The title of the Synod at this time was the Metropolia of Western Europe. After the transference of its first Chief Hierarch, Metropolitan Gabriel of Portugal, to the autocephalous Church of Poland, Bishop Evloghios of Milan was chosen as second Chief Hierarch and elevated to the rank of metropolitan. As you can see from the photographs, the position of Metropolitan Evloghios, despite being tradit
ionally Orthodox. He was never and is not now, intransigent towards other Orthodox Churches and never denied the presence of grace in the sacraments of the Church considered official. The Holy Synod of Milan, never conformed to the strict rules of the ultra-orthodox and uncompromising oldcalendarist moviment. With the establishment of full communion between the Ukranian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and the Church of Milan in 1989, the ecclesiology of the Archbishop Evloghios became manifestly Moderate. He was in full communion with Metropolitan Mstyslav (after First Patriarch of All Ukraine), manifestally ecumenist and in full communion with Holy See Constantinople. Then Metropolitan Evloghios and the Holy Synod of Milan was in full communion with the historical Primate of the UAOC in Ukraine (Metropolitan Ioan Bornachuk) of Lviv, right hand of Mstyslav and after with Patriarch Volodymir of Kiev (second Patriarch of the Holy See of St. Andrew). The Synod of the Church of Western Europe and Canada, never say officially that didn't recognized the Sacramental and ecclesiological status of the "canonical churches". Metropolitan Evloghios worked tirelessly from the outset to create a traditional European Orthodox reality and to give it a canonical legal status. For two years was in full communion with His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of Kiev (ecumenist too). Today Metropolitan Evloghios remains at the helm of the Holy Synod of bishops of the Church of Milan, which comprises four dioceses, in Europe, as well as missionary deaneries in England, Spain, France, South Africa and Canada.
