The Orthodox bishops of France held their periodic meeting at the seat of the AEOF at the Cathedral of St Stephen on Wednesday 22 April 2026, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Dimitrios of France, and adopted the following communiqué.
Various subjects relating to the life of the Orthodox dioceses in France, and of the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, were on the agenda. There was also discussion, with Father Jivko PANEV, delegated producer of the AEOF for the “Orthodoxie” programme on France 2, of the ongoing talks with the authorities concerning the conditions under which this programme is produced. The drafting work by the AEOF Liturgical Commission on the two services dedicated to the saints of the land of France and to the safeguarding of Creation was the subject of a VIDEOCONFERENCE with Father André LOSSKY. Bishop Marc (ALRIC) presented a report on Orthodox chaplaincies in hospitals. Father Anton GELYASOV spoke of the Orthodox chaplaincies at airports. Carol SABA presented his detailed report on the meetings he held, representing the AEOF, at the Ministry of the Interior, with the heads of the Bureau of Religious Affairs and Secularism, with the participation of other representatives of religions in France, within the framework of the working groups on the various forms taken by secularism (laïcité) in France.
On the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the abduction in Syria of the two former Metropolitans of Aleppo, Metropolitan Paul YAZIGI (brother of Patriarch John X of Antioch) and the Syriac Metropolitan John IBRAHIM, the Orthodox bishops of France once again appeal to the French and international authorities to intervene with the Syrian and regional authorities in order to clarify the circumstances surrounding this abduction and its outcome. Mobilisation and prayers must remain at the highest level, in the hope of the return of the two hierarchs, safe and sound, to their loved ones and to their Churches.
The bishops welcome the visit to France of His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I, who was received on 30 March 2026 as a foreign associate member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques. This visit was the occasion for several pastoral, cultural and diplomatic meetings, as well as talks between His All-Holiness and the highest authorities of the French State.
The dangerous situation in the Middle East continues to be a source of major concern, because of the threats it poses to security and peace in the world. The bishops express their deepest concern at the acts of war taking place there, causing massive destruction and countless losses of human life, not to mention the energy crisis they provoke. The bishops call upon all universal consciences and upon international organisations to put an end to this spiral of violence, by reminding the belligerents of, and imposing on them, the imperatives of respect for international law, and more particularly for international humanitarian law. The international community cannot allow the world to be governed by the “law of force” in place of the “force of law”. Civilian populations and installations may not be targeted, whatever the motives advanced by one side or the other.
The bishops likewise express their solidarity with all the civilian populations enduring the pangs of war. They sympathise and are particularly in solidarity with the Lebanese people, who are suffering terribly because of the acts of war taking place on their territory. Lebanon sees a large part of its civilian population driven into internal exodus in untenable and inhumane humanitarian conditions, and sees living areas and entire villages suffer unacceptable massive destruction. The world cannot remain silent and a mere spectator in the face of such flagrant violations of international humanitarian law. The bishops call on France and the international community to put an end to these acts, and to help Lebanon free its territory and recover its full sovereignty. They relay and support the appeal for donations launched by Cardinal Jean-Marc AVELINE, Archbishop of Marseille and President of the (Catholic) Bishops’ Conference of France, to support Lebanon and its people.
In keeping with the communiqué of Patriarch John X of Antioch, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East, the Orthodox bishops of France condemn the violence that targeted the Christian village of Al-Suqaylabiyya in Syria, in the HAMA region. While expressing their concern at the increasingly acute threats hanging over the lives of Christians in Syria, the bishops call on France to intervene to guarantee respect for human rights in this region, and to enable the lasting establishment of a citizenship that respects the fundamental rights of individuals and of all the components of Syria, notably the right to security, to freedom, and to the dignity of life in all its forms and expressions.