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The top leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in America has put a stop — for now — to the breakup of the Salt Lake City area Greek Orthodox community into two parishes.
But in a letter to the bishop for the Salt Lake City church dated Thursday, Demetrios, archbishop of America, said leadership nonetheless "believes that there are long-term spiritual and other benefits with the separation of Holy Trinity and Prophet Elias in the future."
As president of the Holy Eparchial Synod, Demetrios' letter resolves an imbroglio that has pitted hundreds of parishioners against their bishop and the pastor of Prophet Elias in Holladay, the Rev. Michael Kouremetis.
The parishioners appealed to the synod to stop the division of the community into two parishes, ordered last fall by the bishop, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver. Metropolitan Isaiah is the Greek Orthodox leader for a 12-state region, including Utah.
More than 600 people signed a petition opposing the split of the community, which began with Holy Trinity in downtown Salt Lake City more than 100 years ago. The parish expanded when it built Prophet Elias in the 1960s.
Kouremetis did not return phone calls seeking comment Friday.
John Saltas, a member of the community, called the synod's decision "great news."
"Every member I've spoken to today is joyful," said Saltas. "We can now have honest and open general assemblies ... to move the community forward."
In his letter ordering the parish be split last October, Metropolitan Isaiah said the churches had been "de facto" separate parishes for several years, and he wanted to end the "anger and animosity between these parishes" by formalizing the split.
Archbishop Demetrios, in his letter Thursday, ordered that the Prophet Elias corporation and the ecclesiastical charter — which he signed last spring at the request of Metropolitan Isaiah — be dissolved.
"The Salt Lake community will remain one united parish until such time as the appropriate conditions are in place for the separation into two communities," he wrote.
The archbishop, based in New York, also encouraged the parish to develop, under the guidance of an elected parish council, long-term strategy and planning committees.
And he sought to put to rest accusations that $1.2 million left over from the Holy Trinity cathedral renovation had been "stolen" and directed that the money be moved from a "frozen" investment account into an account controlled by the parish council.
The Salt Lake Greek Orthodox community also needs to immediately identify stewards, parishioners willing to pledge "time, talent and treasure" and be eligible to vote in a general assembly to elect a new parish council, the archbishop wrote.