AEOF – Back-to-School Communiqué of the Orthodox Bishops of France

Paris – 18 September 2025 – PDF – The autumn meeting of the Orthodox bishops of France was held on Wednesday, 17 September 2025 at 11 a.m. under the presidency of Metropolitan DIMITRIOS of France, at the headquarters of the AEOF. Various items of information were exchanged on the life of the Orthodox dioceses in France and of the Orthodox Churches throughout the world. The morning meeting was followed by an agape offered by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France. It continued with a meeting with the AEOF Liturgical Commission.

1. As is traditional, 1^st September marks the beginning of the liturgical year in the Orthodox Church, the date on which the Church also prays for the protection of Creation. While recalling our common responsibility, both personal and collective, for the preservation of the Earth, our common good, the Orthodox bishops of France call on the authorities and on all human consciences to work for peace and to remove the threats of war. More than ever, the wars in Europe and the Middle East, which take civilian populations hostage and expose them to intolerable dangers and deprivations contrary to international humanitarian law, must be brought to an end.
2. The bishops have decided to establish an Orthodox Day for the Protection of Creation, fixed each year on 14 September. Likewise, a Day of Commemoration of the Orthodox Saints of France has been decided upon. It will take place annually on the second Sunday after Pentecost. The places of celebration of these services will be announced each time by the Orthodox bishops in Paris. The texts of these services will soon be distributed by the AEOF to all Orthodox parishes in France.
3. The senators are due to examine at the beginning of October the texts on the end of life, adopted at 1^st reading by the National Assembly last May. The Orthodox bishops once again express their deep concern about the introduction into French law of “active assistance in dying.” They appeal to the conscience of the senators to correct this legislative development which, if definitively adopted, would remove the fundamental distinction betweenallowing to die and causing to die, offending the ethical and religious convictions of many people, believers or not. The Orthodox bishops of France call on the senators to refocus the debate, even more, on the fundamental pillar of the development of palliative care, an important response to the sufferings and questions involved in accompanying the end of life.
4. The success of the first Orthodox monastic gathering in France, held on Wednesday, 18 June 2025, at the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Archangels, 9 bis rue Jean de Beauvais, 75005 Paris, was welcomed. The bishops thank the administrators of the Romanian cathedral, under the omophorion of Metropolitan Joseph, for their fraternal welcome. This gathering will be repeated on a periodic basis.
5. The 2nd Orthodox Youth Day in France will be held on Saturday, 28 February 2026, the eve of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, at the Greek Cathedral of Saint Stephen (7 rue Georges Bizet, 75116 Paris). The theme of this Day, which will begin with a morning liturgy, followed by an agape, round tables and reflection workshops, will be announced later.
6. The AEOF is planning the forthcoming publication of a collection of the texts of the lectures presented at the most recent thematic events organised under its auspices. These texts will also be made freely accessible on the AEOF website.
7. The faithful are invited to take part in the traditional annual celebration of Orthodox Vespers, which will take place on 12 October 2025 at 4 p.m., for the feast of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. The celebration will be held this time, once again, at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, following its reopening to the public.
8. In Memoriam. The Orthodox bishops of France salute the memory of the late His Eminence Metropolitan JEREMIE (KALLIGIORGIS), who died on 20 June 2025 on the island of KOS in Greece, from which he came. A former president of the AEOF, Metropolitan JEREMIE always watched over it from its foundation, so that it might be and remain the common House of all the canonical Orthodox of France. He always conceived and carried out his commitment in and for the Church as a true paternal and loving diakonia in the service of all.
9. In Memoriam. The Orthodox bishops of France likewise salute the memory of the late Archpriest Michel EVDOKIMOV, former secretary of the AEOF, who died last July. The son of the great Orthodox theologian Paul EVDOKIMOV, Father Michel was a tireless witness to Orthodoxy in France. For many years he was the national Orthodox representative for ecumenism. He is the author of several works on Orthodoxy.

The next periodic meeting of the Orthodox bishops of France will take place on 11 December 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

Source