Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia
“Eternal light from the lantern”
ed. Apostolic Ministry of the Church of Greece, p. 600

Among the leading Phanariot hierarchs, the figure of the blessed Metropolitan Elder Meliton Khatsis of Chalcedon, a native of the city, who has been a driving force in the Ecumenical Patriarchate for almost thirty years since the early 1960s, stands out. as a great exponent of Phanariot diplomacy and the approach of the churches.

The memory of the wise Phanariot hierarch is again proclaimed by the outstanding and famous hierarch of the ecumenical throne, Metropolitan of Philadelphia Melito Karas in the poem “Eternal Light from Phanario”. This elegant book is the result of careful editions, to which the apostolic ministry of the Church of Greece has accustomed us, especially since its leadership was taken over by the Metropolitan of Phanaria, Agafangelos Haramantidis, who also precedes the work.

This volume presents 120 anecdotal texts by the blessed Elder Chalcedonos, which Melito Karas of Philadelphia has divided into eight distinct sections, including sermons on empirical and existential theology, ordination speeches, objection speeches, and interviews. Thanks to these texts, the incomparable intellectual depth and rhetorical skill of the outstanding Melitonos Hatzis is revealed. The book also reveals his ecumenical activity, his multifaceted and complex approach to the question of the unity of the Churches and the representation of the ancient throne in the intra-church and inter-Christian dialogue. In the form of an epimeter, a particularly interesting handwritten autobiography of the elder Chalcedon, which he wrote as a student at the theological school of Chalcis in 1930, is quoted.

The book is supplemented by an introductory letter from the SPS by the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew, whom Metropolitan Chalcedon Meliton was his spiritual father and whom he ordained a deacon in August 1961 at the Assumption Cathedral in his hometown of Imbro. His Holiness was the brightest representative of a new generation of hierarchs who studied and trained under the supreme hierarch of the universal throne. The elevation to the ecumenical throne of the chosen one of spiritual growth, Mr. Bartholomew, is the rehabilitation of Melitos Hatzis even in retrospect, since Ankara banned the election of a hierarch to the patriarchy.

The participation of the Imbrian Metropolitan of Philadelphia in the work and ministry of Melitonos Hatzis cannot be considered accidental. This is due to his high priesthood in Imbro and Tenedos from 1950 to 1963, when the active and organizing Melito Hatzis became the central figure of the two islands, undertaking a series of projects to build schools and community centers. During his 13 years of high priesthood, Meliton Hatzis made a catalytic contribution to the spiritual, educational and economic development of the islands, as a result of which he won the love and respect of Imbrio and Tenedio.

Miracle Imbro

As you know, the “miracle of Imbros and Tenedos” actually lasted only a decade. This came to an unexpected and inglorious end when, after a military coup in 1960, Ankara forced Metropolitan Meliton Hatzis to be removed from the island and carried out an inhuman “dissolution policy” of the indigenous Greek Orthodox population of the islands.

Despite this, the high priesthood of the Phanariot hierarch had long-term benefits for the Imbrians, especially for the youth of the island, since many young people managed to get a good education and training. Among them is the author of the book. Renamed Meliton, the latter was ordained a deacon in 1974 by the then Metropolitan Bartholomew of Philadelphia and current Ecumenical Patriarch. Since then, the young deacon of the patriarchal court, Meliton Karas, became a close associate of Elder Chalcedon, whom he followed in many foreign missions until the death of the great Phanariot hierarch in 1989.

Thus, the author joined the famous “school of Melitonos Hatzis”, which included many prominent figures of the Phanarian hierarchs who became pillars of the universal throne, especially in the difficult years of the last quarter of the twentieth century.

We hope that after the preparation of this painstaking volume, the learned Metropolitan of Philadelphia will also prepare a biography of Melitonos Hatzis, since, unfortunately, there is no comprehensive biographical volume in the literature about the life, work and great personality of Romyosin of Constantinople. The Metropolitan of Philadelphia, being a spiritual authority and companion of Elder Chalcedon for about 15 years, has empirical experience and scientific guarantees for the implementation of this project, especially if we take into account that in 2023 we will celebrate the 110th anniversary of his birth. Melitonos Hatzis.