The praxis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Cyprus in the face of the ecclesiology of the Moscow Council concerning the election of bishops

This article by Metropolitan Basil Karayiannis examines the systems for electing bishops in the Orthodox Churches, comparing the praxis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Cyprus with the decisions of the Moscow Council of 1917. Proceeding through a historical and canonical study, the author traces the evolution of episcopal election methods from the early Church to the contemporary era, analyzing the political and ecclesial contexts that shaped them. The central idea is that the diversity of electoral systems reflects distinct historical legacies, without calling into question a common ecclesiology. On the theological level, the article shows that episcopal election is not a mere administrative act, but a fundamental ecclesiological act linking charism, ordination, and eucharistic community, in which the bishop remains alter Christus and alter apostolus, guarantor of the unity and historical continuity of the Church.