The Archbishop of America, His Eminence Elpidophoros, on Thursday convened, via video conference, a regular meeting of the Holy Eparchial Synod.
Hierarchs of the Archdiocese were first briefed over a very joyous announcement, by the Mother Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, confirming a visit to America this autumn of the Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness Holiness Bartholomew I. The scheduled visit will place from October 23 to November 3.
Afterwards, hierarchs discussed the issue of vaccinations, with Metropolitans of the Archdiocese of America unanimously affirming that the Church not only permits vaccinations against diseases but that encourages Her Faithful, after medical tests and consents, to be vaccinated with approved vaccines against the Covid-19 virus.
In a subsequent communique, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod urged the faithful to pay heed to competent medical authorities, and to avoid what they called false narratives — utterly unfounded in science and per-petrated, as the statement read, on the Church by those who “…have succumbed to the disinformation and conspiracy theories that are widely available on social media sites.”