbishop’s decision — made in accordance with the Holy Canons and the Constitution of the Church — to remove Hieromonk Ieronymos from office.
He has also been placed on a three-month suspension from all ecclesiastical duties and is summoned to appear before an Episcopal Court on 18 July 2025 at the headquarters of the GOAA in Redfern, Sydney.
The Synod announced the appointment of His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis as the new Abbot of the Monastery. The Holy Monastery of Saint George will continue its operations under canonical order, with Bishop Iakovos set to celebrate the Divine Liturgy there on Sunday, 25 May.
The Synod also condemned what it called ‘the uncanonical presence’ of His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa in Australia, unanimously referring the matter to the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for further action in line with Church law.
In other developments, the Synod approved canonical preaching licenses for four laymen: Anthony Picardi (Archdiocesan District), and Nikolaos Karamanaglu, George Anastasiadis, and Vasilios Karikis (Holy Diocese of Perth). These individuals are now authorised to preach during Divine Liturgies and other services.
The Synod also completed and submitted the List of Clergy Eligible for the Episcopacy from within the Archdiocese of Australia. The list has been forwarded to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for final approval.
